well, i wasn't really ready for that (but guess what happened?)

A short, slim nightstand lived between the twin beds of sisters for at least two generations. What secrets was it privvy to?

The first sisters I know of were my mom and aunt. But for all I know, it may have been in a room with my grandmother and her sister before that.

The second pair was me and my sister.

I can't imagine the nightstand overhearing my mom and aunt having scandalous conversations. But surely they had some secrets.

My sister and I didn't have juicy conversations, either. Nor secrets... because of our ages. At 16, all she wanted was for 11-year-old me to not be in the room when she wanted to be on the phone. I also wanted her out of the room...because I wanted to play in her makeup.

All the poor nightstand would've heard were gripes.

As we got older, our relationship improved. And I'm glad to have a big sister. I've even learned a few things from her--and not just how not to get caught sneaking inside after curfew.

One was about parenting. New moms have a reputation for being over-protective. Worried about every little germ and bump and processed food.

But with her oldest, my sister was more relaxed about a lot of things that might stress out other new moms. I mentioned that to her... perhaps after she let my nephew eat a dropped goldfish off the floor. And she said:

"Everyone says you don't worry as much with your second kid. If it's good enough for the second one, it's good enough for the first."

Now, Ron Swanson might not agree. But that's excellent advice...and not just for parenting.

I prefer the philosophy of the absolutely brilliant Laura Belgray. Who, in addition to being hilarious, is an actual person and not a fictional tv character.

Isn't that a bit...lazy?

Well, possibly. If you really are half-assing something.

But I'm willing to bet that's not what's happening if you're holding back on something that's "not quite done yet."

More likely, you've got both cheeks in and are trying for perfection or waiting to be "ready."

The thing is, after a few times of waiting for this mythical "right time", you learn that no new thing you start is ever absolutely ready, just as countless other entrepreneurs have already learned.

And that's perfectly OK. Because you can adjust and improve as you go along. Which is why my podcast launched this week. 

(It's on spotify and will be on the others once I figure out how to get it there.)

Is it a perfect first episode? Nope.

Will I listen to it in the future and chuckle and/or cringe? Most likely.

But I just remember...if a less-than-perfect approach will be good enough for my future fledgling projects, it's good enough for this one.

And the same is true for whatever "baby" you don't think is quite ready to let go.

Done dispensing big-sisterly wisdom...for now,

Kristen

PS: When I was in first grade, I hid my ugly black school uniform shoes in one of the drawers of that nightstand and pretended they were lost. All so I could wear my shiny patent leather Mary Jane's to school instead.