Today I came to have a conversation. I’m not sure who I’m here to have a conversation with today, but I’ve got the feeling that there’s someone out there that needs to hear what I am going to say today. For Wise Wednesday speeches, I ask God to give me a topic that I should talk about and “Go Before You’re Ready” was the phrase that kept coming to my mind.
Embracing Action: The Concept of "Go Before You're Ready
Let’s start out by breaking down what “Go Before You're Ready” actually means. To go before you’re ready is to essentially take steps in faith and trust what you hope for will happen. This means that despite feeling unprepared, uncertain or afraid, you still take action. This can be scary at times, but speaking from experience, true growth can be found in building the plane while you are flying it.
Overcoming Analysis Paralysis: The Importance of Taking Action Before You're Ready
Before I became an entrepreneur, I was the type of person who suffered from analysis paralysis. I wanted to make sure I crossed every T and dotted every I before I made a decision. Mainly because I had a fear of failure, but also put too much value into the opinion of others. I talked about this in the “Just Do It Video” but sometimes we need a reminder that it’s okay we don’t have everything figured out and that we don’t need anyone’s permission to start working on our dream. I want to share a few reasons why you should go before you are ready and hopefully it encourages you to step out of the analysis paralysis phase.
Seizing the Present: The Myth of the Perfect Moment for Pursuing Goals
The first thing I would share is that the “perfect moment” doesn’t exist. Oftentimes we try to wait for the perfect moment, when the perfect moment is the present moment. I’m sure we have all heard the saying “the best time to start investing was yesterday, the next best time is today” That reigns true with your goals as well. I’ve always had a vision of working for myself full time. The goal used to be working for myself by 35, which I was very vocal about with my former employer, but then I started to remember the effect of compound interest. I decided to take the leap at age 25, ten more years from now I will be 35 and I can only imagine my development as a business owner with 10 years of experience vs if I just got started 10 years later.
Conquering Fear Through Action: Embracing the Uncomfortable for Growth
The next reason why you should go before you’re ready is that Action conquers fear. Fear is something that is inevitable, but how you respond to it depends solely on you. There’s actually a part in your brain called the anterior mid-cingulate cortex, which is activated and expands when you do things you don’t want to do. In other words, your mind capacity grows when you do things out of your comfort zone. I used to hate doing things out of my comfort zone, but now I purposefully do a lot of things that I generally wouldn’t do. Whether It’s introducing myself to the prettiest girl in the room or knocking on the door of a scary looking house, I’ve seen my fear go away as I have taken more action.
The Universe Rewards Action: The Importance of Taking Initiative for Success
The last thing I will share with you is that the universe rewards action takers. What I mean by that is that the more you put into something, the higher the chance that you will get a return. My main source of income is strictly active at this point, meaning I can’t take time off or be paid from my business when I go to sleep. I have to do and try a lot of things to make sure I get income. When I look back at some of my biggest deals, they came and fell in my lap. I was literally just in the right place at the right time, but I wouldn’t be in the right place if I wasn’t taking action. Taking action helps you stay ready so you ain’t gotta get ready.
Take the First Step: Progress Begins with Action, Not Perfection
In closing, I encourage the person that needed to hear this to just take one small step today. Make the call, start the business, ask the girl out, or whatever it is you need to do to show progress. The reality is that you don’t need to be fully ready, you just need to start.