#HEYGRRRLFRENNNS have you ever had an idea, like a real, soul-tugging, “I think this could change my life” type of idea and then immediately shut it down because you didn’t know what step seven was going to look like? Same. And I hate that for us. Somewhere along the way, we got tricked into thinking that if we don’t have the whole plan figured out, we shouldn’t even bother starting. That if we can’t map the entire journey from point A to point Z, with a few SMART goals and Pinterest quotes in between, then it’s probably not worth it. But the truth is, most of the best things we do don’t start with certainty. They start with a little nudge. A feeling. A “what if?” The problem is, fear hates the unknown. And so many of us mistake fear for intuition. We think we’re being cautious when we’re really just scared. And fear isn’t always loud. Sometimes it looks like procrastination. Like waiting for the perfect timing. Like endless research, rebranding, rewriting your bio for the fifty leventh time, all while telling yourself you’re “just getting ready.” Grrrl! You don’t need another workshop. You need to believe that the version of you who doesn’t have all the answers is still worthy of beginning. That messiness doesn’t mean you’re unprepared, it just means you’re human. We don’t talk enough about how many of us delay our own becoming because we think we have to show up fully formed. But starting before you feel ready is the real flex. It means you trust that the version of you who’s still figuring it out is already enough. So if you’ve been waiting on a sign, this is it. Let’s talk about how to take that first step even if you dont feel ready.

We live in a culture obsessed with certainty. Everything from college applications to dating apps asks us to define who we are and where we’re going before we’ve even had a chance to explore. And for Black grrrls especially, there’s this added pressure to have it all figured out, to be twice as prepared, twice as polished, and five steps ahead at all times. But sometimes that pressure doesn’t produce progress, it produces paralysis. Because when the path isn’t linear, or when your dreams don’t come with clear instructions, it’s easy to convince yourself that the safest option is to stay still. But what if staying still isn’t safe? What if it’s just familiar? We’ve been taught to fear missteps, but the real danger is in waiting so long to start that we never give ourselves the chance to grow. That’s what this week’s blog is all about: giving ourselves permission to move forward without the perfect blueprint. To trust that clarity can come after the next step, not before it. Because most of the people we admire didn’t begin with a master plan, they began with what they had, where they were, and figured it out along the way. That’s not a lack of preparation. That’s courage. And courage, unlike confidence, doesn’t require you to feel ready. It just asks you to begin. So whether you’re sitting on a business idea, a move, a new creative project, or just a version of yourself you haven’t stepped into yet this one’s for you. You don’t have to map the whole road to be on the right path. You just need to take one step. Then another. Then another. Let’s talk about what it looks like to move with intention, even when the end goal is still coming into view.

Yes, And?

Here’s the truth nobody really tells you: most of us are just winging it. Seriously. Even the people who seem to have it all together are making educated guesses based on vibes, Pinterest boards, and a couple of notes app breakdowns. Life is not a rehearsed monologue; it’s improv. And the sooner you get comfortable with that, the freer you become. But improv doesn’t mean chaos. It means listening, responding, and adjusting in real time. It means showing up to your life as it unfolds, instead of waiting for a script you’re never gonna get. That’s not failure, it’s flow. But let’s keep it real: flow is hard when fear is in the driver’s seat. Especially when you’re a high achiever who likes to be in control. Guilty as charged. And double especially when you’re a Black grrrl who’s been conditioned to believe mistakes aren’t safe. We’ve internalized this idea that we have to be excellent or invisible. That we have to know exactly what we’re doing before we’re even allowed in the room. And that pressure to be polished makes it nearly impossible to move freely. We wait for permission. We overthink every angle. We draft, delete, and delay. And before we know it, a year has passed and that thing we swore we were gonna start “next month” is still sitting in the Notes app. Grrrl. We’ve all been there. So what if we stopped waiting for the moment we felt “ready”? What if we just… started? Took a baby step. A messy one. What if you let the version of you who’s unsure still show up? You don’t need clarity to begin. You need curiosity. You need grace. You need to remember that your worth isn’t determined by how flawless your launch is. Or how detailed your plan looks in Notion. It’s in your willingness to try. To trust that you can adapt as you go. To believe that the next right thing doesn’t always announce itself with flashing lights and a parade. Sometimes it just whispers, “Hey… let’s try this.” Choosing flow over fear doesn’t mean ignoring your goals or being reckless. It means moving with yourself, instead of against your own timeline. It’s choosing presence over perfection. Effort over evidence. Direction over destination. You don’t have to prove you’re ready, you just have to show up.

Start Now, Sort Later

Raise your hand if you’ve ever put off doing something because you didn’t have the perfect strategy. Now keep it raised if that same thing still isn’t done six months later. Yeah… same.. again. Perfectionism will have you thinking preparation is the win, when really it’s just procrastination in a cute outfit. And listen, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel prepared. But when the prep becomes the performance? When it becomes the reason you never start? That’s fear in a flowy dress pretending to be logic. The goal isn’t to have it all figured out, it’s to move forward anyway. Because here’s the deal: clarity rarely comes before the leap. It comes from the doing. From testing things out, changing your mind, and letting yourself grow in public. It comes from the cringy drafts, the awkward first tries, the 11 p.m. “Wait, I actually like this?” moments. And that’s the part no one glamorizes. We see the launches, the wins, the glow-ups. We don’t see the behind-the-scenes panic Googling “how to file an LLC” at 2 a.m. or the self pep talks in the mirror before pressing post. But that messy middle is where the magic lives. Where you learn what you actually want, not just what sounds good. Starting before you’re ready isn’t reckless. It’s real. Especially when you’re unlearning all the ways you’ve been told to wait. Wait until you have the degree. Wait until you lose the weight. Wait until you feel confident. But confidence doesn’t precede action, it follows it. You don’t think your way into being ready. You act your way into it. Every small decision teaches you something new about what you need. And those lessons stack. They build a rhythm. A routine. A sense of self-trust that no planner or five-step strategy could give you. So if you’re staring down a dream or desire and feeling overwhelmed by all the unknowns, pause. Take a breath. Then ask yourself: what’s the smallest next step I can take that still moves me closer? Not the most impressive. Not the one that checks every box. Just the one that proves to yourself you’re in motion. That’s all momentum is, repetition, not perfection. You’re not behind. You’re just beginning. And beginnings are allowed to be bumpy. Let them be.

Peace Is The Mission

You know what no one talks about when you stop waiting for the master plan? How calm it actually feels. Not because everything’s perfect now, but because you finally stopped forcing yourself to predict the future. There’s peace in saying, “I don’t know what happens next, but I trust myself to handle it.” That mindset shift changes everything. You stop obsessing over the ten year outcome and start paying attention to the right now. You start choosing what feels good today instead of performing for the version of you you think you’re supposed to be a year from now. And that, THAT GRRRLS, is where real alignment begins. Because truthfully? Most of us aren’t craving control. We’re craving safety. We want to know that our choices won’t backfire, that we won’t waste our time, that things will “make sense” someday. But life is rarely linear. And the pressure to have it all mapped out by a certain age or milestone only creates more confusion. The plan becomes a trap. One that makes you afraid to pivot, even when your gut says you need to. Letting go of the map doesn’t mean you don’t care about where you’re going. It means you’re giving yourself the freedom to evolve as you go. And that’s a flex no spreadsheet can hold. So what does it look like to live in flow? It looks like checking in with yourself more than you check your calendar. It looks like choosing projects, people, and paths that feel expansive not just impressive. It means being honest when something doesn’t fit anymore, even if it used to. Flow asks you to stay curious. To respond instead of react. To make space for joy and discomfort without needing to label it as a win or a loss. It’s not about doing less, it’s about doing what aligns. And when you start moving that way? Life starts to reflect it back to you. You begin attracting opportunities that feel like home. You start seeing how the things that once scared you actually stretched you. And slowly but surely, you stop needing the validation that used to keep you stuck. Because you’re no longer waiting to be “ready.” You’re just being real.

You don’t need all the answers to begin. You just need enough courage to take the next step, even if your hands are shaking. Starting without a master plan isn’t reckless, it’s revolutionary! Especially in a world that tells us we have to be perfect before we’re even allowed to try. The truth is, most of the people we admire didn’t wait until they had it all figured out. They just started. They followed the thread of what felt true and learned to trust themselves along the way. That can be you, too. Not some future, polished, post glow up version of you, but the you reading this right now. With the questions. With the fears. With the brilliant, barely begun idea sitting in your Notes app waiting for permission to bloom. So this is your permission. To make the first move. To write the first sentence. To say yes to the opportunity that lowkey scares you. You are not behind, and you are not unqualified. You are becoming, in real time, and that’s beautiful. Trusting the process isn’t about pretending you’re not scared. It’s about knowing fear doesn’t get to drive. You do. And every time you choose flow over fear, you teach your nervous system that it’s safe to be seen. Safe to shift. Safe to start small and grow into your power, piece by piece. There will be detours. There will be pivots. But there will also be joy. Discovery. Pride. And if you let it, this path you’re carving, uncertain as it may seem, could lead you somewhere more honest and expansive than any five-year plan ever could. So grrrl, trust the tug. Start where you are. And remember: clarity comes after the leap, not before. Now go and be great you lil grrrly pop! TTYL!