Ready Isn’t a Feeling, it's a Decision

“You are never going to feel ready, because ready isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision.”

That one hit me like a ton of bricks the first time I heard it. Because how much of our lives do we spend waiting? Waiting for clarity, for confidence, for the perfect moment that never actually comes.

In this episode, I’m sharing why that feeling of readiness is a myth and what actually moves the needle. From the 200mm lens that sat untouched on my desk for six months to launching Milky Way when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, the decision always came first. The confidence came after.

You’ll walk away with a new way of thinking about every idea, offer, or risk you’ve been putting off, and hopefully a little nudge to stop waiting and just decide.

What’s in this episode:

[00:00:30] The tug of war between waiting and doing
[00:01:00] Why ready isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision
[00:01:30] The 200mm lens that sat untouched for six months
[00:02:30] Waiting for proof that will never come
[00:03:30] How Milk and Honey and the Milky Way started before Lisa felt ready
[00:04:30] How fear disguises itself as logic and responsibility
[00:05:00] What the world misses when you keep waiting
[00:05:30] Action builds confidence, decisions build momentum
[00:06:00] Your challenge: decide today, not because you’re ready, but because you chose to be

If you’ve been waiting for that magical moment when it finally feels right, this episode is your permission slip to stop waiting and start deciding.

Did you enjoy this episode? Check out this past solo episode The Season of Reflection Reset & Rest

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hey friend. Today I wanna talk about something [00:00:30] that every single one of us runs into, not just as photographers, but as humans. And that’s that constant tug of war waiting until we feel ready before we do something, whether it’s raising our prices or launching a new offer, putting ourselves out there, or even trying a new lens.

We tell ourselves we’ll do it when the time feels right, when we feel more confident, when life feels less chaotic, and yet that magical moment of readiness never actually arrives. Now, the truth is you are never going [00:01:00] to feel ready because ready isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision now that helped me like a ton of bricks, when I first heard it, I realized how much of my life I’d spent waiting, waiting for clarity, waiting for permission, waiting for courage.

In all the waiting, nothing was happening. I wasn’t getting any braver. I wasn’t magically becoming more prepared. I was just stuck. So let me give you a story. Years ago I was obsessed with this photographer. I [00:01:30] admired, I loved her work. Her work was everything I wanted mine to be. And she shot with a 200 millimeter lens.

And the look of it was gorgeous, the compression, ah, I just had to have it. So I saved up and I bought one, and then it sat there for six months completely untouched. why? Because I was scared at the time. I was comfortable shooting mostly with my 50 millimeter, and suddenly this 200 millimeter meant I’d have to be way [00:02:00] far away from my clients.

I didn’t know how to direct them from that distance. I have a fairly quiet voice. I didn’t even know if I was gonna be able to make it work, so I just kept waiting for the day that I would feel ready to use it. Of course that day it never actually came. So one day I finally had to decide, you know what, I’m just gonna go for it.

And it was really awkward at first, but I learned, and it ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. That never would’ve happened if I kept waiting to feel [00:02:30] ready. and isn’t that what so many of us do? We wait for proof. Proof that we won’t mess it up. Proof that the timing is right, proof that we won’t be judged.

When we can’t find that proof, we just stay small. We talk ourselves out of dreams before they even have a chance to breathe. Now, I see this all the time. This happens all the time with photographers, especially those that are afraid to raise their prices. They’re terrified. They’ll say, I’ll raise them when my work is better, when I’ve booked more [00:03:00] clients, when my editing is perfect.

But it’s not about the work. It’s about the decision to own your worth. To know your numbers. You don’t suddenly wake up one morning, feel fully confident about doubling your prices. You decide to, and the confidence comes after. It’s the same thing with starting my own photography business or even teaching.

I didn’t feel ready. I thought, who am I to call myself a photographer? I’m self-taught. What if no one books me? What if I fail? [00:03:30] But if I had waited to feel ready, milk and honey, and the Milky Way would never exist. I just had to start and every session taught me something. Every mistake helped me grow the decision came first. The readiness came later, and the same thing happened when we started the Milky Way. The thought of teaching, of running retreats, of starting a podcast, of putting myself on video, it was terrifying. I was terrible at it. There was no part of me that ever [00:04:00] felt ready for that.

But I decided, and that decision led to that connection with thousands and thousands photographers around the world creating this beautiful community. And none of that came from feeling ready. what is tricky is that fear often disguises itself as logic.

Fear says, maybe you should just take one more course. Fear says maybe after the kids are older, fear says Maybe when you’re making more money. Now, [00:04:30] these excuses sound responsible, but really they’re just fear. In business clothes, the longer you wait, the scary it’s gonna feel. And here’s what happens. When you keep waiting, you dim your light every time you hold back from showing your work.

Every time you delay launching the thing, every time you avoid stepping into your ideas. The world misses out on what only you can create and listen, I don’t say that to pile on guilt, but as a reminder that [00:05:00] your perspective, your creativity, and your vision matters, no one else can bring what you bring.

So if you’ve been waiting until you feel ready, I want you to hear me on this. You don’t need to feel ready. You just need to decide. Decide that you’re going to use that lens. Decide you’re going to raise the price, decide that you’re going to share your work.

Decide that you’re going to try, and once you’ve made that decision, the rest unfolds. You learn, you adjust, you grow. [00:05:30] And that’s where confidence is built. I think sometimes we believe we have to feel confident before we act, but it’s actually the opposite. Action builds confidence, decisions build momentum.

The readiness that you’re looking for comes on the other side of choosing. So if there’s something you’ve been sitting on, maybe a change, a risk. Stop waiting for permission. You have it. Stop waiting for that magical moment when it feels easy because it won’t. [00:06:00] Ready isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision, and you are the only one who could decide for you.

Friend, I want you to really think about that thing. What is that thing for you? Maybe it’s booking your first client. Maybe it’s starting your business. Maybe it’s launching a course. Maybe it’s calling yourself an artist out loud. Whatever it is, I want you to decide today, not because suddenly you feel ready, but because you’ve chosen to be ready.

That’s how all the good things start. [00:06:30] So thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I hope you enjoyed this little pep talk. I hope to be bringing you many more. Until next time, my friend, I’m sending you so much of my light and love. We’ll see you next time.