I recently had a conversation with an aspiring entrepreneur. She’s passionate about an idea and has the technical training to execute it. She asked my opinion on various things, which I happily gave. But she still wasn’t quite sure what to do next. I asked, “What’s the single most important thing you can do right now?” She named something. I suggested she start by taking action on that one thing.

As we talked, I thought about my journey as an entrepreneur. Early on, I was full of ideas and didn’t know where to start. When I was working with others, we could talk endlessly. Sometimes the sheer number of possibilities felt paralyzing. Indeed, sometimes I was paralyzed. Over time, I learned that one thing matters: action. It was action that would change a situation. It was action that would turn my vision into a reality. It was action that would separate us from others. At a certain point, I had to stop talking and start doing.

That lesson took me years to learn, but I’m glad I did. Taking action on something, even when the way forward isn’t 100% clear, has been my key to progress. It changed my life.

I’m encouraged by the positive conversations we’re having as a nation about race and police brutality. They’re overdue and they’re helping us gain the understanding of one another that we so badly need. As you have these conversations, consider asking yourself a simple question after each one: “What action am I going to take now?”