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Have you ever stood on the edge of a dream or an important goal, only to whisper to yourself, “I’m not ready”? 

If so, you’re not alone. 

During my 13 years of running an online business, this is the #1 most common limiting belief I’ve seen in my clients.

In fact, this one simple phrase — “I’m not ready” — is perhaps the single most significant barrier to achieving our goals, living our fullest lives and realizing our potential.

So in this episode, I’m going to show you step by step how to dismantle it…

In this episode we chat about:

• Why this limiting belief is not as harmless as it seems (1:18)
• The deep-seated fears that can trigger this limiting belief (1:53)
• Why there’s no such thing as the ‘perfect time’ (3:01)
• The thin line between being reasonably prepared and procrastinating (5:05)
• Why it’s okay if you never feel 100% ready (and what to focus on instead) (6:17)
• The upgraded belief that can help you break the cycle (8:23)

Episode resources:

• SheLaunch (join here)
• Mastering Your Mean Girl by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Open Wide by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Comparisonitis by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Time Magic by Melissa Ambrosini and Nick Broadhurst (book)

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The following transcript has been automatically generated and not checked for accuracy.

[00:00:00] In episode 578, I’m going to be sharing with you the number one limiting belief holding you back. And when you realize this, when you take action on this, everything is going to shift in your life. I’m so excited. Let’s dive in. Welcome to the Melissa Ambrosini show. I’m your host, Melissa, best selling author of Mastering Your Mean Girl, Open Wide, Comparisonitis, and Time Magic.

And I’m here to remind you that love is sexy, healthy is liberating, and wealthy isn’t a dirty word. Each week I’ll be getting up close and personal with thought leaders from around the globe, as well as your weekly dose of motivation so that you can create epic change in your own world. Life and become the best version of yourself possible.

Are you ready? Beautiful.

Hey, beautiful. And welcome back to the [00:01:00] show. I’m so excited to share with you the number one limiting belief, holding you back from everything you have ever wanted. This is exciting, my friends, because I want you to create and have the life of your dreams. But, this limiting belief will hold you back. Now, at first, hearing this, and are you ready for it?

I’m not ready. That is the limiting belief holding you back. Now, this might seem like a harmless, even rational statement. It feels responsible and cautious, right? But in reality, it’s a limiting belief that’s deeply rooted in fear. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, and sometimes even fear of success.

Now, where does this fear come from? This belief, it stems from the flawed idea [00:02:00] that there will come a magical time when you magically feel quote unquote totally ready and that you shouldn’t take action until that moment. I know you know what I’m talking about. Now, this usually means waiting until the timing is 100 percent quote unquote perfect, or with no commitments on your calendar to interfere with your journey, or you’re 100 percent prepared having gathered all of the skills, the tools, the characteristics needed to become an instant expert, or you feel 100 percent confident with no shred of doubt, uncertainty, or worry.

Now, unfortunately, Even achieving just one of these elements is pretty rare, let alone all three of them. So this means that if we want to make any progress on our goals, We are going to need to find some way to work around this. [00:03:00] Okay. Here’s what you’re going to do. You are going to remember that there is no such thing as the perfect time.

Okay. I want you to be really honest with yourself here. I want you to raise your hand if you have ever delayed taking action because the timing or your life circumstances weren’t ideal. My hand is definitely raised. And don’t worry, you are not alone. It is so easy to fall into this trap, like postponing your plans until work settles down, or the kids start school, or our partner finally gets that promotion.

We tell ourselves that when those things fall into place, then we will start. Then we will take action. Then we will make progress. But the truth is those moments where all of your ducks are neatly in a row are few and far between. I’ve seen this so much. When the kids start school, then I’ll write my book.

When the kids leave home, [00:04:00] then we’ll pack up and travel around the world. So if you are always waiting for the perfect conditions, the odds are that you will be waiting a very long time and missing out on so many good opportunities in the process. Now, from the research, It shows that high achievers know this.

Sure, they will consider timing. It’s still an important factor in their decisions, but they don’t wait until every tiny issue is resolved or until their calendar is magically clear before they take action. Instead of waiting for this perfect time, this mystical perfect time, they look for the next clear opportunity.

Then, they’re ready. They jump into action. So I want you to try this simple mindset shift for yourself. It can literally change your life. And this mindset shift is if not now, when I love that saying, if not now, when, why not [00:05:00] now? Okay. Why not now? If not now, when, when will you do it? So the next thing I want to talk to you about is.

Why you don’t need to be fully prepared, right? Doing some preparation is definitely important, but waiting until you are a hundred percent prepared is a form of procrastination. So think about the high achievers and the world class performers out there. They didn’t have every step figured out from the start.

What they did was learn on the go. They make changes, they tweak, and they grow through their experiences. Now if you often find yourself getting bogged down in the preparation or the planning phase of your goals, I want you to aim to strike a balance, okay? You want to be reasonably prepared, but still be open to learning and adapting along the way.

Okay? There’s a fine line between doing the necessary groundwork and just stalling. You know what I mean? [00:06:00] Trust your gut to tell you when you are starting to put things off more than you should. Don’t wait to be fully prepared. Yes, preparation is important, but let’s keep moving forward, make changes, grow through the experience and learn on the go.

Okay? The next thing I want to talk to you about is why it’s okay if you don’t feel 100 percent ready. It is super rare to feel completely ready to make big changes in your life. Very occasionally it might happen. For example, I woke up one morning and I knew I was ready to have babies. It was like a switch had been flicked on within me.

But honestly, that level of certainty is very rare. Most of my friends never had that feeling and they just dove in and couldn’t be happier that they did, but they didn’t have the certainty. that switch feeling like I did. And if they waited for that moment, because that was my [00:07:00] experience, they may never have had their beautiful children that they have now.

Okay. So there is actually a biological reason for this resistance to change. Our brains are wired to keep us safe and stick to what we know. Which is why stepping into new territory often feels really uncomfortable. You know what I mean? It feels stretching. It feels uncomfortable. But contrary to popular belief, this discomfort isn’t necessarily an indicator that you’re not ready.

It’s a natural response to stretching yourself beyond your comfort zone, which is very important. We need to get out of our comfort zones regularly. We need to stretch ourselves because that’s where we grow. Okay? So, the key to moving through this discomfort, shift your focus. Instead of waiting to feel fully ready, be willing to take action despite those awkward stretching feelings, yeah?

And there’s a little secret that all [00:08:00] high performers know, but almost everyone else misses. You usually only feel ready after. You start doing something not before. So in other words, action is the spark that ignites confidence, not the other way around. Take action and that gives you confidence and propels you forward.

Okay? So if you are struggling to take action on your goals, It is time to flip your mental script. Instead of telling yourself, I’m not ready, embrace a new belief. Ready or not, here I come. We play that with my daughter all the time. And remember, your dreams are waiting. And if you can dream something, that means it’s for you.

And they’re not waiting for perfection, not waiting for readiness. Not waiting for unwavering confidence, but for you to simply make the [00:09:00] first move and keep moving forward. Keep moving forward. The women inside SheLaunch, they’re fast movers. And I love working with people who are fast movers. They take action despite the fear, okay?

And that’s what I want for you. I want you to take action despite the fear and remember that all we have is the present moment and the best time to get started. is right now. So my question for you is what are you waiting for? What are you waiting for? Your time is now, my friend. Make a big list of all of those big goals and write down one action step toward that goal today and take that action step today.

This is how you get to where you want to be. Okay. So I really hope [00:10:00] that you got a lot out of this. And if you did, please subscribe to the show and leave me a review on Apple podcasts, because that means that we can inspire and educate even more people together. And so many of you listen regularly, but you’re not subscribed.

So subscribe to the show. And I want you to come and tell me on Instagram at Melissa Ambrosini. What is your big goal that you want to take action on right now? Come and tell me. I would love to hear from you. And before I go, I just wanted to say, thank you so much for being here, for wanting to be the best, the healthiest and the happiest version of yourself ever showing up today for you.

You rock. Now, if there’s someone in your life that you can think of that would really benefit from this episode, please share it with them right now. You can take a screenshot, share it on your social media, email it to them, text it to them, do whatever you’ve got to do to get this in their ears. And until next time, don’t forget that love is sexy, [00:11:00] healthy is liberating, and wealthy isn’t a dirty word.

Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be SO grateful if you could leave me a review on Apple podcasts, that way we can inspire and educate even more people together.

P.S. If you’re looking for a high-impact marketing opportunity for your business and are interested in becoming a sponsor for The Melissa Ambrosini Show podcast, please email pr@melissaambrosini.com for more information.

P.P.S. Please seek advice from a qualified holistic practitioner before starting any new health practice.