Picture this.
You’re lying on a hospital operating table, waiting to have your brain cut open. There’s a tumour inside, and it’s gotta get out or things aren’t looking so rosy for you.
You’ve mentally prepared as best you can, you’re anxious to have the surgery over with and you’re just hoping beyond hope that your surgeon is a magician and can make this all go away.
Within minutes, the surgeon arrives. A middle-aged guy who looks a bit like George Costanza. He smiles, comes over to you and advises you of what’s about to happen.
You’re nervous, but he seems like he knows what he’s talking about. You nod your head a few times, and then look up at him and say, almost in jest, “You’ve done this before, right?”
He looks down, and then back at you, and you know…you know this is his first time. You are about to be this guy’s brain surgery guinea pig. You’re terrified.
He says to you, “Yes – this is my first time. But it’ll be fine. I went to school for 30 years for this. And I’ve read a LOT of books.”
This does little to reassure you. And so you make a decision right there and then to postpone your surgery and wait for someone with a bit more experience to take the lead. This guy can be there to assist – but you want someone who’s actually DONE the work operating on YOUR brain.
A no brainer, right? (pardon the pun)
Here’s how this relates to your business.
You can read all the books in the world about what it takes to grow a business.
You can subscribe to dozens of email newsletters in hopes of learning something new that’ll make a difference in your business.
You can sign up for programs, buy products and hire coaches to help you learn everything there is to know about building a thriving business.
And you should. All of these things can provide very tangible benefits and knowledge to you that will help make your entrepreneurial journey much, much easier.
Except if you do nothing to actually act on them.
It’s not enough to read. You’ve got to apply.
It’s not enough to study. You’ve got to implement.
It’s not enough to be mentored. You’ve got to test.
A brain surgeon who’s never performed brain surgery is not truly a brain surgeon yet. He’s a man that knows HOW to perform brain surgery. Do you see the distinction?
It is oh so terribly easy to get caught up in learning and professional development. You might think you need to go get another certification before you can offer your services. You might think you need to learn just one more thing about SEO before you can launch your website. Or you might wait until you have the perfectly branded, beautiful website before you actually write a blog post.
These are all stalling techniques, based around fears of failure and even success, and they don’t make you a business person. They make you an aspiring business person.
You are truly in business when your doors are open, you’ve got stuff for sale, you’re actively marketing your business and you’ve got clients and customers (even just a few) who have purchased and engaged with your stuff.
It’s comfortable to hang out in student mode. Holding off putting your brand out there until you know more – but it’s a trap. And it will keep you playing small.
A brain surgeon isn’t truly a brain surgeon until he’s literally put a scalpel to someone’s brain. He may know the strategy behind what to do – but until he’s actually done it – it’s still just a whole bunch of information.
So the point here is to take action. To test and try, over and over again, even if you fail. The great entrepreneurs out there all had some epic failures – but they just kept going…and kept trying.
There are many things that can stop even the most motivated woman for taking the next step. It may be fear of failure, fear of success, fear of putting herself out there, fear of rejection or just straight up perfectionism.
But your business will only thrive when you commit to taking the adventure, not just reading the guidebooks.
So today I want you to take a step. One big step that will move your business forward. One action step that brings you closer to your goals. Trust that you have what it takes right now and that you know enough and ARE enough to make that happen.
It’s never going to be perfect. Your business will constantly refine itself. Your message will continually get clearer. You will find the people you are most meant to work with. You will constantly adjust, tweak, re-jig, do-over and strategize. That never stops.
But if you hold back from executing and implementing and testing because you’re worried you don’t have it all together yet, in some perfect little package – you’re missing out. Your bottom line will suffer. Your motivation will dwindle. And most importantly, the people who are desperately seeking the wisdom and information you already have – will never get the benefit of learning it from you (and thereby changing their lives).
Stop waiting. Start doing.
*Note: Special thanks to Michelle for inspiring this post re: the brain surgeon story.
