How often do we feel ready?
Even when we’ve done all we can, there’s usually some little part of us that still doesn’t quite feel 100% ready – for whatever it is that we want to do.
being and feeling ready are not the same thing
feelings change and they can depend on all kinds of factors such as how our day was, how tired we are, what’s going on for us, and ok, in my case, how much coffee I’ve had ☕
So, I’m not saying we should ignore our feelings – they can give us a lot of useful information. But they’re not so reliable when it comes to assessing whether we’re actually ready to do something.
When something is new, a lot of the things that we rely on to give us confidence just aren’t there. We maybe feel a sense of uncertainty because the activity is new and we don’t know exactly what to expect. The people or place may be unfamiliar, so there are more unknown or moving parts. We can’t remind ourselves of all the times we’ve done this thing before if we’ve never actually done it before!
Don’t try when you’re not actually ready
I’m not saying that we should do things before we are ready – that can be the best way to sabotage ourselves and completely destroy our confidence. I know. I did it!
When I was 15 or 16, I was asked to help at a public event and use my language skills in a way that I wasn’t qualified to. I’d just decline now. I don’t have the necessary skills and training over 30 years later and I certainly didn’t have them then. I was unprepared, without the right vocabulary. I wanted to do a good job, but that wasn’t enough. I usually had no problems sticking up for myself and saying “no”, but that day I sold myself out and said “yes”. I spent the next 10 years or so regreting it! It wasn’t a public disaster or plastered all over the news. But I didn’t do a good job and ever since, I’ve worked hard to know that I’m prepared for new challenges.
And yet … I don’t always FEEL prepared for them!
I work with a lot of very detail oriented people. For example, translators want to get things right and to find exactly the right word or phrase to get the message across. They definitely don’t just want to wing it!
So yes – it’s good to be prepared. If you’re giving a presentation, you should know your subject and your audience. If you’re prepareing to speak with a potential client, you should be clear about who they are, what they might need, and how you can help – leaving a bit of room for surprises!
so, when we’re thinking about starting something new, it’s good to be clear about what steps will get you there, who can help, and what can you do to give yourself the best chance and set yourself up for success.
Don’t get stuck in the preparation phase
Some people get stuck before they start – in the procrastination phase.
Other times we make it further, but get stuck in the preparation stage. Just a bit more language practise/one more course/one more how-to book… We’re staying busy, but the thing itself isn’t getting any further towards the top of our to-do-list.
The first time I went to a networking meeting in romanian, I definitely didn’t feel ready. I had support from the person who was running it. I knew her, and she and some of the other kind people there would have helped me if I’d really got stuck. She gave me questions in advance so that I could think about how I would answer them in Romanian.
But on the day of the meeting, my hands were shaking so much with nerves! No way did I feel ready!
Now I would do a better job, but we have to start somewhere!
if I had waited to feel ready, I may still be waiting! You know, the little perfectionist inside who points out that one thing that might trip you up, so it’s really better to stay safe and wait a little longer…
Now those events have stopped, so it’s good that I didn’t hang around too long. Otherwise I would have missed my chance.
one time I spent a lot of time prepareing and we didn’t use anything from my carefully-crafted notes! Over-preparation is totally a thing!
Your feelings don’t have all the answers
I think the best thing is to rely on what you know is true – which often isn’t your feelings
Not all feelings… Our eemotions and intuition can give us useful information to act on. But I’m talking about:
I’m not good enough
imposter syndrome
procrastination
they just try to keep us safe, but in doing so keep us small and don’t give our dreams a chance
Especially as freelancers, nobody will push you to go and do the thing that expands you, but at the same time scares you. It’s so easy to put things off because noone will check!
Is there something you’ve been putting off?
If it’s related to English and your English speaking skills, I might be able to help. Use the contact form at the bottom of this post to get in touch and we can book a call to talk through what you need and what I can offer.
But if it’s not, what’s the one thing that you could do today to get you out of the procrastination or preparing loop?
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