You Will Never Be Ready.

Have you ever been afraid of being a fraud, so you hold back just a little bit? You say nothing because you aren’t sure, or you wait to share your idea with a group until you think it is safe. I am no expert, but I feel like everyone has been in this mindset at least once. Growth and change aren’t products of perfection. Growth and change happen when there is tension. It happens when there is discomfort. It happens when there is something worth enduring a little pain for. Bravery is not for other people - it is for us. If you are reading this with a big bold audacious idea and you are waiting for when the time is right – you will never be ready.

A few months ago I had the pleasure of listening to Seth Godin give a presentation, one of many that day centered around bravery. He referenced the invention of the fax machine. When this machine came out, there wasn’t anything like it. Why in the heck would anyone want to send messages this way when they could just pick up the phone?

So, when is a good time to launch something new? It is always too soon and it is always bad timing. Why didn’t they wait? Godin says, “If ideas don’t spread, they die.” The big bold idea of the fax machine caught on because they were able to connect with their audience. They made it accessible, it solved a problem and it created a bridge between people.

That being said, how did they do that? I guarantee you they didn’t know what they were doing. What they did know was that they had created something remarkable. They went to the people that believed in them and asked, “Will you help me?” With no hierarchy and no direction, they said “I am not sure how to do this, follow me.”

This is what Godin calls a connection economy. Choose to be trusted, transparent and true to who you are. You are doing good work, but for who? Your number one fans are waiting on the sidelines and your big idea enables you to make a human connection. Even if you aren’t sure how to get there, invite them along on your journey and they may show you the way.