On your first few trips to the gym, you’re trying to figure how much weight you can actually lift. (Or how fast you can run, how fast you can swim, how deep you can stretch, etc.)

One good principle to adhere to is to lift what you can lift. You start light, and see what you’re capable of. As you gain familiarity, you’ll get a better sense of when you’re ready to lift heavier weights, and when you need to keep the same weight. If you let your ego get the best of you, and push too hard, you run the risk of injury.

A lot of things in life are like this. Many important new opportunities don’t have clear descriptions, and the skillsets you need are always changing. 

When you can initiate a project yourself—like starting a company, writing a book, or learning a new skill independently—there’s no system to fully disqualify you from getting started. The end result will show the truth. Can you lift the weight, or not?

If you’re not sure, it might help to start a little bit lighter, and without much at stake.