Roughly how many times in the past six months have you told yourself you’re not ready?
I’m not ready to apply for that job.
I’m not ready to share my gifts with the world.
I’m not ready to be more visible, more vocal, more honest, more ambitious.
I’m not ready to start bringing my business ideas to life.
I believe in being somewhat trained or experienced in that wish you wish to teach or share, for sure. But there comes a time where you can only read, and train, and overthink, and plan and prepare so much before you have to just do the thing and figure the rest out as you go along.
I have been a professional writer for about five years, but I’ve known I’ve wanted to start doing voice interviews for a while now.
While writing will be my first and forever love, there’s an immediacy in audio, and something particularly rich about hearing two people’s voices as they converse without the mask a screen can sometimes provide.
When we started the Salty Club, we discussed wether I’d just write my exclusive monthly content, because that is what I have started to be known for, my writing. It was tempting to take that which I knew I could do well, and continue to exist within my comfort zone.
had this little voice tugging me by the arm saying interviews! interviews! interviews! Let’s play! Let’s bring on people that make your heart beat fast and your brain explode and lead each other down winding, crazy conversations that can reach people in their living rooms! Why not? It will be fuuuun!
And another little voice saying ‘your’e not ready. Maybe go take another course before you do that… or practice more… or study another book… or listen to another fifty interviews…. then, maybe, you’ll be ready. Right now you’re too inexperienced, too young, too whatever.’
You know what I finally decided- enough. I’m ready… enough. I’ve finished journalism school. I’ve interviewed people in print for years. That’s it. The rest I can figure out as I go.
In most cases, ready enough is great.
Ready enough is fine.
And you’re probably ready enough to do whatever it is you’ve been dying to do.
According to a Hewlett-Packard internal report, men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the listed requirements, whereas women apply only if they feel they meet 100% of them.
Many of us stay behind the curtains until we feel we’re ‘enough’ or ‘100%’
But nothing is ever perfect.
You’re never going to please absolutely everyone.
There are people who think the works of painter Salvador Dali were shit and there are also others who think Beyoncè is overrated.
You know the saying ‘have the confidence of a mediocre white man?’ I am moving into this new exciting experiment with the confidence of a mediocre white man.
And I feel like maybe you should too.
Will you have some public hiccups? Probably
Will you make a few things and have to make a few adjustments on the fly? Most likely.
But will you learn A LOT? yes.
Will you also be experiencing the sweet, sweet transcendence of putting your light and passion out into the world? YES.
Putting ourselves out there when we’re ready enough also paves the way for others wanting to do the same thing. We need to see more people publicly tripping and resetting the sails and not being perfect and laughing in all the confusion. We need to see more people out there with a willingness to be imperfect.
Preparation is great. Studying is great. Revising and editing and resetting is fabulous. But how can you prepare for things you will only encounter once your stuff is out in the world?
Exactly.
You’re ready enough, sister.