I had a great conversation recently with a speaker who introduced me to the phrase “Tyranny of How”. It took me a few minutes to get my mind wrapped around the concept, and now I see how it can be very useful.

Shairyar Khan on Unsplash

Like many people, I like to map out all the steps – to have a clear plan – before I get started. It gives me the confidence that I know what I’m doing and can just follow the steps to success.

Unfortunately life doesn’t work this way.

One common challenge for young couples is when to decide to start a family. It’s scary, and there are loads of “helpful” people giving you advice about all the things that can go wrong.

But after a bit of deliberation, you just have to jump in with both feet and get started. Whatever plan you had will radically change, and there will be a million surprises along the journey. But it’s a journey worth taking.

You can’t get stuck on how you’re going to get through the next 18 years. There’s no way to know for sure.

The Tyranny of How is about getting stuck in indecision because you can’t possibly know everything before you start. So you have to … just start.

Sure, go ahead and map out a few steps. Know why this is important to you. Get a feel for how large the challenges might become, and use your best judgment to prepare for some of the larger disasters.

Then start.