There is a difference between FEELING ready and BEING ready. And you probably ARE READY. Don't wait until you feel ready - START HERE, START NOW!!!
I'm writing this post today, after a session, with an amazing client, that left me inspired. Our conversation was about: What can you do when you really want to do something, you have a clear strategy in place and know exactly what to do. Yet, there is something missing, something is holding you back.
How do you really know you are ready???
Which now leads me to the question: How do you really know you are ready to launch your new website, to start the new project, to record that video, to do whatever you really want to do? Being ready is not measurable, it's a feeling, it's highly subjective. No one can tell you. Of course, you can go to Google and ask "How to know when I am ready to start XYZ?" And you will get an answer like "15 signs you are ready ..." And, how useful is that? Even if you tick all the boxes, do you really feel ready?
It's easy to hide behind an "I AM NOT READY YET"
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure” - Paulo Coelho
If you are really honest to yourself, wouldn't you agree that sometimes it's just easier to say, "I am not ready yet" and just stick to what you know and what you know you are good at. At least then there is no failure and no judgement, right? Most of the time this happens without us being really aware of what's going on. Because here is the thing: You can even be "productive" and feel a sense of progress if you are hiding behind an "I am not ready", whether that's consciously or subconsciously. Have you ever found yourself in a position, where you wanted to do something but before you started to get out there you read yet another book on the topic, listened to yet another webinar, watched yet another Youtube video, booked yet another (online) course? I've certainly been there :)
"The key to SUCCESS is to START before you're ready" - Marie Forleo
BUT HOW??
Here is the deal. In most cases, you might never feel 100% ready, at least not all of the time. You might be hungry for your project to launch, to put yourself out there and you feel ready and then doubt comes creeping in. Am I really ready? This is not perfect yet. What are they going to think? Maybe I should read more about this? Which is totally normal. Here is one tip, to remind yourself that you are READY:
Take stock of the following items:
What do you know?
What experiences have you made that will help you?
What have you learnt so far?
What are your resources?
What are the things that you've done already?
How committed are you?
What is actually still missing?
Chances are that you are going to answers the last question with NOTHING is missing. You probably don't need this additional online class. You might only be aware of it anyway because an offer landed in your inbox. And this is another topic in itself. There is a whole industry out there, that is trying to convince you, that you are not ready yet, that you are lacking this one piece of insider information to be successful.
Sometimes I have NO IDEA what I am doing but IT WORKS
I've been there too. Many times. Actually just last week, when I posted a video on LinkedIn for the first time. I wanted to do it, really. But it took me a week to actually do it. If you look at it objectively, there is nothing really challenging here. I've got a phone, that is capable of recording video, I knew my message, that I want to bring across. And uploading a video is just a simple click. I knew all the steps that were involved and I really wanted to do this. I was hiding behind an "I am not ready" and told myself I should look at How-To videos and find the perfect spot with the perfect lighting, etc. It wasn't about any of that at all. I was simply afraid of putting myself out there and being judged by others. Well, I eventually did it and nothing bad happened. I actually managed to reach a few potential new clients and have the opportunity to work with new amazing people and support them on their journey. And that is wonderful.
Just a few more examples :
Did I feel ready to start this website? Nope, the design is still not 100% but oh well
Did I feel I ready to start writing a blog post? Nope, not my strong suit. And I could probably benefit from a class on "how to edit a blog post" ;)
Did I feel I ready to start coaching after the first training weekend? Nope, but I am still here doing my thing and nothing
And the list goes on...
Don't wait until you feel ready - START HERE, START NOW!!!
Because if you wait until you feel ready you might be waiting a long time. Take stock of what you have and know already and hopefully, that will give you the courage to do your thing. Just do you. And along the way you will learn new things, you will receive advice and you can adapt what you are doing and how you are doing it. Sure, there is always room for improvement but the key thing is, you started. And that might set some other things in motion, that you could not have anticipated and that certainly wouldn't have happened by acquiring more knowledge, which is really just procrastinating.
No matter what you're working on, I hope you'll start before you feel ready.
