The trap of over-preparation

There’s a certain kind of person—curious, thoughtful, motivated—who gets really good at getting ready.

They take all the classes. They read all the books. They research all the frameworks. They don’t just want to do things right; they want to do them perfectly. Which is noble. And exhausting. And paralyzing.

In the world of listening and connection, it looks like this:

The truth is, most people just need a caring presence. It requires you—not some future, better-prepared version of you—to show up and say, “I don’t know if I’m going to do this right, but I’m here for it.”

A psychologist told me that 90% of people’s problems can be solved by talking them out with a friend. The other 10%, that’s for the professionals.

You don’t need permission to show up with care.
You don’t need a license to ask better questions.
You don’t need a title to be a person someone trusts.

The world doesn’t need more people preparing to help.
It needs more people actually helping.