6 Ways to Rally without Being Ready

Let’s start with the bad news:

You’ll never be ready.

You’ll never be smart enough.
You’ll never be mature enough.
You’ll never be prepared enough.

You’ll never have enough time.
You’ll never have enough money.
You’ll never have enough experience.

You’ll never be ready.

But don’t be discouraged.

TRUTH IS: Nobody’s ready. Nobody’s ever been ready. If they were, they would have taken action earlier.

Which brings us to the good news:

Whether you’re thinking about starting a business, writing a book, having a baby, going full time as an artist, moving across the country, getting married – in short, doing anything risky and terrifying…

It doesn’t matter if you’re ready.

It matters if you’re real.
It matters if you’re consistent.
It matters if you’re committed.
It matters if you’re willing to fail brilliantly now so you can shine spectacularly later.

AND HERE’S THE COOL PART: The sum of those components will outweigh your need to feel ready.

If you’re currently dripping your toes into the chilly waters of adventure – business, personal or otherwise – keep the following ideas in mind:

1. Flex the muscle of why. Readiness comes from knowing why you want what you want. Without this primary data, your flawed assumptions might set the whole process into motion – misguided motion. Take running for office, for example. Two approaches: Either you’re trying to get a vote, or you’re trying to gain a lifetime of support. Which baseline motivation do you think makes a candidate feel more ready? Precisely. The latter.

On the other hand, if you’re not fueled by an honest why – and you’re not willing to work like hell to keep your why alive – all the readiness in the world won’t camouflage the gaping void of purpose and meaning in your life. Remember: Any number multiplied by zero is still zero. Why do you want what you want?

2. Go back to the future. In a 2006 issue of FastCompany, Marcia Conner wrote, “Find the end at least once. By working back from the end, you gain the skills and leeway to forge your own path.”

Try this: Imagine what you need to become in order for your goals to manifest. Ask yourself questions like, “Looking ahead six months, standing there, what decisions would you make today?” “What three small acts you could take today to prepare for the life or work that you’d like?” “What if, overnight, a miracle occurred, and you woke up tomorrow morning and the problem was solved – what would be the first thing you would notice?”

By speaking from the future – then looking back to identify the steps will lead there – you paint a compelling, detailed picture of your dream. Then all you have to do is make meaningful strides toward it. Are you a time traveler?

3. Go back to the past. When I wrote my first book at the age of 21, I wasn’t ready. When I did my first interview on CNN at the age of 22, I wasn’t ready. And when I gave my first paid public speech at the age of 23, I wasn’t ready. But I took massive, forward action anyway. I stopped wondering, “Who’s going to let me?” and starting asking, “Who’s going to stop me?”

Your challenge is to go back in time . Think back to three situations in which you rallied without being ready. What were you thinking? What attitude did you maintain? What actions did you take? The point is to find out where the rock created the ripple – then start throwing more rocks. Every damn day. Will your failures become the product of poor planning or timidity to proceed?

4. Gauge readiness internally. As Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations, “Readiness comes from a man’s own judgment – not from mere obstinacy.” Translation: True readiness is felt in your body. For example, when you think about taking the plunge, do you get short of breath? Does your energy shift? Does your stomach sink?

Listen to your body. It will never lie to you. Whether you’re ready (or not ready) your body will let you know. Even if it speaks in silence. That’s still an answer. The secret is trusting that you can meet the demands of challenging situations. Knowing in your bones that you can remain flexible enough to handle the unexpected. What message is your body leaving you?

5. Planning is the gateway drug to procrastination. You can prepare forever – but remember: To be ready is to begin. As Aristotle once said, “The things you have to learn before you can do them, you learn by doing them.”

Eventually, you’re just going to have to jump into the pool with your clothes on and trust that you’ll figure out how to swim before the water fills your lungs.

But only if you recognize that readiness is a process of accretion. And that you don’t become ready and then take action; you become ready as you take action. Momentum is a beautiful thing. What is waiting getting in the way of?

6. Learn to be an incrementalist. Achieve small victories first. As the aforementioned Marcia Conner suggested, “When you get ready, create similar conditions to those you’re aiming to encounter, adding in each new factor slowly so you can adjust with each step.”

My suggestion: Keep a Victory Log. Make daily entries. Before you know it, your series of minor tasks accomplished in advance will boost your self-belief and raise your readiness. After all, the word “ready” comes from the Old English term geraede, which means, “arranged.” How are you arranging small victories to convince yourself that you’re ready enough?

REMEMBER: Readiness is highly overrated.

Stop waiting for a train that doesn’t even come through your town.

Jump.

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Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Mentor
[email protected]

Never the same speech twice.
Always about approachability.

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