No amount of research or crowd polling or envisioning will ever replace first-hand experience. Sure, buy travel guides and reference materials and inquire of those who have walked your desired path, but expect to forge new trails when you take the plunge—it’s just the nature of life.

And while you’re at it, a helpful perspective shift might involve moving from “what can I learn before doing this that would mitigate my risk?” to “what can I do to share the most valable insight from this experience to those who need it most?”

Because with that simple switch, you’ve become a leader. Someone we look to and look up to and need.

You might not be the first, but you can certainly be the best.