Alright, let’s talk about goals. We all love setting them, don’t we? New Year, new me, fresh plans to conquer the world, blah blah blah. But let me tell you, setting goals is the easy part. What’s hard? Getting out of your own way.

I’ve been there. One minute I’m pumped about some big dream—write a book, get in shape, finally fold the mountain of laundry that’s taken up permanent residence on my couch—and the next, I’m sabotaging myself like it’s my full-time job. And the sneakiest form of sabotage? Complaining.

“Oh, this is too hard.” “Why isn’t it happening faster?” “I just don’t feel like it today.”

Sound familiar? Complaining is like wrapping yourself in a cozy blanket of excuses. It feels good in the moment, but it keeps you stuck—like that time I got so mad at my laptop for “losing my work,” only to realize I’d forgotten to save the file. (Spoiler: yelling at the screen didn’t bring it back.)

Let’s rewind to last year. I had this brilliant idea: I’m going to start a blog. I mean, how hard could it be, right? I’d seen so many people share their thoughts online and build audiences. So I made the big decision to take the plunge into the blogging world. But there was just one tiny problem... I spent months designing websites and instead of actually, you know, writing anything.

At first, it seemed harmless enough. I’d sit down, excited to create my blog, and then think, “Well, I can’t launch it until the design is perfect!” So, I’d tweak the layout. Change the font. Play around with color schemes. Then, I’d find another template, start all over again, and do the whole thing again—just to make sure it was just right. I mean playing with fonts and images is so much fun. Having to look at a blank canvas full of words, not so much.

And here's the kicker: I’d convinced myself that the reason I hadn’t launched my blog wasn’t because I wasn’t writing it was because I didn't have a great website. At some point, I shifted entirely to complaining about it. “This is too hard. Why can’t I just find a design I’m happy with? Maybe I’m just not cut out for blogging after all. Maybe I'm not even a good writer to being with! Why should I bother?”

Complaints became my shield, my way of staying in my comfort zone, while my actual goal was sitting there, waiting for me to take action.

Finally, after countless nights of redesigning the same homepage (I can’t even count how many versions I made), I had a moment of clarity: I was sabotaging my own success by focusing on everything else except the actual writing. If I wanted to have a blog, I had to stop complaining about the website and just write something.

And so, I made a commitment. I would stop tweaking the design for a while and instead focus on the real goal. I gave myself permission to have an imperfect website and put out imperfect content. Because guess what? Perfection doesn’t matter if you never take the first step. I wasn’t going to wait for some magical “perfect blog” to materialize—I was going to start with what I had and work with that. I learned a powerful lesson through this whole mess:

Perfectionism is a trap.

It keeps you stuck. Instead of making progress toward your goal, you get bogged down in the minutiae, distracting yourself with the unnecessary stuff.

Here’s the thing—your goals will never be achieved if you’re stuck in the planning and designing phase forever. You have to take action. Start small. Write one blog post. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The world won’t end if your design is a little wonky or your writing isn’t Pulitzer Prize-worthy.

So here’s how I’m changing things this year: I’m no longer going to hide behind the shiny distractions. No more perfecting websites or endlessly tweaking layouts. I’m going to take action—real action. Even if my blog isn’t perfect, even if it’s not the most polished site out there. Because if I keep complaining and tweaking, I’ll never achieve my goal. I’m going to let go of perfection and embrace progress.

No more hiding behind excuses like “I’m not ready yet” or “The design’s not good enough.” I’m ready now. I’m starting today. If you’re out there, procrastinating your goals behind the perfect plan or the perfect website or whatever else you’re stuck on, let this be your wake-up call: Stop complaining, start doing.

Success doesn't come from having a perfect plan—it comes from doing the work.

The goals I’ve achieved (and the ones I’m still chasing) aren’t the result of me sitting around waiting for the ideal conditions. They’re the result of me showing up, despite feeling scared or unsure.

So, if you’re like me and you’ve been using perfection as an excuse to avoid doing the real work, let this be your sign to jump in. Start today. Get uncomfortable. Write the first post. Do the first thing on your to-do list. Take that scary step and embrace the discomfort—it’s the only way forward.

Because guess what? Perfection doesn’t exist, but progress? That’s something you can control.