1. • 1. 1.

        in a suitable state for an action or situation; fully prepared.
     2. 2.

        willing or eager to do something.

 
 
I remember a time, when I was waiting to be “ready” for the life that I had dreamed up for myself.
 
I was 27 years old. And I knew that my world was limited only be what I allowed myself to believe and imagine. And so I gave myself permission to start imagining bigger.
 
In my dream version of my life, I had somehow magically summoned up a career “helping people” doing some miraculous unheard-of thing, that allowed me to sleep in every day, be a glamorous socialite lady-who-lunches, go for walks on the beach whenever I wanted, be a creative genius making the world beautiful, travel the world business class, live in an incredible house in some beautiful, undecided location, while magically making squillions.
 
It was a lofty dream. And in some ways, that dream has not changed much. Now, however, is has more substance. Mores specificity. More logistics. More strategy. More heart. And best of all, now it seems much more reachable.
 
But before, when it was still a fairy-floss coloured cloudy dream, situated at the magic-carpet-ride fringes of my imagination, I kept it at arm’s length, protecting my pride, my fear and my vulnerability, from having to take any real action by waiting for the ghostly element of being “ready”.
 
The caveat however, is that we will never we ready for the things that we want to do.
 
Waiting to be ready is simply restraining your potential. Restraining your ability to shine your light. To be creative. To have children. To earn as much money much you want to earn. To travel. To live the way you want to live. You are stopping you, from your wildest dreams.
 
Now, whenever I catch myself saying “But I’m not ready!” I check in with myself and make sure I’m not just making excuses. And then I refer to this reminder that I have written in my filofax:
 
How to create an amazing life (and biz) even if you don’t think you’re “ready”. 
 
Just start. Stop procrastinating with all of your excuses. Do don’t have to wait until the New Moon to start something new. Start that project, call that amazing soul you just met, follow-up on that client, ask for that refund, start your fitness routine, drop your baggage and release the past, make new things happen in your life or relationship. Now is the best time to start anything. Right now.
 
Make a commitment. Things really changed for me when I started to make a commitment to myself and my dreams. This, in itself, is an act of self-love. What that means, is that the action you take, to follow what you really want to do / have/ experience in your life, takes precedence. So commit. Commit to writing a blog post every Tuesday afternoon. Commit to exercising before you start your day. Commit to communicating clearly and with love to your partner every day. Make a promise to yourself that things are changing. And keep that promise. By starting now.
 
Treat it like you care. According to metaphysics, everything is energy, and you get what you give. Want an amazing life? Act like it. Start to give it the nurturing love, care and attention that it deserves. I love the old adage; the grass is greenest where you water it. Maybe, just maybe, in order for you to feel ready, you have to start watering your grass.
 
Decide what needs to happen to be “ready”. Sometimes, real, tangible things need to fall into place, before you can truly start. Like, you need a place to live, so you can start that graphic design business. Or you’re waiting for your broken leg to heal, before you enter a marathon. Figure it out, do what needs to be done, and also, recognise these things as valuable lessons. Perhaps finding a new home brings a new vision or inspiration into your business. Maybe breaking your leg has taught you how to be more productive and efficient in other areas of your life, that can be translated into your marathon training. Everything happens for a reason. Look for the lessons. And then get started.
 
Ask for help. One of the biggest reasons we often don’t start, and don’t feel ready, is because we haven’t received the support that we need. 99% of the time, the support we are seeking is actually from ourselves. We seek for the courage, strength and inner guidance that we all have access to, but often cut ourselves off from, instead expecting it to come from external sources, such as parents, friends and partners. One thing that I often do, when I’m wanting to do something amazing, but don’t feel “ready”; is ask for help. It goes like this. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the paralysing fear of not being ready, I say to my soul / subconscious / the Universe “Please, please, please help me. Show me and guide me on how I need to approach this. Give me the resources and tools to start. Give me the strength and courage to keep going. Please help me. I have no idea what I’m doing.” And then I let it go, trusting that I am being supported, and knowing that now, my only job is to take action. And that the answers will come, exactly when and from whom I need them.
 
Use this mantra. And finally, something that I do often, when I am at the precipice of something new, I use this mantra: “I am ready for the next step.” I repeat it, as many times as I feel throughout the day, and especially before I go to sleep. “I am ready for the next step.” Doing so, gives me the cues of what exactly that next step is, as I keep moving forward. “I am ready for the next step.” It’s that simple. If you like using mantras, you might like these ones too.
 
Being “ready” as such, is an illusion. We are never truly ready for anything, until we have already started. Perhaps being ready is synonymous with having started. That’s how to create an amazing life (and biz) even if you don’t think you’re “ready”. By starting.