Confidence follows action!
I wish this weren't true, but you'll never feel ready. In my work, I often hear stories like this:
A creative entrepreneur is considering raising her prices but plans to wait until she takes one more class so she can "get better" at what she does.
An executive feels like an imposter and wants to work on building some new skills before asking to be considered for a promotion.
A coach plans to launch a new group program but thinks they need a brand new website first and that's going to take a while.
Now I'm a fan of classes, skill-building, and new websites. But the common thread that underlies each of these stories (and some stories I've told myself over the years) is the false belief that ONCE I feel confident, THEN I'll be ready to make a move.
And in my personal experience and my work with clients, you'll never feel ready.
So I challenge you to stop waiting and investing all your time and money on shifting your mindset and just begin to do the thing. Even the smallest possible baby step will move you in the direction you want to go. And, as a bonus your mindset will begin to shift as well.
Don't believe me? Think back to when you made your first sale, got the dream job, or pressed "go live" on your new website. You felt on top of the world.
Here are some simple steps to make a bold move whether you feel ready or not:
Step 1: Identify the thing you would do if you felt confident.
Step 2: Act as if you were confident and take the first baby step.
Step 3: Take the next step, then the next, then the next, etc., until the thing you want to do is done.
As you move forward, you'll build momentum, and slowly the confidence builds too. Now you can sit back and enjoy how good it feels to do the thing you've wanted, ready or not!
While we're on the subject of starting before you feel ready, if you haven't already seen Old Enough on Netflix, I highly recommend you check it out. It's a Japanese reality show where toddlers run errands for their parents. In the first episode, Hiroki at 2 years 9 months (these months matter!), walks over a mile (alone!) to the grocery store to buy flowers, fish cakes, and curry. Seeing him, taking his baby steps, and figuring it out as he goes filled my heart. If this doesn't inspire you to start before you feel ready, I don't know what will!
