Daniel Pink offers four ways to start before you feel ready: lower the stakes by treating it as a test, break big projects into tiny pieces, create a consistent ritual to trigger the behavior, and write an ugly first version. Readiness follows action, not the other way around.
Here are 4 ways to act before you feel ready. Number 1, lower the stakes. Don't tell yourself, I have to nail this. Tell yourself, I'm going to run a test. A small experiment is easier to start than a life-defining performance. Number 2, reduce the scope. Don't write the whole chapter. Write one paragraph. Don't clean the whole garage. Clear out one shelf. Action gets easier when the task gets smaller. Number 3, create a starting ritual. Same place, same time, same first move. Open the document. Put on the shoes. Set the Set a timer. Rituals reduce the need for motivation. And number 4, define an ugly first version. You can't improve something that doesn't exist. The big mistake that people make? They wait to feel ready before they begin. But readiness usually comes after beginning. You don't think your way into action. You act your way into being ready.
