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“One day I will…” and “I’d really like to…” are some of the most pernicious phrases you’re ever likely to hear, because they are slogans which are used to put off what could and should be done today, for later.

These phrases — and ones like them — rest on a basic fallacy; that whatever it is you want to achieve in business, or in life, there’s a “right time” to get started — some point where you’ll be wise, capable, and productive enough to get it done.

Of course, “tomorrow never comes”, and if you wait to pursue your professional ambitions, you’re likely setting yourself up for trouble.

Here are just a few reasons why you should get started pursuing your professional ambitions now rather than waiting for the perfect moment.

There are plenty of tools available to help you learn quickly on the go

One great fear that holds people back from pursuing their professional ambitions — whether those ambitions relate to making it as a day trader, or as an author — is that they simply won’t be able to learn what they need to learn, on the go.

According to this mindset, extensive research and reflection — maybe years of it — is required in order to make an effective start and to “keep up” with the pace of the industry and competition.

This mindset is flawed for various reasons, but certainly one of the key reasons is that there are plenty of tools available today that can help you to learn, actively and quickly, on the go. Read any good eToro review, for example, and you’ll notice that this trading tool is so popular precisely because it incorporates social media-style dynamics, to facilitate community-supported learning-on-the-go.

You get “ready” by engaging in the process of trial and error, not by “waiting”

Speak to any veteran high-performer in any given field, and they’ll happily inform you that there’s no substitute for hard work, and for actually engaging in the process itself.

Training is all very well. Reflection and analysis is often essential. But when all is said and done, you get “ready” to perform in a given field, by stepping into the arena and learning through the process of trial and error. You do not make progress by “waiting”, or even by “analyzing and strategizing.”

The most effective success lessons you will have will be those you learn through your own direct experience. So you get started, ready or not, or you’ll end up waiting forever.

Experience is often something you can’t replicate via research

To continue a theme from the last point; “experience” is its own unique thing, and theory and practice often don’t align in the way you might think, or hope, they would.

Reading books on a business topic can certainly give you a “map”, indicating the general lay of the land. They can also give you some meaningful tips on what to avoid, and what to focus on.

Nonetheless, experience is often not the kind of thing you can replicate via research. Which means that you can never “get ready” without doing the thing itself.

So, go get your firsthand experience, make some mistakes, and set yourself on the right path.