Being "Ready" is a Myth

Start, suck, and get better.

As a species, we love to talk about the importance of being "ready." That word – ready – can manifest itself in so many ways:

• I'll post that blog when it's perfect.

• I'll launch a podcast when I'm comfortable that it's not going to stink.

• I'll go all in on my marketing, but I want to be ready.

• I'll start that business, just not now – it's not the right time.

While I hate to spoil the blog so early on, the truth is that being fully ready doesn't exist.

Here's the absolute truth of doing anything: you start, you suck, you figure it out, and, if you keep at it, you get better. That's the formula today and, candidly, it's always been the formula. Let me tell you, both understanding and sticking with that formula is a good thing, and I can prove it by sharing some of my "not so ready" hits from my life:

• Embarrassing Blog Posts – I've always been told that I write well. Even so, when I started sharing my written thoughts with marketing and branding professionals through a weekly blog, they were less than optimal, and I braced for the impact. Looking back, many of them were derivative, unimaginative, rambling, and, at times, pointless. However, now I've fully found my voice, I'm very comfortable putting my thoughts out there, and I'm honored that so many read them willingly. However, I never would've gotten here if I hadn't written and posted the cringeworthy ones first.

• Running Without Running – For my health, I started running about 18 months ago, even though I was convinced from my teenage years that I was allergic to the activity. However, when I first started "running," I was really just walking at a fairly brisk pace and was out of breath more than I should have been. In other words, "running" was a very generous description. Over time and with dedication, I became faster, built endurance, and began to enjoy it. Now, I run the equivalent of a 5k four to five days a week. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't wait to be ready because I never would have been. I needed to lace up my Nike's and lumber out the door.

• Public Speaking Pain – I recall the first time I spoke as an "expert" to a room of about 200 professionals at the 2008 PPAI Expo. Even though I was co-presenting with my friend and colleague, Rick Greene, I was beyond nervous. I was unwatchable, unlistenable, and had every crutch phrase firmly on repeat. Today, I'm blessed to be a sought-after speaker both within and outside the industry, and I generally receive exceptional feedback after a talk. The difference between those early sessions and the ones now is that I did it very poorly, but I kept doing it again and again until those reps turned "painful to watch" into "he's pretty good."

• Podcasting Problems – If you've ever listened to the first episode of the first podcast I did in 2015 (unScripted with Kirby Hasseman), it was…something. I had the rare and unlistenable combination of "high-voice" and "fast-talk" coupled with bad audio, bad timing, and bad everything. However, I'm so grateful for those horrid episodes because, without them, I never would've gotten good at it. Now, recording the Between 2 Brands podcast is one of the highlights of my week and, frankly, I think I'm actually decent at it.

• Parenting Pitfalls – Bringing your first child home is a nerve-wracking experience for every parent. However, when you bring home twins, that anxiety is multiplied by a factor of ten, not two. Just like any new parents, my wife and I were clueless. I was horrible at changing diapers, worse at multitasking, and pretty sure both my bride and my boys were silently wondering if I'd ever get it together. Fast forward a month into it, and I was juggling those babies like a Cirque du Soleil performer. I didn't have the choice to wait until I was "ready" to be an active parent; if I did, I'd still be standing in that hospital parking lot staring at two car seats. Instead, I figured it out because I really had no choice but to do so.

The lesson here, if you haven't figured it out already, is there's never a right time to begin anything – starting a business, rolling out a marketing campaign, launching a blog, hitting the gym, or raising kids. Waiting until the "right time" only means you'll never become the person you can be.

One thing to remember, just because you start, suck, and get better doesn't mean everything you do following that script will be a resounding success. Heck, it doesn't mean it's something you'll keep doing for the rest of your days, as sometimes things fade or interests change. However, if you don't start at all, the only outcome you're guaranteed is that you'll never get better. There's truly no "ready," – there's only now.

So, write that first bad draft, run (or walk) that slow first mile, record that awkward first episode, call that dream prospect, publish the clumsy blog, pitch the pie-in-the-sky idea.

Start, suck, figure it out, and get better.

That's how it works and how it's always worked.