You Are More Ready Than You Think You Are

Think big, start small

Take the plunge you’ve been wanting to take. Whether it is a career transition, a big life decision, or something you wish to explore, you are more ready than you realise. Limitations are nothing but the boundaries our belief systems have in place for us. And fears? Don’t fight it, befriend with it.

They will always be there but it should not stop you from taking small, progressive actions. When you realise fears are nothing but a survival mechanism in-built in our age-old brains, you can start taking small steps outside of your comfort zones.

A simple analogy would be that feeling before entering the waters, especially if it’s cold to touch and not as warm as you wish. But once you’ve thrown your body in, it adjusts itself and slowly you feel the soothing sensations as the water moves through your body. (Or you get pushed in by a friend, sometimes we all need a bit of encouragement!)

From what I’ve learned so far, there’s nothing worse than being in between decisions and sitting on the fence. The level of anxiety and how it occupies the mind is far more damaging than making a decision and adjusting with the outcomes as you go along.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” — Dale Carnegie

Clarity comes from engagement, as Marie Forleo once said. And it doesn’t have to be crazy like buying a one-way ticket and quitting your job. (though it works for some) When I talk about taking the plunge, it’s the attitude and level of commitment you are having to yourself and your decision. How you go about your next steps is up to you and what works for each individual.

But through my learnings, it’s always good to start small and build a pathway to where you wish to be. This helps our nervous system get used to incremental changes and not ‘freak out’, which can lead to further inaction and procrastination.

If we go back to the water analogy, start with your feet in, test out the waters first, see how it feels and then sink deeper into it if it resonates with you. And if you choose to swim further from where you currently are, you would need to gather resources and have the time and energy to explore that new space.

Based on my conversations with people, there are these 3 common things that get in the way: Shame, judgement and feeling overwhelmed.

The shame of being a newbie, the shame of exploring, or being in a state of ‘figuring out your life’. That comes along with the judgement or expectations we have internalised from external pressures. Along with the feeling of not knowing where to start and feeling overwhelmed — I get it.

Here’s what has helped me along the journey in taking plunges and committing to myself and my vision.

Focus on your values

Discover what’s important to you. By being connected to your WHY and what you care about, you will feel more fulfilled and have a sense of direction.

Uncover your limiting beliefs

In addition to that, it’s so important to uncover your limiting beliefs and to constantly question and challenge them. Knowing what you want is not enough, you need to know what’s stopping you.

Watch Your Language (with yourself!)

When you have diminishing thoughts, ask yourself, is this true? Look for examples of successful people who have done what you want to do, or overcame the challenges you are currently facing. It’s so easy to be stuck in the past and not seeing what’s possible ahead for you.

Capture the lessons and keep moving forward. And one of the best things you can ever do is have good, constructive conversations with yourself. Imagine the version of who you want to become, how would they speak? What would they do? What language and words would they use?

An example would go like this:

Me: I want to start a business.

Inner critic: Dream on! Who are you to do that, you know nothing about business!

Best version of me: That sounds exciting! Let’s see, what are some of the first steps you can take?

Notice the condescending tone from the inner critic, and how forward moving the ‘best version of me’ sounds. Try to develop a solution-focused inner voice and always break down big ideas and goals into smaller actions to feel more manageable and plausible for your mind.

Let yourself know, you are more ready than you think you are, once you commit to what you want, the rest will follow. Give yourself permission to try and explore, give yourself the gift of experiencing and learning. If you are still a bit scared of plunging into the waters, here’s a push from me!

If you’ve enjoyed this piece and would like to learn more about mindset and overcoming limiting beliefs, here are some of my other work: