Ready, Willing, and Able

Ready, willing and able is an old cliché that arose in our collective consciousness in the early 19th century. It implies that you have to be eager and fully prepared before moving into or doing something.

For the smaller things in life, this may be apropos. To eat or not to eat, what to eat, fork or spoon, what to wear, etc. It’s estimated that adults make up to 35,000 decisions every day.

But what about the bigger things in life?

When you decide to not do something, you may be choosing not now. You may need time to allow something to marinate, other times you make an active choice to not face something head on. Sometimes something is a “hell yes!”

The fence is where the danger of limbo lives.

When I was living with my first husband’s active drinking, I shared with my therapist at the time that I wasn’t ready to deal with it – yet. Yet being the operative word. Recently, in discussion with a client, they shared they weren’t ready to let something go, and consciously stated that it was still serving them. This was a powerful choice for them to make, one made from deep awareness.

Life offers you many choice points. If I’d waited until I was ready before stepping forward, many things I’ve experienced in this life would only be thoughts.

The ability to make a choice is rarely unavailable.

Willing gives you choice points. When you’re willing to have a hard conversation, willing to put yourself out there for something you’ve wanted to bring into your life, willing to say yes to yourself, it opens space for possibilities.

Ready implies you know exactly what’s going to happen, how and when. Willing feels less final. Willing says, let’s find out, let’s explore, let’s see where this’ll lead. Willing offers you choice points.

To not make a choice, to not choose your ability to choose, puts you on the fence. The need to be ready puts you there as well. When you’re willing to make a choice, it puts you on the ground, even when you’re only walking a short distance.

Ready is a myth. Act when you’re willing.