Why I Don’t Wait for Permission and Why That Mindset Changes Everything
Most people spend their entire lives waiting. Waiting for approval. Waiting for the right moment. Waiting for a sign. Waiting for someone to validate them. Waiting for things to be perfect. Waiting for confidence to magically appear. Waiting for permission from people who aren’t even living the life they want.
I’m Dr Connor Robertson, and one of the biggest reasons I move fast, execute aggressively, and build momentum in multiple areas at once is because I stopped waiting for permission a long time ago. I realized that most of the limitations people face aren’t real, they’re imagined. They’re mental barriers disguised as logic. They’re fears disguised as caution. They’re excuses disguised as timing.
The first reason I don’t wait for permission is because permission never comes. People won’t show up one day and tell you you’re ready. They won’t tell you your idea is valid. They won’t tell you your timing is perfect. They won’t tell you to chase your potential. People are too focused on surviving their own lives to validate yours. If you wait for external approval, you’ll wait forever.
Another reason I avoid seeking permission is because permission creates dependency. If you rely on others to tell you when to start, you’ll rely on them for every decision. You’ll lose confidence in your own judgment. You’ll second-guess everything. You’ll operate from fear instead of clarity. Independence comes when you stop outsourcing your power.
I also stopped waiting for permission because waiting cripples momentum. Momentum comes from movement. Movement comes from action. Action comes from taking initiative. Waiting kills all three. Every moment you delay creates more friction. Every hesitation makes the next step harder. If you want momentum, you have to move before you feel completely ready.
Another reason I act without permission is because most people who give “advice” are projecting their own limitations, not evaluating yours. They judge your path based on their beliefs, their fears, their insecurities. If they wouldn’t take risks, they’ll tell you not to. If their vision is small, they’ll try to shrink yours. If they’ve never built anything, they’ll question everything you’re building. Their permission is irrelevant to your potential.
Not waiting for permission also accelerates learning. You learn faster by doing than by thinking. When you start immediately, you gather real data. You make real decisions. You solve real problems. You gain experience that planning could never give you. Every action gives you feedback. Every feedback loop increases clarity. Permission slows this down. Action speeds it up.
Another reason I don’t wait for permission is because the world rewards initiative. People trust those who take action. They respect those who move quickly. They follow those who make decisions instead of avoiding them. Leadership emerges from action, not hesitation. When you stop waiting, you become someone people pay attention to.
I also reject the permission mindset because it reinforces fear. When you wait for validation, you tell your brain the decision is risky. You treat your own ideas like they’re dangerous. You create fear where none existed. Acting without permission builds courage. It trains your mind to trust itself. It turns fear into forward motion instead of paralysis.
Not waiting for permission also builds identity. Identity comes from what you do repeatedly. When you act without hesitation, you become someone who leads instead of follows. Someone who builds instead of observes. Someone who trusts themselves instead of doubting constantly. That identity creates a new level of clarity and direction.
Another reason I act without permission is because perfectionism is just fear wearing a mask. People wait because they want things to be perfect. They want certainty. They want guarantees. But perfection isn’t a real condition. It’s a delay mechanism. It’s a trap that kills opportunities. Starting imperfectly is better than waiting indefinitely.
Not waiting also creates opportunities you’d never see otherwise. Opportunities appear for people who are moving. They don’t show up for the ones standing still. Every major shift in my career, content growth, business breakthroughs, real estate deals, happened because I acted before I felt fully ready. If I had waited, most of those opportunities would’ve gone to someone else.
The final reason I don’t wait for permission is because life is short. You don’t have time to delay. You don’t have time to ask for approval from people who aren’t living the life you want. You don’t have time to hope someone gives you the green light. Your potential doesn’t wait. Your opportunities don’t wait. Your momentum doesn’t wait. Neither should you.
Everything I’ve built, my businesses, my brand, my content engine, my clarity, comes from refusing to wait for someone else to validate my direction. I trust my instincts. I move fast. I adjust along the way. That’s how you create a life with momentum and meaning.