The Fool Is Always Getting Ready To Live
How prepping is another form of procrastination
“The fool, with all his other faults, has this also, he is always getting ready to live.”
— Seneca
We all have goals, aspirations, and areas we want to grow.
But it seems the months slip by and often times we’ve failed to make meaningful progress.
We procrastinate, we make excuses, we convince ourselves that tomorrow will be the day when everything falls into place.
A small, fearful voice inside urges us to wait for the perfect moment before taking the leap. It's the voice that tells us we’re not good enough, not smart enough, not ready enough.
So we distract ourselves. We scroll endlessly, we research, and we plan.
We tell ourselves we will accomplish our goals, but we just have to study a little bit more, we just have to prep a little bit more, we just have to buy ourselves the best tools in order to get started.
Sound familiar?
Here’s how to stop procrastinating and start living…
Stop Watching So Many How-to Videos
I’ll admit I have about 10 tabs open with YouTube “How-to” videos.
YouTube is a modern treasure. Everything you want to learn is available for free from some of the world’s top experts.
The problem comes when you replace action with planning.
Many people watch video after video, feeling dopamine flood their bloodstream, yet never act on the knowledge they are taking in.
You feel productive because you are learning but it’s a false sense of progress.
You can watch 100 videos of guys working on their cars. But it’s not going to change your oil.
Next time you are tempted to get lost in self-help purgatory, make sure you pause after each step and actually implement some of the steps you are watching.
Otherwise, limit yourself to 1–3 high-value videos a day.
Remember, theory is great, but action is better.
Don’t Tell Anyone About Your Goals
Did you know when you tell your friends and family about your goals you make them less likely to come true?
It’s true! And it's backed by science.
Whenever you tell someone about your goal you are releasing dopamine which makes it less likely to actually achieve your goal!
Want to learn more? Check out our article here:
Stop Buying (Or Planning To Buy) New Equipment
Equipment procrastination is another way we get ready to live.
We start a new hobby or project. But rather than just get started, we spend hours researching the best tools and equipment.
Want to train for a marathon? Better research some new running shoes and which gym/trail/smartwatch to use. Want to learn web dev? Better buy subscriptions to Figma, Photoshop, and that new React course. Want to improve your golf score? Better buy that new driver and putter.
It’s easy to research purchases and equipment and feel productive.
But really, it’s just another way for us to procrastinate and self-sabotage. You don’t need the best equipment to get started. In fact, basing your behavior on equipment can hurt your progress.
Let’s circle back to the web developer example. Sure you could delay starting until you’ve saved up for Figma, but why not start now and use pen and paper to sketch your designs?
Sometimes having the best tools prevents us from starting with the basics and learning the fundamentals.
Making excuses and saying, well I can’t be good until I get X, Y, or Z is a surefire way to prevent you from living and making progress towards your dreams.
As the saying goes, “It’s a poor carpenter who blames his hammer”
Final Thoughts
There is no perfect moment, no ideal set of circumstances that will guarantee success and warm fuzzy feelings of fulfillment.
Life is messy, unpredictable, and inherently imperfect. We have to realize that imperfect action is what makes up most of life.
Getting ready to live, endlessly planning and prepping, is a surefire way to miss out on life.
Let us stop waiting for the perfect moment and start living.
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