You’ll never feel ready enough.

And yet, the moment still comes. No script. No safety net. Just you — raw and unprepared.

There will be times when a commitment lands in your lap and you realize you haven’t prepared. Not the kind you can postpone or negotiate. You either go or you don’t.

I’m not talking about recklessness or blowing off responsibility. I mean those quieter moments when fear dresses up as “I’m just not ready yet.” The temptation to back out feels justified — but is it really?

Showing up without a plan can feel daunting. There’s real vulnerability in it:
You don’t know how it’ll go (uncertainty).
It might not go well (risk).
You could be judged, misunderstood, or even ridiculed (emotional exposure).

“Vulnerability isn’t weakness — it’s the courage to show up when there’s no guarantee of the outcome.” — Brené Brown

Show up anyway. Do the best you can with what you’ve got.

You might be pushing back right now. What if I bomb? What if it truly goes badly?
Yes — sometimes the stakes are high enough that it makes sense to step back. But most of the time? That’s not the case.

I’m speaking to people like myself — the overly critical ones. Maybe you can relate. You miss a detail or fall short of your ideal prep, and use that as your out. But what if that wasn’t a reason to shrink — what if it was a reason to rise?

Here’s what sparked this for me:

Last week, I dropped my sitar off at the repair shop. Along with it, I left the bag with all my essential gear — mizrabs (picks) and a pickup for amplification. This week, I’ve got rehearsals and performances. And while I have a spare sitar, all the supporting gear is still at the shop.

Oops.

Now I’m stuck performing with limited tools — no proper picks, no clean amplification. It’s not ideal, and yeah, it’ll make things harder.

But I’m still showing up.

It’s forcing me to get creative, to problem-solve, to adapt. My normal way isn’t available — so I have to find a new way.

I could cancel. I could opt out. But I believe showing up — even imperfectly — is still better than not showing up at all.

So here’s the invitation:
The next time you feel unprepared, challenge yourself to show up anyway.

What can you create with the scraps of time, energy, or resources you do have?