Why Waiting For The Right Time Will Never Help You Feel 'Ready'.

Delaying your dreams because you 'don't have enough money' or 'experience' won't bring you any closer to your dreams. What will, is putting one foot in front of the other and just starting.

It's the tale as old as time... 'I'll do it when I'm ready', 'when I have MORE experience', 'when I have £X amount of money in my bank'. The truth is, there will never be the perfect time to start something new, to quit that job, to dump your boyfriend, to move house or have that difficult conversation.

What stops us isn't timing, it's fear.

Fear it won't work out.

Fear that we're making the wrong decision.

Fear that we're being irresponsible.

Fear that we’ll fail, or worse - that we’ll actually succeed and have no idea what to do next.

It makes sense. We're wired to only think of all the reasons why it won't work out. Our brains are trained to avoid danger, to avoid risk. We're wired to survive and to run as fast as we can from hungry tigers. However, we're no longer being hunted by tigers; instead, we're addicted to social media and comparing ourselves to random people on the internet who we'll probably never meet. We see people achieving their dreams and think it is out of reach for us. Our biggest task now is to rewire our brains and train them into thinking that if we can relentlessly believe in ourselves and take risks, then things might work out - but this, OF COURSE, isn't easy.

I love to surf, but I've had a lot of scary wipeouts recently, which now makes me hesitate when I paddle for a wave. Last week I went surfing with my sister and I saw the perfect wave. As I started to paddle for the wave, my brain started to yell at me, 'STOP! You're going to fall!' So, I listened and went back to the lineup and watched the wave disappear. I felt a familiar sting of never feeling 'good enough, ' which felt miserable.

should have gone for the wave :(

A few sets later, another wave came. My gut literally punched me from the inside like, 'JUST GO!' This time, I ignored my brain and got the wave, feeling elated. That moment taught me that each time I trust myself, even when I am terrified, I am teaching my brain that it’s safe to believe and to go for it. It’s like a muscle: the more we exercise courage, the stronger it grows.

This reminded me of a great quote that I recently discovered whilst reading 'The Artist's Way', which is a book all about finding your inner artist. My lifetime passion, aside from seasonal work, is art. The quote said: 'Who decided God was sensible?' and it got me thinking... Why is it that having a job we hate is the sensible thing to do? Why is having a house or flat with a crippling mortgage, the right thing to do? Why is being with a man who gives us the bare minimum, the right thing to do? Why is not taking a bigger wave, the right thing to do? Literally, who invented that? I then had a vision of God on the back of a Harley Davidson with a tattooed baddie on the back, driving off into the Costa Rica sunset and a beer in his hand... zero fucks given. It made me laugh.

God and his baddie driving care free in Cost Rica

So here’s the thing: when life feels overwhelming, when you’re unsure of your next move - tune in, not out. When I feel overwhelmed, I ask myself, what do I need right now? Not in six months or a year, but right now? I then sit in silence for 10 minutes - no distractions, no noise, no music - just me and my thoughts. The last time I did this I was sat in the UK feeling a little lost and now I'm sat in Lombok writing from my sister's cafe.

Life doesn’t start when you’re ready.

It starts when you decide to take that first step.

So next time you catch yourself wondering, “Is this it?” - think of God on that Harley. Would you rather be sitting on the sofa, scrolling through someone else’s adventure, or be the one holding on tight, wind in your hair, trusting that you’ll find your path along the way?

You were never meant to live a small, sensible life. You were meant to feel it ALL - the good, bad, scary and the AMAZING.

Take the wave and believe it might just work out.