The permission to start

Every one of us can feel a problem. Some of us can explain it very well. But only a few of us will actually try to solve it.

The biggest reason we don't act is that we think someone else should do it. Someone smarter than us, someone more competent, someone with more resources, someone with a bigger network...

But there isn't anyone else.

I started this blog with no credential. I was way below average in writing in both Vietnamese and English at school. I had never written anything consistently, especially in Vietnamese. I only knew 2 things: I had something "cool" to share and I needed a place to share it. So I started publishing and here we are - 12K followers later.

I also started MO - my education venture with close to zero credential. I had no Bachelor, Master or PhD degree. My GPA is always lower than those of Vietnamese students in my university. But I also knew 2 things: I know people who have something "cool" to teach and they need a place to share it. So I started talking to them and here we are - 16 cohorts and 200+ students later.

If I wait until I am smart enough, competent enough, resourceful enough or qualified enough, I will never start a thing. No one in this world, no matter how smart they are, can tell you whether or not you are capable of solving your personal problem.

You need to give yourself the permission to start. Because no one else can.

I know that it might be scary to begin because you really don't know how to. Well, here's a place I highly recommend: https://movahoi.com/product-management/

Tien Mai is the founder of SheCodes Vietnam and Incoming Product Manager of Yahoo (US). She's also a kickboxing guru and definitely one of the most prolific 98-ers I know. Join Tien in MO's limited offer Product Management course to learn how to solve problems instead of complaining and whining!