Show and tell works, but to what level?
Most beginners feel they need to have more, to feel ready for something before they feel “capable” of doing it.
True and false – based on expertise level.
One of the best pieces of feedback a close friend told me about myself is to stop holding myself back – you’re ready as is.
Fear and inadequacy are often procrastination disguised as a protection mechanism. Not often inadequacy or greed.
But is protection and being comfortable really the best way forward?
Taking action before you’re ready or comfortable is the best thing you can do today
I’ve read this quote on social media, and it didn’t help me one bit. No amount of inspirational one-liners or long-winded posts could.
Part of the reason was that it was just another bit of noise lost among white noise.
Every time I’ve had to move before I’m ready, it has given me the most clarity, the most drive, and the most results.
But, it comes at a massive mental cost, something everyone is aware of, but not ready to face – intense anxiety and inadequacy.
→ I started this newsletter before gaining tens of thousands of followers
→ I started working on complex projects and long-term plans before needing XYZ.
→ I quit my job without any safety net, and it paid off big time by launching me into entrepreneurship.
I’ve had to push myself out of my comfort zone to make big moves professionally and personally – and each one has paid off with stellar returns.
Chances are, it’s the same for your life and professional growth, too.
By definition, anxiety is your brain moving to a place you’re not ready for yet – in both a physical and mental sense.
→ You may be moving too far ahead in your mind, leading to worries of the future – do it long enough and you have chronic anxiety.
→ You may be forced to move into something better when you’re not “ready”, leading to imposter syndrome.
Embodying a higher version vs your protection mechanisms:
Any movement or progress you make usually happens before you’re mentally or physically ready for it.
When it comes to upskilling or working a new job/gig, there is no amount of preparation or course scoping that can prepare you for some real action.
You get the tools with scoping sure and courses sure, but often you’re left feeling more “why did I wait” than anything else.
Why did you wait?
This self-awareness insight can help you reflect on your biggest internal flaws as it did for me:
→ Protection from external feedback?
→ Protection from fear of being “found out,” you don’t have everything figured out?
→ Protection from not finding a safe space to fall onto if you fail?
→ Protection from your brain wanting to keep you safe and secure? AKA being stuck?
→ Protection to focus on other work that is important to society, the environment, or conditioning?
Often, it takes one to see the whole picture to talk to others about how to rise up faster.
You have to get the whole picture from the perspective of your mind sensor to be able to connect those skilling and scaling to guide them better.
The best way to be out of touch is to ride the high of achieving your goal and taking for granted the luck and grind it takes to get there.
The best way to be in touch is to listen, understand, and help others move through their struggles, their goals, and their drivers, without personal bias. (that’s why VoC works)
Does the goal scare or excite you? The best reason to leave your comfort zone
When I quit my full time job, there was nothing that could prepare me for financial instability and chaos of the freelancing world.
I entered Upwork back when it still made sense to grind out there, and had decent work going without trying/paying the platform excessively like today.
But nothing I did after quitting was my vision of my planning before.
I was brought up with the conditioning that there HAS to be a safety net before you do anything dangerous.
Ideally that’s true, and you can read about the very concept in countless financial independence, job independence focus posts.
Having a nest egg so you can last 6-12 months with a focus on growth. Great, but consequences are different for everyone.
Despite planning for months about –
→ I’ll quit when I do X and Y, land a Z job offer
→ I’ll quit when there’s X in my bank account
→ I’ll move on when A, B, or C thing happens and family, friends are in agreement with what I’m doing
Nothing helped except JUST QUITTING and moving on/aka doing the damn thing helped.
The best moves of my life have come when I left the comfort or the think-twice-before-you-move questioning of people around me.
Is it possible for everyone? To quit your job and focus on entrepreneurship/freelancing without a nest egg?
No. Different circumstances, different applications.
But the concept of doing the thing before you’re READY has always worked wonders for me, and from what I can perceive, countless others on the Internet.
I’ve played countless games over the years, and most of the time, it’s better to figure out controls after you start because it’s just too exciting to stop for a tutorial.
When the game ahead gives better emotions, you want to move forward without figuring out all the controls.
Case in point, dopamine for an endless game or serotonin for a long-winded story-based game.
However, if a game is as complex and multiplayer as the entrepreneurship world of today, you do need to hit pause, read the tutorial, ignore the noise, and just focus on learning the controls first.
Embodying your highest version: A growth hack no one teaches
Leaving your comfort zone by default means you leave your old self or old sense of self behind.
All self improvement is based on embodiment, but at the rate it’s shown to imbibe this principle, it seems like it’s not helpful.
Solving your catch 22 situations doesn’t need you to necessarily look outward for more information, but inward.
In normal language, you can view embodiment as positive and consistent habits.
But what differentiates embodiment from the regular 21 day habit challenge most people take up, is the timeline.
Once you know you’re meant for something higher, all the distractions, addictions, and noise around you make you think ten times instead of thinking twice.
Case in point, this newsletter is my effort at embodying the creator I want to be rather than worrying, distracting with anything else.
Hitting your activity goal daily is a great positive challenge,but embodying how to be :
- as creative as your favorite creator
- as authoritative as your business coach
- as fit as your favorite physical fitness creator
Without negative comparison, there are no excuses to focus on anything else.
The best way to benefit yourself today is to tune the voice in your head to be more like yourself, imitate and embody others, and innovate afterward.
Because you always imitate before you innovate.
“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” – Salvador Dali
Want to live up to your best self, tune more in line with your frequency, and embody being the best creator you can be?
Stay tuned and keep an eye out as you watch me imitate and innovate even more every weekend!
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