Wait to be ready!!!!!! And I promise you will FAIL - nothing atrophies potential like refusing to exercise it because it's just not the right time.
Analysis paralysis, executive dysfunction, functional procrastination, shame, fear of visibility, low self esteem, no experience, perfectionism, nervous system disregulation, discombobulated fucking head on a STICK! We don't care (you and me - WE don't care). IT. DOESN'T. MATTER. Bear with me.
I am not saying that as an on-the-grind brofluencer, someone who shows up on camera practically yelling at his victims to 'STOP buying into the MATRIX! You're HOLDING yourself BACK, look at me I make $250,000 a month on my dropshipping business outta [South Asian country he is undoubtedly exploiting]...'. Never. Hold me to that.
I am saying - why should any of those things, stop YOU from STARTING. I swear I am done with the capitalisations. This is just an important topic to me.
Everyone's got issues, man. Lord knows I do. The amount of crises I have had over each issue detailed at paragraph 2 of this article - seriously, almost every single one - would both shock and impress you. The idea of feeling 'ready' is a protective bubble which will keep you inside of it for so long until you take the pin to hand yourself and pop it. Taking that needle to the film keeping you safe will feel as if you were piercing your own skin and then some, deep into whatever deep corner of yourself fear is hiding, festering and infecting. Inside that bubble, you cannot be hurt; you cannot disappoint yourself; and moreover, you cannot disappoint other people. The people you need to make a change, the people you will need to appeal to, the people you will need to be seen trying in front of. You can avoid that for so long as you avoid going after what you want. And you can do that. Most people, truly, go through life doing this. And they are quite happy. But I bet - and I bet you bet - they have a small, nagging tear in their heart that says 'what if I tried...? Would it have worked? Would it have been... better?'. That is not fatal. But fuck me - I don't want it. I want to grab that nag by its metaphorical throat, wrangle it until it tells me what I am after, and then find that thing - and take it - until it is enough. I want to be greedy, and hungry, and take life with both hands into my gluttonous mouth and bite cherry red bites out until I am so full I am nauseous, until I have exhausted my appetite and the tear scabs over and is replaced with something new. And I want you to come with me.
You know life is short, right? You are already - how many years old again? Still young? Yeah, me too. I was still young four years ago and I will be still young in four years time. I could start in four years time, maybe I will be ready then. But I would live another four years with that nag, and by being controlled by a pesky all powerful fear. I will not do that to myself. I am too cool and kind, I believe, to deserve that. I am wagering that you are too.
So what is it for you? What do you reckon you're pretty good at, that you think you could be amazing at; that you think other people could genuinely benefit from if you offered it?
Between all my clients (no this article is not to sell myself, my cold emails are for that) there is a common thread connecting them. What they end up doing and finding is something that has shown up in 100 different ways prior in their life. That nagging tear. The 'futile' hobby, the pointless interest. The thing they always fantasised about trying, and never did - so many reasons for not trying something, aren't there? And finding a life they actually wanted, and taking it, felt to them like the most uncomfortable feeling in the world. How scary! Maybe it doesn't work? Maybe everyone sees me trying, and failing, and knows that from the beginning I was inherently flawed, a false person who was constructed differently to the rest of them. They are going to know I have been faking it, they are going to know I am not one of them. So how do you silence those voices?
You don't. You can't. They are going to remain. They will grow softer, yeah - and sometimes they will come back with a force. Fear doesn't disappear, stupid (with love). It changes. You will feel fearless at times, I promise you. You will feel more capable, braver, more intelligent, and more independent. These things are invaluable. Please, trust me on that. Once you have it, you can't live without it - faith in yourself and your ability to deal, goddamnit.
So, yeah. Take it from someone who has done it and whose literal job it is to help other people find ways to do it. It is worth it. It is fucking uncomfortable. And it is the most important thing you will ever do, and the one thing I am certain you shall not regret.
Stop waiting to be ready and just fucking try.