Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a webinar Q&A session with Danielle LaPorte, author of The Fire Starter Sessions and The Desire Map. If you've been reading my column for any length of time you'll have heard of Danielle by now (that is, if you hadn't already, out here in the online world), and if you haven't yet checked out her work I highly recommend you do (that is, if you're the least bit interested in kickstarting yourself into the life you dream about).
One of the questions posed to Danielle yesterday was to do with getting the training necessary in order to start a particular business. The question was essentially this: is it ok to just get out there and get started with my biz and learn as I go, or should I make sure to get all my offerings perfected and all my training completed before I begin?
I didn't write down any direct quotes, but Danielle's response came in essentially three parts that I wholeheartedly agree with:
1) Get out there and offer it, especially if you need the money. We all have bills to pay and food to put on the table, and as long as you're a step or two ahead of the people you are helping, or have something of value to offer them, get on out there and get started.
2) Get certification if you need it*. (*don't miss a very important caveat about this point: see #3 below). Some careers require very specific credentials; you can't just go hang out a shingle saying you're a family doctor if you haven't made it through med school. But even so, we all continue to learn as we go, regardless of what industry we're in; learning is a lifelong process. Many industries have mandated requirements for continuing education precisely because everything is constantly evolving, so anyone who wants to be successful at anything over the long haul will still be learning their whole career through.
3) Don't withhold your gifts because you think you're 'not ready yet'. Danielle pointed out an all-too-common problem she's seen time and again of people who are constantly and endlessly doing training and certifications in various forms, before they really commit to getting out there and doing it. Her observation was that this kind of endless 'getting ready' pointed more to issues with one's own sense of self-worth than with their actual qualifications or abilities.
This last point also made me think of Malcolm Gladwell's incredible book, Outliers, where he explores the traits and characteristics of the most successful people. One of the points he made in researching those characteristics was that once you've put in 10,000 hours on something, you've got what amounts to an 'expert' level of ability. Sometimes real-life experience counts for more than any credential they can write up on a piece of paper.
Are you holding yourself back from starting something because you don't feel ready?
What if you ARE ready?
Are you ready enough?
I'll bet you're even MORE than ready...