There’s this myth that you have to earn the right to show up as something. That you need to hit some invisible benchmark of perfection before declaring who you are or what you do. That you should wait until you feel “ready.” But the truth? That moment doesn’t exist. It's an illusion.
Perfection is a lie. Comfort is the cage.
If you wait until you’re comfortable, you’ll be waiting forever. Growth is never comfortable—it’s a stretch, a burn, a risk. The people who are out there winning aren’t always the most skilled, the most educated, or the most resourced. They’re just the ones who had the guts to raise their flag now, not later. They claimed their space in the world and dared everything to try and push them out.
Claim First. Become Second.
Your positioning—your “I am this” statement—doesn’t have to be a résumé summary of proven facts. It can be aspirational. A declaration of what you’re stepping into. It's not about pretending you're something you're not. It’s about owning what you’re becoming. Because truthfully, most of us are somewhere between what we’ve done and what we’re trying to do. That’s the whole point.
When you claim it out loud, you give it weight. You put it into motion. You create gravity that starts pulling your actions, thoughts, and time into alignment with that vision. You set a direction, and suddenly, you’re not drifting anymore.
Accountability as a Catalyst
When you put your claim out into the world—publicly, unapologetically—it’s no longer just a dream. It becomes a contract. Not with other people, but with yourself. You can’t hide from it once it’s out there. That kind of visibility creates urgency. You either step into it or you stumble—but either way, you’re moving forward.
That pressure? It sharpens you. It reveals the gaps. It shows you what you need to build, what you need to learn, and what needs to be let go. It puts fire under your process, forcing refinement through action, not daydreaming.
Failure as Fuel
You’ll mess up. A lot. But those mistakes? They’re data. They’re your fast track to figuring it out. When you’re bold enough to claim something before you’ve perfected it, you’ll naturally fail faster—which means you’ll grow faster. You get all the rookie mistakes out of the way early. And instead of being paralyzed by fear of failing, you begin to embrace it. Because you start to see it for what it is: proof that you're building.
And once you've broken through that fear loop, you’ve got freedom. Freedom to create without apology. Freedom to build upward instead of looping in circles trying to get it “just right” before taking your first step.
Build From the Bones of Your Claim
Your stake in the ground becomes your blueprint. Every piece you were missing when you made your claim now becomes a task. Each skill, system, or mindset you lack becomes a line item on your to-do list. You start constructing the foundation underneath the flag you already planted—and it holds, because it's built from intention, friction, and focus.
Over time, what started as an aspiration becomes real. Not because you waited for it, but because you walked into it. Because you decided your identity was yours to define—and you got to work backing it up.
So here’s the manifesto recap:
Claim it. Before you’re ready.
Say it. Loudly.
Back it up. Publicly.
Get messy. Stay in motion, and don’t stop building.
The world doesn’t need more perfect. It needs more real.
For More Inspiration On This Topic
Chris Do/The Futur + Blair Enns — The Key to Standing Out in Business