This post was written by entrepreneur and startup coach Rahul Varshneya.

You know that you want to quit your job and that you want to start a startup. You’ve had this desire for quite sometime now and you really must begin.

But you don’t.

You don’t because you’ve got responsibilities. You don’t because you’ve not got the perfect time. You don’t because you don’t have enough cash. You don’t because you procrastinate.

The bottom line is, you don’t because you’re afraid. The rest are all excuses.

The problem is that there is a gap between knowing it and doing it. This gap is what differentiates the entrepreneurs from the rest, though. You can remain an aspiring entrepreneur forever, or you can take the plunge today.

Sometimes, the gap just remains and you never start. My intention here it to bridge this gap for you by making you dig to the bottom of the gap, identify the issue, and help you nip it. Nip it so that you can take the first step towards a long journey of entrepreneurship.

The only reason why people do not take the plunge into entrepreneurship is fear. That is at the root of all excuses. So how do you overcome fear? Here’s a plan.

#1 – Just Do It

There’s nothing like squashing or overcoming fear by staring straight into its face. Take the plunge for whatever be your reason not to. What’s the worst that will happen to you? You’d fail? But that’s going to happen anyway!

If you’re going to do a startup, you are going to fail. But the best part is that if you embrace failure, you will succeed.

I’ve learnt through my experiences that the best way to do something is to simply get started. Do not worry about the outcome for that is not in your hands. What you control is your karma, the result is something you have no control over, so why worry about something you can’t even control?

#2 – What’s Your Fear?

Identifying what you’re afraid of is a crucial step. You can’t just be afraid of failure; it’s got to be far deeper and intrinsic. Failure is an integral part of life and is deep rooted in everything we do.

The smaller things we don’t notice sometimes. So the task is to identify what is it really deep down that is bothering you from starting up. Write down factual things. Like the fear of not making any money after ‘x’ months/year. Fear of survival for the next ‘x’ months/years. You’ve got to be precise and write these down.

Also pen down what’s the worst that could happen if you come across these situations.

What you’ve just done is remove the clutter and fear from your mind onto real issues that you have down on paper.

#3 – Identify Resources

Once you’ve identified your fears, now begin to identify what you would do in case you come across these problems. Who you would/could go to for help? What resources can you dig into if you face these challenges?

You need to do an exercise in contingency planning, detailing everything that you will do in case you fail or face your worst fears.

Now you have a plan. A well-defined plan on what you will do when you fail. Instead of these issues cluttering your mind, now you’ve got an action plan. But failure can come in many ways and at the most unlikely instances. That is where you need to break your moves into smaller bits.

#4 – Get Started

Now that you’re prepared to get started, there are two things that you need to take care of. Make sure that whatever you’ve chalked out in your contingency plan, you’ve taken care of that. By taken care of I mean that you know you will have access to those resources when you go down that route.

Having laid down your fears at rest, you are now totally prepared to take your first steps. Don’t aim for a record-breaking long jump in the first step that you take. Break down your tasks that are required to get you started into smaller bits; smaller bits of achievable tasks that you can complete in 2-3 days.

If the first step to starting your venture is to put out a website, start identifying vendors. Start speaking to people who can introduce you to them. Most aspiring entrepreneurs don’t even get started with this because of the overriding fear of failure.

You may keep telling yourself all this while that getting website designed and developed is expensive, or how will you ever find the right partner who can understand your perspective and get things done. And then you just don’t get started.

The trick is simple. Just do it. Start finding out vendors. Start speaking to everyone you know about it. You will be surprised with the results. And this will boost your confidence to get on to the next step.

Once you successfully complete the first step, move on to the second. And so on and so forth.

#5 – By All Means, Please Fail

You really must fail. Even superman fails, learns a lesson, and then strikes back. The point I’m trying to make is that no one is immune to failure. And when you take smaller steps and strides, your fall will also be less hurtful.

But fall you must. Fail you must. Because only then will you discover the better path or journey. Only when you tread on the path with thorns will you realize the other better path and understand the value of what it means to be on it.

Failure is great because it teaches you many things. It’s an opportunity because only by failing will you come to understand your true potential. Because if you fail, you will relentlessly pursue till you get it right. Now, it is far easier to relentlessly pursue something when that task is much smaller at hand.

You get the point of breaking them down into smaller bits now?

The bridge between knowing and doing is very very small. All you need is a little bit of focus, a lot of passion, and Nike’s popular slogan imprinted in your head – Just do it. For when you’ve got focus, passion and true love, the universe truly conspires to make it happen for you.

If this article inspired you to get started, please write to me. I’d be happy to hear from you.

Rahul Varshneya has spent his entire career either working for startups or starting businesses. He now spends time between coaching aspiring entrepreneurs in launching their ventures, apps and websites, and building Arkenea Technologies, a service partner for entrepreneurs helping them develop their mobile applications and websites.

Born in Korea, Huh came to the U.S. in the 1990s and earned a journalism degree at Northwestern University. His first company, focused on the decidedly unfunny vertical of web analytics, failed after 18 months. After working a succession of jobs, in 2007 he started blogging, found I Can Haz Cheezburger, and bought the site.

Source: Cheezburger

One of Memebase’s recent contributions

Today, Cheezburger runs FAIL Blog, Memebase, and The Daily What, in addition to numerous other sites.

I caught up with Huh at GROW conference in Vancouver and got some inside news on Cheezburger network plans and how Cheezburger is designed.

While we were chatting, I also took the time to ask Huh a few more personal questions:

VentureBeat: What was your inspiration for starting Cheezburger?

Ben Huh: I had a job that I hated and I wanted to get out of it … and I wanted to do it in B-to-C.

VentureBeat: You’ve done a lot for cats. What’s your favorite animal today?

Ben Huh: Right now it’s sea otters.

VentureBeat: What’s the reason you took VC money?

Ben Huh: I wanted to hit a grand slam and not hit a double.

VentureBeat: Funniest web meme ever?

Ben Huh: It’s not the funniest, but one of my favorites is a little meme called Brushy-Brushy … it’s actually a picture of a tiny little bat being brushed on the head by a toothbrush.

Source: Cheezburger

For the uninitiated … the original Brushy-Brushy

VentureBeat: Stupidest idea that Cheezburger ever did that worked.

Ben Huh: Start.

VentureBeat: What would you do today if you were just starting out?

Ben Huh: What would I do today if I was starting out? I would think really hard.

VentureBeat: Most surprising thing in your career?

Ben Huh: That people gave me money to run a business!

VentureBeat: Something no one knows about Cheezburger?

Ben Huh: There’s a lot of things that people don’t know about us. But I think this one thing goes against the grain: We’re really, really serious at work.

VentureBeat: Number one reason for your success?

Ben Huh: Our users.

VentureBeat: Favorite accomplishment?

Ben Huh: Not starving to death? No, actually, I think my favorite accomplishment is when I failed in my first company, but I got back up and did another one.

Image credits: Cheezburger Network

Alex Banayan is a 19-year-old associate at San Francisco-based venture capital firm Alsop Louie Partners. His upcoming book will feature 25 of the world’s most successful people and reveal the little things they did to propel their careers. He previously wrote about the five traits of radically successful people.

With only a few days left being a teenager, just thinking about what happened this past year gives me chills.

Before I continue, I have to warn you: this post is not for everyone. And this isn’t a tech-focused post, either. I’m writing this for that person out there who needs that extra reminder that anything is possible. If you want to know how my world flipped this year, and what surprising lessons I’ve learned along the way, keep reading.

The Transformation

This past year has been a whirlwind of life-changing events, but I don’t take credit for any of it. This all happened because of the people in my life who believed in me, guided me, and pulled me up. I wake up every day humbled by those people in my life. They are the successes, and I’m just riding the wave.

To give you some insight on what happened to me, I’ll share with you a few things that show how my life was a year ago and what it’s like now. But let’s be extremely clear: this isn’t a “things I’ve done” list, but rather a case study on what is possible—and if a scrappy teenager like me can pull it off, just imagine what you can do.

1. A year ago I was 40lbs heavier and I couldn’t run for more than 10 minutes. Today, I’ve dropped the 40lbs (thanks to Tim Ferriss’ slow carb diet) and I’m now training for my first triathlon (never thought that would happen!).
2. A year ago I sat my dorm room and dreamt about being in the “real world” of Silicon Valley. Today, I’m an associate at Alsop Louie Partners, a San Francisco-based high-tech venture capital firm.
3. A year ago I only had three people confirmed for my book and I had to chase down people on the streets (literally) to get them to agree to do interviews. Today, I’m at eleven confirmed interviews and counting—and the momentum keeps on growing.
4. A year ago, I wrote in my journal that I wished to meet some of my business heroes, which included people such as Tim Ferriss, Tony Hsieh, and Elliott Bisnow. Today, I’ve not only met them all, but I’ve even shadowed one of them, had dinner with another one, and traveled to Europe with the third (it was amazing!).

I never would have guessed any of this would happen. As childish as it sounds, I’ve learned that dreams can actually come true. It’s crazy when you think about it. You just have to be willing to lay each brick, one by one, until you eventually build up to the clouds.

The following are the lessons I’ve learned along the way that have made this all possible. I share them with you with the hope that they help you too.

The Lessons Learned

1. Writing in a journal changed my life. Journaling helps me with two things—maintaining my happiness level (if you write about happy moments in your day, your brain literally relives it) and helping me discover ideas I didn’t even know I had. A motto of mine is: I read books to learn what others know, but I write in a journal to learn what I know.
2. Lightning strikes those who run around in thunderstorms. The chances of you getting struck by lightening while sitting in your house is slim. But the odds go way up when you go outside, climb trees, and hang onto metal objects during a storm. Success works the same way. Go to conferences where big players are, say yes to opportunities, and tell your story everywhere. You can create your own luck.
3. Family first, always. I’ve realized that the one constant factor in life is family. Friends change, jobs change, girlfriends change, but your family is your family forever. Invest the time to make the relationships with your siblings and parents truly special. And if you don’t have biological family- find a community (such as Summit Series) and treat them as such.
4. Never save the “best for last.” Give it all you got from the start. And it’s okay to eat your dessert first.
5. Life is just a people game. Institutions that seems larger than life (ie. The White House, Disney, Microsoft) are just made up of people. If you learn how to pull back the curtain and find the people operating the machine, and become friends with them, you can make the impossible – possible.
6. “No” just means “not right now” or “you asked me the wrong way.” Just because someone says “no” today, doesn’t mean they will say “no” tomorrow.
7. There really are good people in the world. People want to help people who remind them of themselves, demonstrate they have potential, and have genuine intentions. You would be surprised by how radically kind people are when you ask for help in the right way.
8. Reading books is the single most underrated key to success. Seriously. My top six books recommendations are: Never Eat Alone, Delivering Happiness, 4-Hour Workweek, Pour Your Heart Into It, When I Stop Talking You’ll Know I’m Dead, and The Art of Possibilities.
9. Most people’s email addresses can be found online in under a few minutes. The internet gives you access to contact people you can’t easily meet in person. Take advantage of that.
10. Troubles are inevitable, but being stressed is a choice. I’ve learned to not worry about the little failures in life and focus on making the big success come true.
11. Stop thinking about saving money and start thinking about making it. I’ve met people who spend hours cutting coupons and looking for ways to save a couple of dollars. If they spent that time working overtime or starting a business, the financial rewards would be much greater.
12. “Networking”, passing out business cards, and attending mixers with people in suits is a waste of time. Focus instead on creating friendships with people who you really connect with. Networking makes me feel slimy and is no fun. Making friends is eternally fulfilling and enhances all aspects of your life and career.
13. You are the reflection of the 20 people who give you the best advice. Try to get advice from the most wise and accomplished people you can get a hold of. Their hindsight can be your foresight.
14. Life is not a zero sum game. Someone does not have to lose for you to win.
15. Make time for free-time. Create time in your schedule to just explore, go on adventures, read something new, and talk to new people. I have way too many high-potential friends who are so busy spinning their wheels and working hard that they never actually do anything noteworthy. If you make time for free-time, you never know where your next big idea will come from.
16. Accomplishments are not the driving force behind happiness. The happiness caused by the reaching the top of the mountain is momentary, but the happiness caused by the memory of climbing a fun mountain lasts a lifetime. The same applies to careers.
17. Being funny and telling awesome stories can quickly turn strangers into new friends. Both of those are skills that can be learned and honed.
18. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is BS. Having friends in high places isn’t helpful if you have nothing to deliver. Success is 80% the product and 20% how you get it seen. Who you know is necessary for that critical 20%, but don’t neglect that fundamental 80%.
19. Service workers and secretaries. Treat these two groups of people exceptionally well. It’s one of life’s little secrets.
20. You will surprise yourself by what you can accomplish when your back is against the wall. Nothing is more motivating than treading on the edge of failure—it will make you do incredible feats that you didn’t think you could ever pull off. But you’ll only get to that point if you take unimaginable risks.

Wrapping Up

The coolest part of all this is that I’m actually not particularly special. Anything I did, you could do too – and probably better. The only reason all this happened to me is because I was crazy enough to try.

I am not an example of a lucky exception, but rather proof of what is possible.

What happened to me this past year can happen to any of you if you want it bad enough.

My hope is that with this article, I could touch the life of someone who is on the verge of taking that next big jump. Just over a year ago, when I dropped being a pre-med in college, it was the inspiration from others that helped me make that much needed leap.

Nothing is more powerful than the human soul on fire—and I hope I could help spark yours.

For more from Alex Banayan, check out his website.