WAIT!
My god does that little four-letter word stall actors and take them off their path. It’s filled with self-doubt. Can I ask, just what the heck are you waiting for?
There seem to be two schools of thought to stop waiting and take action:
- Ready, Aim, Fire.
You figure out what you want, where you want to go, do all the research, ask questions then aim for it. I did that for years. My type-A Virgo skills were key at finding answers, mapping solutions and not jumping until all was perfect.
Here’s the problem with that – it’s NEVER perfect! (You perfectionists out there repeat after me – It’s NEVER perfect!)
I wasted so much time in this business spinning my wheels when I was living in NYC because I forgot to actually pull the trigger and fire. Or rather I was too afraid to pull the trigger. I had no FIRE. But man, was I organized.
2. Ready, Fire, Aim.
You figure out what you want, and you jump. You jump into the unknown because it’s huge catalyst for change, right? You hope it goes the way you want it to and you’re fearless on your journey. I did this when I launched my first business in NYC which was a marketing/sales company. I had no idea what the heck I was doing. I just started and fired away! Sure, I had bumps in the road, but I got a business off the ground and had a team of over 10 people working for me within a year.
Here’s the problem with that – I didn’t have an end goal or a big vision. Without the AIM, I had to revamp my business model a year in and it actually took me longer to build the business than what was probably necessary. I also got burnt out and ended up walking away from that business after 4 years.
SO……if both these models that society deems work aren’t bulletproof, what do you do?
Well, hold on. Perhaps the evil word isn’t WAIT after all?
Maybe it’s READY.
Until you’re ready, you can’t aim? That’s just absurd!
Until you’re ready you can’t fire? Of course, you could!
(insert Meryl Streep’s voice in The Devil Wears
Prada)
“Why isn’t anybody ready?”
Here’s what I propose:
Aim + Fire = Ready
Know your AIM, your big vision, the game you want to play, the path you want to walk down.
Start planning to achieve it. Then FIRE! When you FIRE, you jump and pull the trigger fearlessly and continue to take action toward your aim and goal.
When you AIM and FIRE – guess what you’re freakin’ READY!
You can’t just be READY. That’s crazy talk. Which is why the first two don’t work.
Your AIM is actually filled not only with research and planning but trust. Trust in your own hunches, your gut, your instinct over how many years you have been on this planet.
When you do that and take action and FIRE in spite of fear – you, my friend, are READY.
Here’s what’s right with that – in 2016, I shed a lot of things in my life that wasn’t serving me or bringing me joy. One thing I let go of was a coaching company I started. When 2017 rolled around, my desire to teach, coach and serve my community of actors once again became palpable.
But starting a business again was different this time around. I knew my AIM, I had a plan, and I trusted wholeheartedly in myself and my knowledge. Even though I was afraid at potentially falling into the old traps I had before, I FIRED. I’m amazed at how much I’ve done with less struggle these past two years. It’s because I laid the groundwork, knew what I truly wanted, didn’t let fear stop me, created it on my terms and pulled the trigger.
I didn’t have all the answers and believe me, I still don’t. And every day I follow my plan and allow for what comes in. I’m READY.
So stop waiting to be ready. Ready will come.
AIM and FIRE your way to success.
There are less excuses, and a lot more joy and ease. Who doesn’t want that? 😊
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