Episode 13: Starting Before You're Ready

Are you stuck waiting for the "perfect moment" to start that business, take that course, or make that career change?

In this episode, recorded from Sarah's brand new office, she dives deep into the psychology behind our "readiness illusion" and why we get trapped believing that readiness is a prerequisite for action.

Sarah breaks down the competing brain systems that keep us in perpetual preparation mode and reveals why confidence comes after action, not before.

If you're a behavior analyst who's been telling yourself "I'm not ready yet" for that next big step, this episode will help you recognize when preparation becomes sophisticated procrastination and give you the tools to start building your future self in the doing phase.

Resources Mentioned

• Tech industry concept of "failing fast"

• Prefrontal cortex vs limbic system psychology

• Self-compassion practices for beginners

• Psychological safety techniques

Quotes from This Episode

• "We get stuck in believing that readiness is a prerequisite for action, but there's really a readiness illusion. Feeling ready is a story that we tell ourselves often to avoid the discomfort of uncertainty."

• "The feeling of readiness rarely comes before action. It comes after. Confidence is built by actually doing the thing. It's not built by rehearsing all these things in our head through planning."

• "Who do you become when you're perpetually preparing for something? You become someone who is going to do something rather than someone who is doing something."

• "Oftentimes, our reasons for not being ready are really our fears that are wearing this mask of logic."

• "When we demand perfection before we start, we're essentially demanding that we skip the learning phase and just jump straight into mastery. This is impossible."

• "What if readiness isn't about having everything figured out? What if readiness is simply about being willing to learn as you go?"

• "Your first version of anything - your business, a creative project, a new career - is not supposed to be your final version. It's supposed to be your learning version."

• "Starting before you're ready requires you to have self compassion. You must become your own safe person."

• "Your future self isn't waiting for you to become ready. It's waiting for you to become brave."

Connect with MBB

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⁠https://mindbodybehavior.co/curriculum⁠

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Email: sarah@mindbodybehaviorllc.com

Social Media: @sarahburby @mindbodybehavioranalysts

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