“Not ready…”

 Shared by Breanne Smedley

I remember looking at the blue lines on the pregnancy test that July morning.

Brett and I were just about to leave for a 3-week long trip, and I had a suspicion.

“I’ll just take the test to rule it out.” I thought.

We were living in our one-bedroom apartment near downtown Vancouver at the time.

We had just moved back to the area, to pursue career goals and be closer to family.

That morning in July, Brett was gone working out and I was by myself getting packed and ready to go.

I ran to the store to pick up the test, read the directions really fast, did what I needed to do, and let it sit for 5 minutes as I finished packing.

When I went back to check on it, I couldn’t believe what I saw.

A faint plus sign.

Plus equals …pregnant?!

I remember saying out loud, “What?! NO!”

I took another test.

Same result.

All I remember thinking, over and over was:

“I’m not ready for this.”

I’m not ready for my life to change completely.

I’m not ready to be responsible for a tiny human life.

I’m not ready to trade my freedom and independence for diapers and bottles. (At the time, that’s what I thought becoming a mom was at least…)

It’s not like it should have come as a complete shock to me.

Brett and I had been married for 5 years.
I was nearing 30, Brett 33.
We were financially stable and had great careers.
We had talked about starting our family within the year.

But I still felt like I “wasn’t ready.”

Here’s the truth I’ve come to learn, time and time again:

You never feel ready to do the important things you’re meant to do.

Looking back over the past two and a half years since that morning, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Waiting another 3, 6, 9 months to start our family wouldn’t have made me any more “ready.”

Reading another book about pregnancy, breastfeeding, or raising a child would make me no more ready than I was in that moment.

Nothing went how the books describe it anyways…

I can see how this has played out in other areas of my life.

The single decision to start before I was “ready” has profoundly impacted the course of my life, business, and relationships.

Now, this is not to say that anyone should go blindly and irresponsibly into something as significant as bringing a human into the world.

However, in my case, delaying starting a family until “I was ready” was a classic case of letting my fears run the show.

Because deep down, I knew it was what we wanted.

It was the same feeling I had when I started my first head coaching job.

“I’m not ready…maybe another year of being an assistant.”

When Brett and I moved to Vancouver from Whidbey Island.

“I’m not ready to make a big career jump. Let’s wait it out.”

When Kristina and I started Mindfluent® Leadership.

“Maybe I should wait until Charlee is older…”

When I started the first round of GRIT.

“I should wait until the volleyball season is over.”

In all of these examples, starting before I was ready has paid off big time in my career, mindset, and relationships.

Because that feeling of uncomfortableness.

That thought of, “I’ll just wait for ________”

Is the voice of the Inner Critic.

It’s a lazy, whiny, life-sucking voice that will constantly tell you how not ready you are in order to keep you safe and comfortable.

“The timing isn’t right.”
“I need to wait until ________.”
“I don’t have the knowledge.”
“I’m not in shape.”
“I need more time.”

That voice will always feed you lies and tell you of how incapable and incompetent you are.

It will do whatever it can to keep you back.

And one of its greatest weapons?

Telling you that you aren’t ready.

The anecdote?

Action.

Stop thinking and start doing.

Start before you’re ready.

Or continue to live your life waiting.

For the motivation. The push. The feeling of “ready.”

Hint: Be prepared to let a lot of life pass you by in the meantime.

Start now. You’re ready.

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