Are you ready?

How often did it happen that you believed you were not ready for the job this time? 

Maybe next time, let's just do some more preparation, let's just work hard for x number of months and then give the job a shot, and the time "when you are perfect" just never arrived. 

Whenever opportunity knocked on your door, you were "not ready" to take it or wait-were you just too frightened of getting rejected?

This is not just about the job; when I look back, I find out how many times this occurred - it occurred very frequently, maybe every day.

I seldom raise my hand in a class, even if I'm 99% sure that the answer is accurate- I step back due to the 1% fear of failure. I always sidestepped when it came to participating in sports because every time I felt, well, I am not ready, I'll work hard to "get ready," and after that, I'll participate. And that moment literally never came. Competitions were my nightmare as I always lacked the practice required to win the game. Messing up with simple answers and then stuttering most of the time was my regular habit, even after being right.

This wasn't just part of my school life. These patterns followed me wherever I went. I had given too much room for these fears. I always waited to get PERFECT at coding and then participate in the competitions. Whenever I participate, I just succeed, or if I fail, it should not be VERY embarrassing.

When it came to writing, my first thought was- "Okay, if you wanna write, then cram the whole dictionary, read the most eminent authors of all the time, read Shakespeare, and then consider writing! First Get Ready to Write (Beware if you try it before being ready for it!)."

The Sports match was not an exception either.

I held this psyche for nearly everything.

I will meet people only when I get rid of social anxiety, for once and all.

I will talk in public once I get the best communication skills.

I will apply for jobs once I meet all the 100% mentioned criteria.

So I never truly practised the things due to my fear of failure, I just procrastinated them (reserved it for my "after I become perfect moment"), and I never got it done.

After analyzing all the circumstances, even the smaller scenarios, I realized answers, practice, sports, lack of preparation, being not ready enough were not the problems; my lack of courage to pursue them and fear of failure was.

But the good thing I learned is that you can improve these things. You can teach yourself to be brave. I always had enough daring but was not very sure of the courage. You become courageous after practising courage. And maybe starting writing on this blog is just a part of the lifelong practice.

Whenever you ask yourself that you are just not ready this time, try reframing the question as:

- Are you just not prepared, or is it just that you are terrified of rejections?

- Scared that people will mock you? 

 -Scared that you'll never get over this failure, so it's just best not to take the risk first?

When you seek the truth, that is when you accept you are fearful at that very moment, you find ways to be courageous. It's essential to ask the right questions. 

Only the right questions can lead us to the right answers; everything else is a mere theory or assumption. 

Till then 👋