Samuel Johnson once wrote: "Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome."

It’s important to have trusted advisors. We should know people whose judgment we feel we can consult when we need an extra perspective on anything we’re considering at work or in life. But in the end, we have to learn to trust our own well informed convictions on what we should do. It’s impossible to always get friends, co-workers, or relatives in exactly the right position to see everything that we ourselves might spot in a new opportunity we are thinking about pursuing. So people to whom we tell our plans may give us objections, worries, criticisms, obstacles, any reason they think we shouldn’t try it. And sometimes this can help. But in the end, action can’t await the resolution of all possible objections. Anything new involves some risk of failure. Success just demands that we move on nonetheless - if we truly believe in what we’re doing.

The great German thinker Goethe is often quoted as having said, “I will listen to anyone’s convictions, but pray keep your doubts to yourself.” That’s a bit extreme, but we can understand his legitimate frustration with all the naysayers who'll be skeptical of any creative endeavor.

Are you being held back from something you really believe in because of other people’s reservations? You don’t have to be able to satisfy everyone else on earth before you can take a stand and make a justified move in a new direction. If there's something you need to do, begin today to work toward it, even without answering all possible objections. Or, help someone else get free from this bind. Let the worriers worry and the objectors object. Their doubts don't have to deny you the dream you have.