Stop playing the waiting game: Start before you're ready

It goes something like this:

“When X happens I’ll pursue the work I really want to doing.”

With X being…

• When I get through this project

• When I finish this course

• When I find the funding I need

• When I save up enough money

• When I’ve found a co-founder

• When I have a clear run of time

If you’ve had a burning desire to do something different but it’s not yet happened, the chances are you’ve been here before and trotted out the same excuses.

This isn’t unique to you, this is something we all suffer from.

Some call it procrastination island. Many never leave this place.

Illustration by Gemma Correll

However the brave few realise that all of these walls we build around our dreams — whether time, money, resource or otherwise — are walls of our own making.

Brick by brick we put up the defences to make it harder to shift to a work life that is more nourishing and fulfilling.

We’re caught between a dream and a hard place — and it’s debilitating.

That magical day in the future never comes.

And so we play it small.

“Life is large. But most of us don’t take up nearly the space the universe intended for us. We take up this wee space around our toes, which is why when you see somebody in the full flow of their humanity, it’s remarkable. They’re at least a foot bigger in every direction than normal human beings, and they shine. They gleam, they glow. It’s like they’ve swallowed the moon.” — Caroline McHugh

So why do we do this?

It‘s different for everyone, but it could be a fear or failure (even success). Or perhaps a lack of experience of knowledge.

If we’ve not done something before we can assume it’s more difficult, expensive or time-consuming than we ever thought possible.

The truth is, where we are now feels safe.

But to find the good stuff and live larger we need to push ourselves.

But is now the time to do it? Surely it’s reckless or just plain madness?

Many think that it’s a terrible time to start a business in the midst of a pandemic.

In fact this is an incredible time to do something new. Here’s why:

• 🌍 The internet is the only playing field right now
  Whether or not you’re building an online business, every business touches the web in some way. This is an amazing opportunity to pursue your dreams or build your tribe. More and more people are flocking online and looking for help and belonging, and the barriers to entry are gone.

• 💻 You can be a bedroom entrepreneur
  From your home you can write and publish a book, make that film, start a podcast or YouTube channel, you name it. You no longer need funding, a swish office or a big team. You have everything you need.

• ⚒️ There are some incredible tools that make the process easy and fun
  It’s never been simpler to make a quick website using tools like Carrd. Course creation doesn’t need any technical knowledge with tools like Teachable and Kajabi. You can start a podcast in 30 minutes using Anchor.fm. You don’t need to be a programmer to build your own professional and private community — tools like Mighty Networks and Circle take care of that.

• 🏘️ All the support you need is at your fingertips
  You don’t need to fly to an expensive conference halfway across the world. Online communities like The Happy Startup School that are focused on connection and collective inspiration are here to help you accelerate your progress and give you the confidence to step out into the limelight.

• 💡 The world needs you, your energy and your ideas — like now
  Even before Covid, problems were everywhere. But behind every problem is an opportunity. Now more than ever we need entrepreneurs like you to create new IP — ideas with purpose. Stop getting in your own way and instead ask questions like ‘What is life asking of me? What is my responsibility here?’.

We’ve spent almost a decade building a thriving community of kind-hearted and talented mentors, coaches, teachers and peers. But despite this safety net and support system, many won’t make the leap.

This is what drives us every day. To shake this belief that you don’t have to have everything you think you need to start taking the first baby steps.

Dreams don’t work unless you do

Despite what you might think, you are ready.

You have the ideas (even if you don’t yet know it).

And everything you’ve done up until now has been your teacher.

It can often take others to bring this out of you.

So start saying your dreams out loud.

Ask for help. And please, just start.