The Sneakiest Excuse: I'm Not Ready...

I'm not ready.

I'm not ready to have kids.  I'm not ready to start my business.  I'm not ready for a serious relationship.  I'm not ready to run today...

Have you ever quit something because you were not ready for it?

As a coach, I hear "I'm not ready" all the time!  I don't know how many times in my life or career I've not been ready to move on, to start, to stop, to feel, to not feel, to live.  It's part of being human.

"Not being ready" is fine.  Using it as an excuse to not take action prevents us from having the family, health, career, and lifestyle we envisioned for our families.

Because not being ready is just fear.  The fear we are not adequate.  The fear we are not enough.  The fear we will fail.  So why bother, right?

Well, we can let fear run our lives and be miserable because we know we are backing down when we need to act BOLDLY.  Nobody was ever ready for anything, so why are we any different!

How can we act boldly in uncertainty, then? 

Five things to act with more courage and confidence:

1) Body Language.  There as a great ted talk about getting introverts to speak up more in class, and the big thing to get students feeling more confident was to improve posture before class.  Stand up straight.  Square your shoulders. Put your hands on your hips and sense yourself shift into higher confidence.

2)  Breath.  Getting more oxygen to the brain is a great way to relax, get present, and feel confident going into a meeting or conversation.  Take 10 deep breaths in through your nose, out through your mouth and feel how much more alert and relaxed you become.

3) Practice.  Have a tough conversation you have been dreading?  Practice by saying the words out loud before you talk to the person.  

4) Learn.  Shifting to a learning mindset, you can reframe something unfamiliar to something exciting.  When you approach a situation as something that will help you grow as a person, 

5) Self-Coach.  If you were to advice a friend in the same situation, what would you tell them?