I’m sure you have heard “Ready – Set – Go” on many occasions before. As a kid, you would have said that before every foot race, every recess, and every friendly competition. We would also say it to ourselves throughout the year. Before a heavy day at work. Before a long month of wintery weather. Before the start of a new year. But have you ever wondered whether it’s a valid statement to make?
If you are looking at a competition, then I would say ‘yes’, this makes sense. You have prepared for the race (ready), you are on the blocks and envisioning the victory at the end (set), and then the gun goes off (go) and for those few moments, nothing else matters.
If we were to take that statement and apply it to life circumstances, I would argue that it is seriously flawed. The problem that I see is with that first word. Ready.
Are we ever ‘ready’ for the situations that we are faced with? Your first day of kindergarten. Your first day at a new job. The first time you become a parent (or the second, or the third…). These are all situations where you enter in for the first day totally unprepared and unsure of what to expect. You had to take the first step (go), before you were ever able to see the greater picture (set) and long before you ever felt prepared (ready).
We are now a month into this new year. And chances are, if you made a resolution (regardless of what that resolution was), you have probably already fallen off and haven’t gotten back up. And it’s not because you “failed”, but most likely because you were waiting for the perfect environment to start up. You see, being ready can only come through experience. You need to take the first step on your own and assess (and reassess) along the way. If you wait until you are ready, you will miss out on so many great opportunities and life will pass you by.
Stop waiting for those perfect moments. For you to be fully prepared for what is ahead. Because in my opinion, that doesn’t exist. You have to take that leap and just “do”. Adjust along the way, take small steps towards improvement, but never wait until you are ready – because we are never fully ready.
Time to GO!
