In Adam Grant’s book – Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, he describes how many of the successful people who inspire us are just like us in one simple regard: they didn’t feel ready.
For example, in 1977 when an investor offered Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak funding to launch Apple, Wozniak’s (or “Woz”, as he’s well known) drive to succeed had an accompanying fear of uncertainty that made him want to “wait a while” before he took the leap forward.
He didn’t feel ready.
All human beings are wired this way. We become certain that we should wait for:
- The right time
- Credentials.
- Approval (usually from someone else).
- More experience.
The list goes on…
This leaves A LOT of people stuck in a never-ending cycle when in fact Time is more important than timing.
Sometimes, there is no next time or a second chance. Stop focusing on getting the timing just right; the perfect time is right now.
Why Start Before You Feel Ready
Here are 8 reasons why successful people start before they feel ready.
Adopt these principles if you DON’T want your goals, dreams or ideas to rot away.
1. Waiting Until You Feel Ready Is Futile
If you wait until you feel 100% ready, you’ll be waiting for the rest of your life.
It takes courage to take a step forward into unfamiliar territory. Our instinct (mostly fear-based) is to avoid pain, so we maintain the status quo.
Do you know what the first step is? Then that’s all you need to know. Just like walking up the stairs, you only need to see and take one step at a time to make it to the top.
Just do what you are currently capable of and you’ll figure out the rest along the way.
Not by some magic, but because your actions will gift you with the 1 thing that nothing or no-one else can. Experience.
2. The Perfect Time Does Not Exist
Just like waiting until you’re ready, there will never be a perfect time to get started.
You may have been led to believe that some successful people just had the timing right, and that’s how they were able to take advantage and go on to become rich and famous.
If that’s a story you’ve been told, that’s not even half the truth…
And if that’s a story you believe, then swallow the honesty pill and realise you’re making excuses.
“Perfectionism is a corrosive waste of time, a myth and a fancy word for fear. Nothing can be perfect because nothing is beyond criticism. A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
From the book “Big Magic,” by Elizabeth Gilbert.
There will always be a viable reason not to do what we need or want to do. All of the variables will never be in perfect alignment.
The perfect time to start was yesterday – you can’t change that. But today is within your control. Stop wasting time.
3. Getting Started Sooner Shortens The Time To Success
There are many advantages to getting started as soon as possible with your goals.
With the most relevant being the fact that you can achieve your goals sooner. The sooner you begin any journey, the sooner you reach your destination.
4. Procrastinating Increases Future Consequences
Procrastination is a habit that’s deeply ingrained in our nature; as humans, we’ve been procrastinating for centuries!
We have a natural tendency to delay or postpone what we should be doing until the consequences of our in-actions become impossible to ignore (or worse, too late to do anything about).
Procrastination is present moment self-defence against future stress. Be aware of your behaviour (the procrastination), acknowledge the stress and take immediate, achievable actions that are meaningful to your objectives.
It’s important to realise that procrastination is not a sign of lack of motivation or a trait, it’s simply a habit.
And habits can be changed.
5. Valuing More Information Than Action Increases Overwhelm
There’s the saying – “You don’t know what you don’t know”.
Unfortunately for many of us, knowing this can end up being a curse, for many reasons:
- We begin to put all our focus on knowing everything there is to know rather than taking the first step.
- The more importance we place on getting more information, the more stressed and overwhelmed we can become.
- Analysis-Paralysis: We end up with so much information we don’t know where to begin, what the right approach is, how to begin, etc.
We can’t know everything. And a lot of the time, life unfolds in unpredictable ways.
Know enough to get started. Be more biased towards taking action.
6. Not Delaying Decisions and Sticking With Them Is Fundamental To Success
Indecisiveness is another habit that keeps most people stuck. The most successful people are able to make up their minds, either immediately or within a very short period of consideration.
If you constantly struggle to make decisions, you are continuously in a state of conflict and fear i.e. stress.
A decent decision made quickly and that you stick with, is better than a great decision a year from now, that you can’t maintain.
Practice making decisions quickly and moving forward with them by giving yourself a time limit to make a decision.
This is a great habit to develop.
7. Taking Action Sooner Shortens The Learning Gap
Action leads to results. And each time you get a result, you learn something; the more you learn, the more you grow.
“In this world, you’re either growing or you’re dying, so get in motion and grow.”
Lou Holtz.
While you’re sitting around waiting for the perfect moment to act, you’re missing opportunities to learn, and you’re not producing any results.
8. Action Leads To Inspiration
Most people believe they need to be inspired first, before taking action.
But in reality, it’s the other way around.
Action creates inspiration. Inspiration leads to even more action. It’s a snowball effect.
When you’re acting on your goals, you are in a state of magnetic inspiration as you become more focused and devoted to the work above all.
