I just watched this video by Mel Robbins about the plague of waiting. It’s only 3 and a half minutes so you should definitely watch it here, but the premise of the video is that most people have ideas to do things or dreams that they want to go after and instead of taking action they wait. They wait to feel ready, they wait until all of their questions are answered, they wait until they feel more qualified or [fill in any other reasons for waiting that resonate with you].
Watching that video sparked something within me.
A few years ago, I felt like I was on the way to my dreams of working for myself, living life on my own terms and in my own style. I quit my job, I had plans. And then the plague of waiting set in. Here is the “best of” list of some of the thoughts that I let spin on repeat in my mind:
I don’t know what I want.
I can’t have what I want.
I don’t know what to do first.
Maybe I’m not the type of person who works for themselves.
What if it doesn’t work out?
What if I don’t have anything to offer?
And on and on, adding more and more delays and self-pity.
Three years ago after quitting my job without another one lined up, my savings began to run low and I decided to get another job. Interestingly I got the first one I interviewed for and I’ve been there ever since. A year ago I remembered that getting another job wasn’t my dream and I spent some time reflecting on what my dream might be. Once I had it, I began a year of active waiting. I talked to people about it, I wrote about it, I thought about it, I took useless courses and got unnecessary certifications (the fanciest form of waiting). And now we’re here and not an action has been taken.
The moral of the story Mel tells in this video is three-fold:
1. You will never feel ready
Readiness is a trick that the dream stealing gods play on us. Know how I know this? I have done a lot over the past year to get ready for my dream and if I’m honest a year ago if you had asked me what it would take to feel ready I would have given you a list that had all of the things I’ve done over the past year on it. Readiness doesn’t spark action. Action sparks action, which brings me to….
2. You need to take action for anything to happen
Nothing happens without action. Preparation is great and necessary, but it’s worth nothing if you do nothing. Action is what gives you confidence and insight and wins. If you want your dream, you need to stop thinking about it and start taking steps towards having it. And thankfully the following will happen…
3. Once you take action, answers to your questions will appear
This is something I needed to be reminded of after this past year. It’s easy and alluring to believe that your questions and doubts can only be answered by thinking about them first or researching them (which, by the way, isn’t taking action either, boo!). The truth is that once you take action, your questions get answered in the most unexpected ways. Things fall into place, things make more sense, resources come from nowhere, things work out better than expected and if they don’t you learn way more than you would have sitting at home thinking of worst case scenarios.
So what the hell are you waiting for? What dream have you pushed away because you don’t feel ready to start? What desire have you been sitting on for weeks, months or years because you don’t feel qualified to take the first step?
Got it?
Great! Now take the first step today. It doesn’t have to be a big step, it can be a baby step, it just matters that it’s a step and you are the one who took it. Today my step is to sign up for a mastermind group with others who are doing what I want to do (and a bonus step is to share this with you!)
After you’ve taken it give yourself lots of positive encouragement and then take the next step tomorrow.
Keep going and I guarantee you that you will get to your dream eventually. And if you find that your dream ends in failure or taking steps reveals that you don’t really want your dream, that’s good too. Use that information to learn and grow and make taking steps towards your new or adjusted dream even easier.
Let me know what this sparked in you and what action step you took so we can cheer you on in the comments below!
Until next time,
Varonica 🙂
Image: Pocket watch by Toshiyuki IMAI
Great tips Varonica! You made me chuckle with your comment about gaining useless certifications as another way of waiting. I’ve been down that road with some of the workshops/webinars etc. I’ve done over the years. ‘Learning’ how to do something instead of just getting on with it (which is the best way of learning anyway). Good luck with your latest venture!
Thanks Louise! It’s so funny how we trick ourselves into believing that learning how to do something is just as effective as actually doing it! That’s a great reminder too! Thanks for sharing!