#386.You need to be ready to not be ready

Sooner or later, you’ll be thrust into a situation where you’re not ready. No matter how much you prepare, and how focused you are, you won’t be ready. Don’t stress about being ready, as long as you’re prepared.
I know the previous sentence sounds like a conundrum. Being ready and being prepared are different. Being ready means that you know what to expect because you’ve seen something like it before. Being prepared is taking the precautions that you’ll need for the event. You can be prepared but not ready. You can be ready, but not prepared. You can be both ready and prepared, which is what we should strive for.
Readiness is the most confusing of the two. The only way you’ll be ready is if you’ve already experience something. I’m ready to walk into my house at any time during pretty much any circumstances. Even if there are a bunch of people in my house, I can still feel relatively comfortable, because I’m in my house. Even if I walk into my house in the middle of the night, I’m ready. Even if it’s dark and I’m trying to be quiet, I know how to navigate my house. I’ve experienced my house thousands of times, so I’m always ready for it.
I won’t be necessarily ready to be in a place where I’m unfamiliar. Let’s say I’m walking into a restaurant I’ve never been in. I won’t be ready, but I can be prepared. I can look on the restaurant’s website (if they have one) and see the menu and/or the layout of it. I can look presentable externally, because I never know who could be in that restaurant. I could bring my money, so I’m ready to pay for my food. Unfortunately, none of that will make me prepared.
It’s okay to not be ready, as long as you’re prepared and you’re ready to not be ready. If you’re expecting yourself to be ready to handle a situation you’ve never seen before, you’re delusional.
Being ready doesn’t matter. Being able to make adjustments when you’re not ready is what is really important. Anything can throw us outside of our comfort zone. We need to have the courage to face the challenges the world throws at us. You will have to make adjustments. You will have to call an audible.
Don’t let a lack or readiness give you anxiety. Letting not being ready cloud your judgment won’t make your situation even better. Sometimes you just have to fake it until you make it. If you’re in a situation that you’re not ready for, don’t worry about your lack of readiness. Just be prepared, and make adjustments when necessary.

