The statement above is something most people keep to themselves. I’ve only ever said, “I have no idea what I’m doing,” to the people closest to me, and I mainly find myself saying it in a hushed, shameful whisper when I’m alone. But here we go, I’m coming out to the world: I have no idea what I’m doing.

This past week, the main focus in my author journey has been working back and forth with a book cover designer for my upcoming novel. Along side it, I have also been working on rewriting scenes to make them stronger and formatting the chapters I have already completed. Through it all, I keep feeling like I have no idea what I’m doing.

But that’s okay. I think we all need to be more open to admitting when we have no idea what we’re doing, and we need to learn to be comfortable with pursuing things even if we have no idea how to do it.

Most people would call this “getting out of your comfort zone,” but I think it is more about being open to learning, to being a student. So much of my avoidance of new things is the fear that I’m going to look incompetent and stupid, but it’s always going to be that way if I don’t take the first step.

Helen Hayes, a prolific actor of 80 years who died the same year I was born, said, “An expert in anything was once a beginner.” I’ve had this quote on the wall of my classroom for over a year now, but up until recently, I hadn’t put this idea into action in my own life for quite some time.

You see, I used to struggle from this strange and frustrating phenomenon called “Imposter Syndrome.” Up until very recently, this feeling has kept me from stepping outside of my comfort zone, or even feeling comfortable in areas of life I have the education and experience to excel in. But, with the urge to publish my book being stronger than the fear and discomfort, I have stepped into situations where I don’t even know the right vocabulary to express myself accurately.

Whether it’s developing a business plan, formatting a book, communicating effectively with graphic designers, or growing an author platform, I am constantly engaging in totally new territory that I am having to trail and error and learn as I go. For instance, I realized that “brightness” and “saturation” were two totally different things when it came to the color of my book cover. But, hey, I figured it out, and now I have a kick-ass book cover.

I am starting as a beginner in so many things, but I need to remember that I also used to be a beginner at writing and the first book I ever wrote was a big ol’ mess. Now, I’m pretty darn great at it! Realizing this, I have decided to be kinder to myself and feel okay to say, “I have no idea what I’m doing,” because, guess what, I don’t. But if I keep moving forward, I’ll be an expert in no time.