“I’m not ready yet”
“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready.
I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything.
There is almost no such thing as ready.
There is only now.
And you may as well do it now.
Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.”
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that when it comes to change, it’s easier read than done.
How many hours have you spent in the “research” phase of your next project, knowing that you’re really just scared to start.
The thing about procrastination is that it is expressed in many ways and is often easy to spot. In the “I am too tired to start today, so I will do it tomorrow when I am more rested.” “I still have so much time to do it, I don't have to start now.” “I only have 20 minutes, I will not achieve enough in this time. I’ll make more time tomorrow” “I will wait until I feel more inspired and then do this task.” and other excuses.
This is not a finger-pointing note btw. It is a much needed note-to-self.
It is also an acknowledgement of the fact that the seemingly legitimate excuse of “I’m still doing research; that’s why I haven’t started yet.” is most likely BS.
Getting ready and planning is a vital part of making things happen, but staying in that phase can become a crutch.
Knowledge alone is not enough to bring ideas to life, and unfortunately we can’t “educate” ourselves into the life we want.
Take it from someone who has read and watched endless how to tutorials on whatever it is I dream of doing.
If I could watch, read or listen my way into the life that I envision for myself, I’d be living beyond my wildest dream.
So, here’s the thing…
You're going to have to act on what you're learning - ready or not. The most effective part of getting things done and getting better at any skill is applying what you’re learning. That practice period is a major part of the learning in itself. Think of it as the last part - the thesis, if you will - of the course.
I spent lots of hours watching YouTube tutorials when I wanted to learn how to sew (fyi, I make clothes too @ighoandme). But I didn’t become a clothes maker till I got a sewing machine, bought fabric and started applying what I was learning.
I read lots of books and watched lots of videos, pinned a ton of pinterest posts on how to start a blog and how to be comfortable on camera. But it wasn't until I started writing and filming - as awkward as it was at the beginning - that I actually got good at content creation.
So assess yourself and be truthful - ‘cos no one knows you quite like you.
Have you seen enough videos? Have you read enough? Have you saved enough posts for later?
If you have, chances are, you’re as ready as you’ll ever be.
You can start creating something.
As cliché as it sounds, what you’re looking for is on the other side of your fear. But if you start now (or restart) and polish things up as you go, in a few years, you’ll be glad that you’re farther along than you would’ve been if you had started later or not at all.
Hope this helped!
Igho, xo
