“When are you READY?”

I came across an interview with Lyle Lovett the other day. He is someone (I believe) who has so much depth and soul, that when he speaks, I listen. (When he sings, I listen too!)

He said: “I’ve never been ready to do a single thing I’ve ever done in my life. I haven’t been prepared enough, haven’t studied enough, haven’t known enough. You can never be ready. There’s just so much to know.”

One of the secrets to success is not waiting until we are READY to move into change and growth. Waiting until the magic ready button lights up, leads to self reproach and mountains of frustration. Stuckness.

Begin. Where you Are. Dive in, and let Lyle set the mood!

From an interview in Esquire Magazine, February 2012Lyle_Lovett.jpg-7740

Resistance, Fear and Action

Steven Pressfield, champion of the creative process, knows what it’s like to wrestle with doubt, distractions, obstructions and life. In his book, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battle, he lays it all out there, covering a quantity of sins. This excerpt about Resistance made me pay attention:

“Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.

Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates the strength of Resistance. Therefore, the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul.”

What would happen if you acknowledged your fear and stepped forward anyway?