Why You Should Start Before You're Ready
Exposing "The Readiness Myth" (Comedy Mindhacks #135)
A few weeks ago, I was walking through the American Museum of Natural History in New York City with my family, when I saw a simple sign that grabbed my attention. It wasn’t about fossils or outer space or anything like that. It was about communication. It started with this statement: “All living things communicate.” It went on to explain that organisms communicate through chemical signals, distinctive sounds, coordinated movements, and colorful displays. It ended with this statement: “We all have something to say!”
I took a picture of it and, as I’ve scrolled through my photos on several occasions, I’ve seen and read it again numerous times. It reminds me that communication is woven into creation itself. Long before we earn titles or accumulate credentials, we’re already communicating through our words, actions, stories, and even our silence. Many people assume they need to know more before speaking, accomplish more before teaching, achieve more before creating, or get funnier before stepping on stage. I disagree!
For me, whether it’s been writing books, teaching joke writing, starting a podcast, or stepping onto a comedy stage, I’ve always been well aware of the fact that there’s always another invisible milestone or set of milestones waiting up ahead. Publishing one book, for instance, didn’t make me feel ready to write the next one. Similarly, performing my first comedy set didn’t suddenly erase the intense feelings before the second. Earning another degree didn’t eliminate the feeling that there was still so much I didn’t know. If anything, each bit of growth has simply opened my eyes to how much more I needed to learn.
Even more than that, though, it has opened my eyes to misunderstandings about readiness. When it comes to doing things, many people assume that readiness comes first and action comes second. My own experiences tell a completely different story. Action has almost always come first with readiness following somewhere behind it. I call it The Readiness Myth. It’s the myth that confidence, clarity, or expertise has to precede action. It might sound responsible and even wise to live that way, but a lot of the time it’s little more than a sophisticated excuse for stalling.
For me, stand-up comedy probably exposed that myth more quickly than almost anything else I’ve ever pursued. That’s the case because every comedian starts with imperfect jokes, awkward timing, and far more enthusiasm than experience. Nobody walks onto a stage fully formed. The only comedians who eventually become comfortable are the ones who were willing to feel uncomfortable long enough to improve.
While comedy has exposed this pattern faster than most things for me, when I look back at my life, I think the pattern has actually been there all along; it’s been there in nearly every meaningful thing I’ve ever pursued. For instance, I didn’t become a better teacher before I started teaching. Was I ready? No. But I became a better teacher because I started teaching anyway and then encountered students who asked me questions, challenged my ideas, and forced me to keep learning.
That’s one of the reasons I keep creating things, especially in relation to comedy. I write this blog. I host a couple of podcasts. I produce comedy shows. I perform stand-up. I’ve written a comedy book. I teach joke writing. I create content. Why? Not because I’m trying to convince anyone that I’ve arrived or that I’ve somehow become an expert. I do it because it’s how I learn, and I choose to learn publicly.
Some people don’t get that. Some people choose to misinterpret it. And some people do nothing but hate on me for it. But do I care what they think? Nope. That’s the way I’ve always done things. It’s my way of documenting the journey. I’m still learning, making mistakes, and figuring things out. I simply decided a long time ago that I’d rather learn in public than wait until I had everything figured out before saying anything at all.
Enter Einstein. Albert Einstein himself insisted that he wasn’t more gifted than the average person but that what set him apart was that he was just more curious. His greatest strength, in his own estimation, wasn’t brilliance. It was his willingness to remain curious about a problem longer than most people were willing to stay with it. I love that because, for most of us, curiosity is much more attainable than geniusness.
Giftedness is mostly outside of our control, but curiosity is a habit we can all cultivate. To Einstein’s point: Curiosity’s available to ordinary people willing to keep showing up when the answers aren’t immediately obvious. And now to my point: Looking back, I don’t think the defining moments of my life have ever really come after I felt ready. They came after I finally decided to begin anyway. Writing led to becoming a better writer. Teaching led to becoming a better teacher. Performing led to becoming a better comedian. Readiness wasn’t the prerequisite to starting; readiness was the byproduct of starting.
I think it’s the same with many people I admire. They didn’t begin because they possessed unusual confidence. They began because curiosity eventually became stronger than hesitation. So, long ago, I decided to stop waiting for the feeling of readiness to arrive before I took the next step. If experience has taught me anything, it’s that readiness hasn’t usually been waiting for me at the beginning but comes somewhere along the way.
Now, having said all that, having great tools to help along the way can make a big difference. Recently, I created a new app, a tool I wish I’d have had early on: Comedian Persona Explorer. It can help get you ready. Whether you begin with a single report or continue using it as you grow, my goal in creating it is simple: I hope you’ll spend more time becoming the comedian only you can be. Check it out HERE.
Along the same lines, let me just say that, if reflections and tools like these are helpful to you, that’s also exactly why I wrote Comedy Mindhacks. My goal isn’t simply to help comedians write better jokes. It’s to help comedians understand the invisible thinking behind better comedy. Every mental model becomes another tool for building momentum, and over time those small shifts in thinking have a way of producing much bigger shifts on stage.
This entire book is built around helping comedians identify the mental obstacles, hurdle over them, and boost their momentum. If this article resonated with you, you’ll find a lot more like it inside the book. You can check out sample pages HERE. If you’re not yet a subscriber, use code MH10LIVE at checkout HERE for 10% off. Free subscribers automatically receive 15% off, and paid subscribers receive 35% off because I’m a big believer in rewarding people who invest in themselves. 👉 Click HERE to grab the book.
And if you’re ready to double down in a BIGGER way, consider joining my Comedy Vault. It’s my private collection of premium resources, trainings, workshops, and tools designed to help comedians continue growing long after the initial excitement fades. The first bet gets you into the game. Doubling down is what changes who you become.👉 Click HERE to unlock the Comedy Vault.
