Most people don’t feel “ready” when they start.
They feel restless. A little annoyed. Tired of having the same thoughts and conversations with themselves. If you keep thinking, I can’t keep doing this, that’s not you being dramatic. It’s your body/mind signaling that something needs to change and you're ready for it.
Readiness is not the same as confidence. And you don’t need confidence to be ready. Readiness is the point where you recognize staying the same starts to feel heavier than taking a risk.
If you’re feeling uncomfortable, questioning your current patterns, or imagining a different version of your life more often than you used to, that’s a signal you’re ready even when it doesn’t really feel like it.
“I’m uncomfortable but no longer willing to stay where I am”
- The mixture of feeling both stuck and uncomfortable demonstrates that you have grown out of your situation, and therefore need to step into a new one.
- Your brain indicates your readiness for new challenges through internal discomfort and stagnation, a tactic to throw yourself into the unknown.
- Your comfort zone has simply become too small, current reality being unaligned with evolving needs. When you exit your comfort zone, discomfort is not only expected but a representative of growth. Unease is your brain signaling uncharted territory, where learning and adaptation occur. While it may feel uncomfortable, stepping out of your comfort zone is an indicator of growth. Remember, discomfort doesn’t mean danger.
“My self talk is shifting from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I need to figure this out”
- This change in self-talk represents that you have moved on from the idea of giving up and into embracing challenges as solvable by engaging your brain's reasoning functions instead of shutting down.
- The verbiage of ‘can't’ is a fixed limit, freezing yourself into a lack of action, while ‘figuring out’ implies adapting to push past the freeze and into action.
“My frustration is starting to outweigh my fear”
- When your desire for change, often expressed as frustration, is stronger than your hesitation, it signals that you’re past the point of being stuck and are ready to act towards your goal. When frustration overcomes fear it increases the willingness to take risks.
- This discomfort is showing that you are not staying stuck, and that this fear is what will fuel you to move forward.
“I’m talking about ‘making a change’ more than I’m talking about what could go wrong”
- This shift in perspective also demonstrates a shift in fear-based resistance to opportunity based motivation. This indicates readiness because it highlights the possible opportunities and benefits from the change, instead of simply fear.
- When you focus on what could go wrong, you stay in the ‘contemplation’ stages of change, dwelling on the barriers and effectively not making the change. But when considering the upside signals, it pushes you out of this contemplation stage and into real change. Bringing this into discussion also builds up your belief that you may succeed, positive self-talk a confidence reinforcer.
“I catch myself imagining the moment I finally go for it”
- Consistently imagining how an event may play out is a form of mental rehearsal, done to prepare yourself for multiple outcomes. A shift in signal from more abstract consideration towards concrete possibility within your mind is a powerful psychological indicator that represents being closer to ready for change than you consciously believe.
- Imagining the moment you go for it is a form of internalized strategizing that suggests a preparation for action. It also is a way to build confidence and reduce anxiety about the outcome of this change, a kind of psychological desensitization.
“I keep imagining a future version of myself and it's getting harder to ignore”
- By constantly imagining yourself in the future, you are signaling that you are currently building that persona through present thoughts and actions.
- By being future oriented you are becoming more ready and capable of seeing opportunities beyond your current state, turning idle daydreaming into a sign of internal readiness.
- This mental focus on the future channels your ability to visualize productive steps into anxiety reduction.
If you find yourself ready for a change, but unsure how to take the first next step, reach out to Mind Growth Lab for assistance.
