Nothing to Fear But...Uneven Paneling?

I've been struggling a lot lately with my major kitchen/laundry room makeover and I had a bit of an epiphany yesterday that I thought was worthy of a post: I am scared of this project. I mean, terrified. I know it's an emotion that many - if not all - DIYers feel, especially when they're just starting out. But it doesn't seem to be discussed often. I guess because we all like to hide our fear and act like we're cooler than the other side of pillow. The fake-it-til-you-make-it method can be a really good one; we're all capable of more than we know. But I just need to put it out there that I'm scared, and it's slowing me down.

What am I scared of? Well, the project has reached a point where we have some major stuff to do; mainly, adding paneling to the walls of the laundry room. I know that this is actually not a major a project in the grand scheme of home improvement (and most people say it's kind of easy), but it feels monumental. Everything is a question for me. Where do we start (top row or bottom row)? What if the walls aren't level? If the walls aren't level, do you align the panels with the walls or with the actual correct definition of level? How do you put the chair rail on? How do you put the crown molding on? Do you have to remove the door moldings first? How do you remove the door moldings? How do you put them back on over the paneling? What if, even after several days of acclimating to the room, the paneling shifts this winter because the humidity in the house changes with the seasons? 

These are the thoughts and worries that are floating around inside my head. I know the only way to deal with them is to just do it. If we make mistakes, we'll learn from them. But mistakes scare me! I have a perfectionist inside of me that has a tendency just not to try new stuff rather than fail at it. No more! I have to get past this


So, Big Tex and I are on vacation next week and we're tackling the paneling. I'm not saying we're going to finish it (mainly because I don't want us to feel rushed; that is a sure-fire way to make dumb mistakes). But we're gonna tackle it and we're gonna get a good start. Our first package is "acclimating" in the laundry room as I write. Just buying it was a big first step. I sure am proud of myself :-)