24: The Lie: "I'm Not Ready"

As she prepares to facilitate a conference workshop, Tania finds herself face to face with a familiar thought: "I'm not ready." In this reflective episode, she explores why we expect to feel ready before doing something new, and why nerves, hesitation, and uncertainty may not be signs to stop. If you've ever delayed a conversation, opportunity, or dream while waiting to feel more prepared, this episode offers a different way to think about readiness, growth, and taking the next step.

Transcript

Tania 0:03

Welcome to Banish the Lies, the podcast where we outsmart that sneaky inner critic and get closer to the truth that sets us free. I'm Tania Cervoni, your host and fellow work in Progress here to share real stories and small shifts that help you reclaim what fear and doubt once stole. Let's jump in. Hey friend, welcome to another episode of the Banish The Lies podcast. Today I'm sitting at my desk working on a presentation for a workshop I'll be facilitating at a conference next week. When I originally pitched the idea to the event planners, let's just say I was feeling courageous. When they accepted my proposal, I still had a good amount of conviction helped by the fact that the conference was months away. "That should give me plenty of time to come up with something outstanding," I thought. But as I record this episode, I'm now three days away and the presentation is drafted but not finalized, and my brain is trying to tell me that maybe this wasn't the best idea, that maybe I'm not ready to do this thing. And not just because the presentation is still a work in progress. It's a new audience, uh, bit of a bigger venue than I'm used to, brand new content. So, "You're not ready, Tania. What were you thinking?" has been dancing around in my head today And what I find fascinating is that I still give this voice airtime because the truth is I have never felt ready for anything that stretched me beyond the boundaries of what was familiar. So why do I keep expecting this time to be different? Why do I expect to feel ready when I'm about to do something I've never done before? I mean, yes, I've facilitated workshops before, but not this workshop and not with these people and not in this setting. And honestly, what does ready even mean? I don't think I've paused long enough to ask that somewhat, obvious question. So as I sit here and think about it in real time, I'd say ready means that I know something is gonna go well. Ready means I know I can handle whatever surprises come up. Ready means I won't embarrass myself. Ready means I won't fail. In other words, ready means certainty. And as we've already established, that's impossible. There's no way I can be certain that my workshop will go well, that there won't be some sort of technical glitch, that people will be fully engaged, and that I'll walk away feeling great about the whole thing. I can't know any of that until after I do it. But what I also find interesting is this: Why do we automatically interpret nerves or hesitation as a sign that we're not ready? Because looking back, I can see that every meaningful thing I've done in my life came with hesitation, including getting married, leaving a marriage, moving to another country, launching a podcast, speaking publicly. None of those things felt comfortable. None of them came with certainty. But if hesitation often accompanies growth, then maybe hesitation isn't evidence that we shouldn't proceed. Maybe it's evidence that we're stretching beyond what we've done before. Maybe it's evidence that we're standing on the edge of something new. So as I sit here three days from the workshop, maybe the question isn't how do I become more ready? Maybe the question is, why do I keep expecting certainty when growth has never worked that way? Because if there's one thing life has taught me about growth is that certainty tends to arrive afterward, after the conversation, after the presentation, after the move, after the risk, not before. So if you're waiting to feel ready before having the conversation, before applying to the job, launching the thing, speaking up, setting the boundary, or trying something new, you might be waiting for a feeling that never arrives I know I was. And these days when that voice tells me I'm not ready, I'm trying to remember something. The fact that the feeling of readiness has rarely been what changed my life, but taking the next step definitely has Thanks for listening to Banish The Lies. If today's episode resonated with you, take a moment to let it settle in. And maybe share it with a friend who could use it too. Lies, lose their power when we're brave enough to challenge them. I'm Tania Cervo ni, and until next time, be kind to yourself. And remember, you're not broken, you're not alone, and you don't have to stay stuck.