Are you Ready to Dive In?
by Nanci Bradley
Most people love to over prepare, to hold off on taking action in something just in case they are not ready yet. Sometimes this can mean waiting until they are finished with a qualification before they search for ways to practise it with others, sometimes this means waiting for other people to choose to go on holiday, sometimes it is sticking to the usual routine rather than adding something new that they want to try.
Most people have at least one area of life that they hesitate in, that they hold back in even when they are potentially ready to take the next step. For some people it is only one area but for others they prefer to be over-cautious in all areas of life. I live somewhere in between those two, there are many things I will dive into in order to try them, but there are also areas where that process brings forward resistance and fear within my body.
Where do you live on that spectrum? What areas of life do you tend to hesitate in?
Are you saying preparation is bad?
Short answer – no, but balance is the key.
Preparation is not a bad thing, for many people it is vital to investigate, to gain some background knowledge, or to at least feel they have a very solid foundation in something. There is nothing wrong with that, if that something you relate to.
When it becomes negative is when we move into excess, as with all things balance is the key.
We don’t want to be leaping off cliffs before checking if there are any rocks underneath after all. But we also don’t want to spend years measuring and investigating and building up the cliff jump in our mind, watching others do it, researching best methods of cliff jumping, but never actually trying the jump ourselves.
The balance between those two extremes will be different for everyone, but once you find your own personal sweet spot, take note so that you know when you are tipping over the edge into over-preparation.
Why do we Hesitate?
In general, this hesitation seems to be caused by self-doubt in various forms (in skill level, ability to be alone, confidence in attempting something new, etc.) as well as a fear of judgement by those around you.
But I invite you to investigate for yourself. Ask yourself questions like:
- Am I hesitating too long over this decision?
- Where can I feel the resistance to moving forward in my body?
- What emotion is arising when I consider moving forward?
- Have I moved forward in similar situations with negative results?
- Or is this simply a fear of the unknown?
- What is the worst that could happen if I moved forward today?
- How could I readjust if I needed to?
This will help you determine why you might be hesitating and over-preparing.
A common example that I see in my friends and family is a hesitance during the final stages of qualification and just after receiving a qualification. There is a level of self-doubt that holds them back from actually using their new qualification, feeling that they just aren’t good enough yet.
And if you know what it will take to feel good enough to move forward, that is perfectly okay. You are able to take steps forward. But when you simply feel ‘not good enough’ to do something and have no thoughts on how to reach ‘good enough’ it is very easy to find yourself stuck.
Diving in anyway
In summary, we may not feel ready to do something yet, for whatever reason, but that does not mean that we should just avoid it for the rest of our lives. Reflect and investigate for yourself, the bare minimum standard you would need to be able to push through the discomfort and step forward into your future.
Then all you need to do is reach that standard, and dive in to give it a try.
Begin your journey today!
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