The Choice: Do It, or Do It Scared

Dear Collective,

Here is a big lie we tell ourselves: "I’m just waiting until I’m ready."

"Ready" is a moving target. If you wait until the fear is gone to start the business, join the gym, or have that hard conversation, you’ll be waiting forever.

Think of it like this:

1. If you feel ready, go do it.

2. If you feel terrified, do it scared.

There is no middle ground. There will never be a "perfect" time. The weather won't be right, the money won't be "enough," and your confidence won't be 100%.

If something matters to you, your mood is irrelevant. You do the work when you’re happy, sad, mad, or tired. You show up as a human being regardless of the spectrum of emotions you're feeling.

I remember signing up for trapeze work years ago. I was shaking. Every instinct told me to run. But I had promised myself I’d do it, so I climbed the ladder while I was still shaking. I did the same when I quit a company because I was disappointed in what they were doing. It was a huge predicament, and I was frightened, but I did it anyway.

You will learn more from five minutes of doing something scared than from five years of wondering "what if." The people who are willing to look clumsy and feel afraid but refuse to let that fear have the final say will accomplish more fulfilling things than the ones who wait for the right moment.

This week, find the one thing you’ve been putting off because you "don't feel ready."

• Stop waiting for the fear to leave.

• Accept that you’re frightened.

• Take the step anyway.

We don't go to work to stay warm. We go to work to become. And becoming requires us to do it scared.

With Strength and Courage,

Charlie

We, The Collective Fitness