Kept waiting for market to fall and now feeling stuck

I am in my late 30s, and I thought about investing in early 2020 by putting in a very small amount. Then COVID happened and the market crashed. I thought the market would fall further, so I waited but then it suddenly rose. I kept waiting for it to fall again, but it continued rising. The same thing happened in 2022. In March 2026, I thought the war would cause the market to fall further, but to my surprise, it increased. I feel embarrassed about my mistake and my lack of knowledge at this age. I am sitting on cash while inflation is eroding its value, and I feel clueless about how to begin. I feel like the opportunity is gone forever now that the market is so high. I tracked the market all through March 2026 but kept waiting for it to fall further and didn’t invest a penny. I feel foolish for my age, as I have spent hours tracking the market over the past six years but have invested only $1,000.