No, you don’t need anyone’s permission
Get up, get out there, and make it happen
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 304
We are almost a third of the way through 2026.
A third! Already!
Heavens. How time flies.
So, where will you be six months from now, as we gaze into the headlights of 2027?
Will you be prepped and ready? Will you be on your way, with a plan and a goal and a vision? Or will you still be spinning your wheels?
The most dangerous lie you’ve been told is that there is a “waiting room” for success.
You’re waiting for a gatekeeper to nod; top tell you you’re in.
You’re waiting for a specific certification, or a certain follower count, or perhaps a metaphorical “tap on the shoulder” from an industry veteran to tell you that you’ve finally arrived.
You think you need a license to speak, a permit to lead, or an invitation to innovate.
I’m here to tell you: the door isn’t locked. In fact, there isn’t even a door.
The permission paradox
We spend years in a school system that trains us to raise our hands before we speak. We enter corporate environments where we wait for “buy-in” before we act.
By the time we decide to build something for ourselves—a brand, a business, a body of work—our default setting is to wait for a green light that is never coming.
If you wait for everyone to agree that you’re ready, you’ll be waiting in the terminal while the plane takes off without you.
Full steam ahead
There’s a famous naval command: “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” It wasn’t a call to be reckless; it was a realization that the risk of sitting still in a minefield was far greater than the risk of charging through it.
In content creation and business, the “torpedoes” are the critics, the potential for a cringe post, or the fear of a technical glitch.
The torpedoes of judgment? They only hit stationary targets.
The torpedoes of perfectionism? They are disarmed by the momentum of “good enough.”
When you move with conviction, the noise of the skeptics becomes background static.
You don’t have time to worry about who is judging you when you’re too busy outrunning them.
Build your own table
Stop looking for a seat at the “established” table. If the industry leaders aren’t inviting you in, it’s because they’re afraid of the chair you’re about to build.
The internet has democratized authority.
You don’t need a publisher to be a writer. You don’t need a network to be a broadcaster. You don’t need a gallery to be an artist. You just need to start.
The “Permissionless” future
Stop asking “Is this OK?”: Start telling yourself that you’re taking action, and then follow through.
Embrace the messy Start: Your first few attempts will be clunky. Good. That’s the sound of the engine turning over.
Validate yourself: If you believe your knowledge has value, that is the only validation required to hit Publish.
The world is moving too fast for you to play “Mother May I.”
The “visibly less qualified” people we talked about last time?
They never asked for permission.
They just showed up and claimed the space while you were still looking for the application form.
Stop waiting. Start driving. Full steam ahead.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: What’s your plan for 2027, Stan?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.