We all want that little bit of confidence. When we appear confident, it gives us the feeling that we can stride out into the world, tackle life, and be "successful." Here is the catch: we have all been sold this lie that we must feel confident to step forward and upward into success. The truth is, you're probably never going to feel completely ready for what comes next, most of the time, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't go ahead. You've been conditioned to wait until the moment you've built up enough confidence, but real confidence comes from doing even when you're not 100% prepared. So what's that thing about waiting until magically confidence is there?

It's easy to assume that everyone else has it all together. Take charge, speak in front of an audience, and tell someone that they can just make decisions effortlessly, and you'd think, "Wow, they must've been born with that." News flash: they weren't. Nobody starts out literally as a walking bundle of confidence, and most of them are faking it, at least at the beginning. Confidence is not something prepackaged and handed to you. It grows with you as you put yourself in exposure to it, make stupid mistakes, learn, and try again. The more you act before you feel ready, the more your brain gets used to the discomfort, and eventually, it doesn't feel so terrifying anymore.

The myth of "feeling ready" is well-known to all. The perfect moment to take action is just another disguise for procrastination. You know that voice in your head that convinces you-says: "Oh, I need more time to prepare" or "I'll do it once I know I'm more confident." That's just plain fear, masquerading as caution. The cold, hard truth is that most of the time, the best things happen from diving into things with no prep. It's scary, yes. But stepping into those moments when you don't have all the answers is actually where you gather the experience you need to grow. And when you look back, you realize that the moments when you felt the most unsure were the ones that changed you the most.

At the end of the day, we all love to hide behind the "not ready" excuse because it is safer and gives a person permission to sink into their couch and wait out possible failure. What about it? Failure isn't the enemy; it's the greatest teacher. And if you wait until you feel confident, you will learn, and miss out on a lot of the valuable lessons that go with making mistakes. Not because of doing everything right, but by the very action of getting up and trying, knowing that you may trip along the way, is what eventually makes confidence stay.

You need to act without the illusion of being ready. You will never feel 100% completely 100% assured in every step, and that's okay. That is where the magic is, you have to come forward even when your knees are quaking, your heart's racing at 120 miles a minute, and your inner voice is screaming, "What are you doing?"

Real confidence comes from acting and learning on the way, not waiting around for the perfect moment. Next time around, face a challenge without waiting.