Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Are You Ready?

I was talking with a client the other day.  We were discussing how she might achieve more success in her life and have things go the way she envisioned.  As we got close to finding some solutions, she suddenly blurted out “But I’m not ready yet!”  There was a pause and then we both laughed.

The irony of success is that it often comes when we least expect it and can often take us by surprise.  The question is……do we need to be ready for it?

One of the quirks of our humanness is the feeling that we need to get all “our ducks in a row” before anything good can happen to us or any progress can be made.  We have our plan and we must stick to it at all times.  If we falter or alter its stages, bad luck may descend on us and the ultimate goal will be lost from view……or so we believe.  Following the steps of our plan will lead us to that state of readiness that we believe is necessary before everything falls into place.

What nonsense this is!

The truth is that life is messy.  Yes, we can devise plans and that is not always a bad idea.  Plans can give us a pathway to take a step on and start the ball rolling towards our desires.  However, if we are rigid about what we want to do and how we want to do it, we run the risk of not being able to flow with what life delivers and we will be unable to adapt to the unpredictability and messiness of what results.

The need to be ready is just another way to try to manage our fear of this unpredictability and the unknown of the future.  It doesn’t matter whether we succeed or fail (in our own view), fear of either state can hold us back from accepting what life (or you may call it the Universe or a Higher Power or God or whatever you choose) delivers to us.

Whether we are ready to accept success depends on how wholeheartedly we are invested in wanting that form or result in the first place.  This means that we may think we know what we want, but have we truly thought it through?  Evidence shows that many people want to win the lottery but, out of those that do, very few are ready to accept the responsibility that comes with receiving such a large sum of money.  Most blast through it all in a very few years and end up worse off than they were before.  They were not ready.

What was great about my client’s declaration was that she, unlike many, was aware of her dilemma.  She thought she truly desired success but, when she examined what that meant, her fear kicked in and she had to apply the brakes to the process.

One of the secrets of those who appear to be successful to the rest of us waiting in the wings, is that they are always ready to not only achieve success but accept it.  They may be fearful too but they are able to put that on one side and go with the gifts that the Universe has delivered to them, adapting and going with the flow as it comes.  Most importantly, they are willing to accept the responsibility that comes with success……and there are always responsibilities attached……and to carry them out to the best of their ability.

Are you ready for success, not according to your plan but whenever life delivers it to you?  If you are hesitant, maybe it is time to reassess what you truly desire for if you use that as your guide, you will not be driven by your fears and, although sometimes caution may slow you down, you will not have to apply the brakes to your progress through your unreadiness.

Here’s to always being ready!