Hey Reader,

Let's say you have a big dream from God. 😉

You probably already know what it is: write a book, launch a ministry, start a business, record a podcast, build an online presence…or your very own, unique, God-wired thing that requires you to put on your big girl pants and share a piece of yourself with the world.

And yet. Here you are.

You've done a little research. Collected some ideas in a Google doc. Thought about whether you need a website or a social media presence. Maybe you've even made a few small decisions about those things.

But the progress you'd hoped for by now? It hasn't happened.

Here's what I think is going on: the *how* gets in the way.

We're so full of ideas that we don't know which one to try first. We attempt something small (a social media post, maybe) and it feels harder than the idea of doing it. So we shift gears. And when the sheer number of options wears us out, we spend the afternoon reorganizing the food storage containers in the kitchen instead.

(Just me? I don't think so.)

As a case study, let's look at my season 14 return to podcasting.

After a five-month break (during which I didn't plan, record, or manage the podcast in any way) I decided it was time to come back. But with a new season came new decisions.

How long should episodes be? Do I want solo episodes? Same theme music? A different kind of opening? New processes now that I have co-hosts instead of guests?

The list kept growing, and it began to feel like cement blocks on my feet.

For weeks I thought about the podcast without making a single decision. I worked on other, less-demanding projects instead. And that uncomfortable gap between where I was and where I wanted to be just kept stretching wider.

Then came a Friday afternoon I won't forget. I'd watched yet another week go by, no closer to publishing than I'd been the two weeks prior. The discomfort of that felt thick.

And that was the day I decided to decide, even if it turned out to be the "wrong" decisions.

I sat back down at my desk, wrote out every possible option, and worked through it until I landed on something I could live with.

I won't pretend it was easy. But that project is finished and in the hands of my editor now. And God-willing, those episodes will land in your podcast app soon. (Not subscribed yet? Click here for Apple / Click here for Android.)

I did the thing. Like it or not.

And I say "like it or not" because I'm still not certain I made all the right choices. There are probably a few I'll wish I could do over. But in this moment, where starting is hard and the resistance feels loud, “done is better than perfect.”

And truly: perfect is a lie.

If I believe the only acceptable result of my actions is perfection, I will never act. But the moment I take myself—and my identity—out of the equation, it becomes an entirely different story.

I'm not a finished product. I'm a person who is growing, learning, and changing. And I have been chosen by the God of the universe, for this very moment in time, to be passionate about something I didn't even know could exist for me fifteen years ago.

I am free to go after it in a way that highlights my God-given gifts. And it doesn't have to measure up to anyone else's assessment or judgment. That is incredibly freeing.

Reader, the same is true for you.

You've been given your dream for a reason. It feels difficult because it's new. But the moment you begin, it's no longer new and unknown.

You get to shape it, form it, mold it like clay. Just like the Maker does with you and with me.

It's a privilege to walk with Him toward a destination that isn't entirely mapped out. It requires trust, hope, and faithfulness to the cause, especially when it looks and feels different than you hoped or planned.

So here's what I want for you today: take one bold step toward your dream. It can be teeny-tiny. And when you do, tell someone.

If you don't have a "someone" you'd feel comfortable sharing it with, I would be honored to be that person. Just hit reply and lay it on me.

Until next week, I am…

With you in the dream.

~ Merritt

P.S. Feeling stuck on what your next step might be? Start with day one of my free 7-day devotional, Silence the Voice of Self-Doubt. Download it at merrittonsa.com/devo.

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