Entirely up to you. Some have taken this journey only to build confidence and it has impacted their self-esteem in positive ways. Others came with the confidence of goliath and quickly gave way to self-doubt and second guesses.  So if you are easily rattled by hearsay and small talk, then you may not be ready to compete. Remember this, confidence that is easily shaken or marred was not built on a solid foundation of strong core values, to begin with. Know thyself!