Nobody Knows What They Are Doing At First, So Stop Waiting Until You Feel Ready
Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash
In the world of creative opportunity, it’s easy to take a scroll through everyone else’s work and convince yourself that the world doesn’t need yours. That everyone knows what they’re doing because they’re already doing it. I’m going to bust that creative myth, though. Nobody knows what they’re doing. If someone claims they do, they still don’t.
Your work is far too important to wait until you feel ready. You need to share your story and your innate creativity, which means we need to stop waiting, and just go.
You’ll never truly be ready
Starting a new project is the same as standing at the top of a ski slope or on a diving board. You have that moment just before you take off where you’re willing yourself to go. Your body is resisting, but your mind is stronger. It’s telling you to take the jump and that you’re capable of figuring it out.
Life is meant to be well lived and filled with creative risks. Don’t focus so much on dreaming that you forget to take action. Taking action is what brings your dream into reality, and hard work will make it come to fruition.
You learn what you love by doing it
So why wait in hope that it will drop in front of you? It’s rare that, as creatives, we know what we’ll enjoy without trying it. We need to put ourselves in a position to discover what we enjoy by trying different projects, ideas, and tasks.
My first role at my current agency was as a copywriter. Then I began managing a few clients. This turned into full-time account management and has recently transitioned into paid media. I had no idea when I took that first role that I would now be living in Facebook Ads Manager! But I took that next step in front of me, grateful for the opportunity to evolve and grow.
You may not know if you’ll love the process behind a new goal, but no one does. It’s time to take that step out in faith. You may just discover your unknown passion that drives your career further than you ever thought possible.
Waiting removes opportunities for growth
Personal growth is an ethereal concept. We all want it, but not everyone is willing to put in the work to unearth it. No one can describe what your own journey of personal growth will be, making it a thrilling concept to ponder. (And, yes, slightly terrifying.)
Waiting for an invisible deadline or sign to start removes your opportunities for personal growth. We can’t wait. We’ll never feel ready. We need to start with the faintest light of an idea and turn it into an opportunity.
At its core, we’re waiting because we don’t want to fail. One of my favorite follows on Instagram is author and artist Amber Rae. She writes about creativity and the ensuing emotions and is a necessary follow for anyone who considers themselves creative. Her recent post highlights the struggle of waiting until you’re ready.
When we look at failure from compassion, we see that our failures are opportunities for growth. You’ll never be truly ready to take that leap into something new, but when we begin focusing on compassion instead of shame, we open ourselves to incredible opportunities.
Nobody you know, whether in real or virtual life, knows what they’re doing. Waiting until you feel ready isn’t helping you reach your goals. Instead, we need to tip off the edge of creative opportunity and embrace the difficult work of discovering what we were created to do. It’s not easy, but the growth, opportunities, and relationships are always worth it.
