Why Taking Action Beats Endless Debating Every Time
Posted by Nick DeGregorio on January 27, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Sometimes the hardest part of moving forward is simply starting. Whether you’re running a company or tackling a personal goal, the temptation to overthink your decisions can be paralyzing. But here’s the truth: action produces information. It’s the only way to clear the fog and figure out what’s next.
Paul Graham once compared startups to sharks: if they stop swimming, they die. The same principle applies to most challenges in life and business. If you stop moving, waiting for perfect conditions or absolute certainty, you risk losing momentum entirely. Even if you’re unsure of the next step, doing something will bring new insights.
Think of it this way: every action you take provides feedback. Maybe people love your idea. Maybe they hate it. Either way, you learn something valuable. Feedback refines your vision and points you in the right direction. Without action, you’re stuck in endless debates, analyzing possibilities without ever seeing real results.
I’ve learned this firsthand. There were times when I doubted whether a project was ready or if I was making the right decision. Instead of waiting for clarity, I chose to act. Sometimes, the moment we launched, it became obvious we’d made mistakes. But those mistakes gave us the insights we needed to adjust and improve. We wouldn’t have known what to change without taking that first imperfect step.
It’s like standing at the base of a fog-covered mountain. You know where you want to go, but the path ahead is hidden. You can only see three or four steps at a time. The only way to uncover more of the trail is to start walking. Each step reveals more of the journey, even if it means occasionally hitting a dead end and retracing your route.
This is where most people hesitate. The unknown is intimidating. What if the path leads nowhere? What if you make the wrong choice? But avoiding the fog doesn’t get you closer to the peak. It keeps you rooted in place, guessing at possibilities instead of experiencing them.
Progress doesn’t require perfection. It requires movement. When you act, you gain clarity that planning alone can’t provide. You see what works, what doesn’t, and what adjustments are necessary. Sometimes, you’ll find yourself at a cliff, and you’ll have to pivot. But even then, you’re ahead of where you started because you’ve gained knowledge through experience.
The fear of failure keeps many people from taking those first steps. But failure isn’t the enemy. Inaction is. Every misstep teaches you something. It’s part of the process, not an endpoint. Success isn’t about never making mistakes; it’s about learning from them and continuing to move forward.
So how do you start when the path feels uncertain? Focus on small, actionable steps. You don’t need to have everything figured out to begin. Start with what’s directly in front of you, knowing that clarity will come as you move forward. Each action builds momentum, revealing new opportunities and ideas along the way.
This mindset applies to every aspect of life. Whether you’re launching a product, developing a strategy, or making a personal decision, the principles remain the same. You can’t plan your way to progress without action. You have to try, fail, learn, and try again.
The path to success isn’t always clear, but it’s never found by standing still. Take the step. Move into the unknown. Trust that each action will guide you closer to where you’re meant to be. And remember, it’s not about perfection, it’s about progress.