How to Know When It’s Time to Act

What is the point where you have enough info and you just need to take action?

Are you an over-consumer?

For a long time, I was. All I did was consume. I read articles, I watched videos, documentaries, and other people’s experiences. I was trying to learn. I took courses and classes. I wanted to get to a point where I felt qualified to create. 

But as the months passed, I remained stuck. At times I felt like I was watching life from the sidelines.

I was a self-development junkie who was unwilling to put myself out there.

But I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I wanted to say I’m just not quite ready yet. Soon I’ll be ready. Soon.

It took me a while to realize, but that’s just not how it works. There isn’t some magical threshold that you reach and then all of a sudden you are deserving of being a creator. There’s no $100 course or certification that can deem you ready. 

Being a creator is a choice

You decide to create. To try, build, test, and experiment. You enter the arena. You open yourself up to feedback and criticism. This can be valuable because with feedback you can make adjustments and improve your content. 

But this requires that you take action.

An analogy would be training for a marathon. You practice and learn and train for months. You gather all of this knowledge and information, but for some reason, the idea of the loud bang of the gun at the start is preventing you from starting.

The next step is the beginning of your journey. That’s what you’ve been working towards. But the fear, self-doubt, and insecurities are holding you back. They’re preventing you from doing the things that you want to do. 

Failure’s not that bad

It’s how we learn and grow.

I’ve learned that letting these fears dictate my life is worse than any pain from failure or embarrassment. When you let these insecurities paralyze you, it stunts your growth and progress.

Just remind yourself of the regret you’ll feel if you never even try. 

If there is one thing that I wish I could tell a younger version of myself, it’s this: start now. Whatever it is that I was interested in or thinking about at the time, just try it. Start somewhere. Anywhere. See what happens.

The act of starting is so much more important than worrying about where to begin. You will learn as you go and solve problems as they arise. 

Be prepared

Being prepared doesn’t mean knowing exactly what to do and how to deal with every possible situation. Life is dynamic. There are many variables and things change.

Being prepared means having the knowledge and understanding to deal with situations. Then having the ability to perform under pressure when necessary. It’s about having the tools, skills, and knowledge to handle an adverse situation.

Real life isn’t a high school test. You can’t just memorize and regurgitate without ever having to think. You need to use thinking, problem-solving, and adaptation. These are skills. You get better with practice and experience. 

But remember, there is such a thing as over-preparing and it does you no good. It’s just another form of avoidance. You know what you have to do.

There’s no time like the present

If you’ve been a self-help or personal development junkie like myself, it’s time to start creating. There’s a point where the continued consumption of information is the equivalent of mental masturbation and odds are, you’re already there.

Deep down you probably know this. You know that you’re just making excuses to delay taking action. But this sense of accomplishment felt by over-consumption can be dangerous because it gives you the illusion of progress where there may be very little.

The only thing worse than no info is bad info.

The only thing worse than no progress is the illusion of progress.

Understand that there will never be a perfect time. So the best time to act is now, in the present. 

Pick a game. Learn the rules. Find some guidance. Then just go for it.

The experience gained from trying and failing a dozen times will benefit you infinitely more than continuing to stockpile information.

Start small, fail, learn, and eventually succeed.

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Thanks for reading! What is something you’ve been waiting to act on? Let me know in the comments below!

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