The 3 Things you Need to Do to be Ready

Have you ever wondered if you were ready, truly ready for what was right before you? Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes? Have you ever had that whispering voice of self doubt? Have you ever wondered…?

I was in a meeting with a colleague of mine, her name is Rachel, and she was wondering… wondering if she was ready. Rachel is a gifted and talented professional who was preparing for an interview. She was aiming for an executive position within her company and she came to me asking for advice on how to prepare.

In true fashion, Rachel came prepared and ready for a lively discussion. She brought a list of questions she was anxious to ask. Each of her questions were aimed at gaining more insight into how best to prepare for a series of upcoming interviews with professional peers, executives and a number of other people. Rachel asked, “Brian, you know me. What do I need to best prepare for this? I really want this job.“

I paused for a moment, wondering how exactly I was going to answer. I thought to myself, ‘She has all qualifications and all the experience required for this new position… she doesn’t really need to learn anything new… she doesn’t really need to do anything else… nor does she need any more growth steps.’  After an extended moment of silence, I looked Rachel in the eyes and simply said, “Pro up.”

Rachel heard this, and immediately a stunned and surprised look came over her face. She replied with a bit of tinged sarcasm, “Are you going to tell me what Pro Up means?”

I replied with equal sarcasm and a smile, “Of Course, and two more things.” 3 things we need to do to know if we are ready.

1. Grow Up – we may need to grow into an opportunity

I told Rachel that she did not need to Grow Up.

For some people, there is a need to grow up. They need to grow into and develop what is needed for an opportunity, because they simply are not ready. To grow, to develop, to learn is always exciting and challenging. Many people believe we will never stop growing, we will always have a chance to grow up. I agree, we may not need to grow up to earn a new professional challenge, but we will certainly need to grow into any new opportunity afforded us.

Rachel had all the education, experience and expertise necessary to earn the position. There was no need to learn anything else or do anything else to interview well. Rachel knew there would be a learning curve if she were to receive this new position. But for the moment, there was no real or urgent need to grow up.

2. Pro Up – we may need to simply act professionally

At this point in her career, what Rachel needed to do was, Pro Up

To Pro Up means that your challenge is to be the professional you are. Pro Up is to be and act professionally in interviews, in the conversations and in the relationships. Rachel is a professional, and conducts herself professionally among her peers. Yet there was a hint of self-doubt in her voice reflecting a vulnerability and hesitation.

Rachel’s personal life and professional career had afforded her everything she needed to be self-assured and confident to answer all the questions and inquiries with a professional perspective. Her challenge would be to Pro Up, to combine a degree of self-awareness with a hint of self-confidence.

Pro Up is not posturing, it is being honest and courageous to meet whatever lies before you… knowing that you have what it takes to be where you are and with those surrounding you.

3. Show Up – most importantly, we need to be present

After a few minutes discussing idea of Pro Up, I said to Rachel, “But most importantly, you need to Show Up..”

To Show Up simply means be yourself – be present, be attentive, be personal. When we are in the heat of the moment, there will always be a hint of temptation to be someone we aren’t. Sometimes we cannot help overreach to impress or fit in. However, my advice to Rachel was that she needed to be herself, to own it.

When Rachel heard me say, “But most importantly, you need to show up…“, she simply smiled at me and nodded in agreement, she knew what I meant. More than anything else, she needed to let all of herself be present… all of her personality, all of her experiences, all of her humor and laughter. Rachel has the right experience, the right education, the right expertise and the right environment. Now, she needed to Show Up.

Now, I would ask you to pause…

• Think about the experiences and learnings your life has provided for you. Consider that you may already have what it takes to Grow Up.
• Think about how all of your life’s experiences are contributing to your professional conduct and qualifications. Perhaps all we need to do to Pro Up, to recall and professionally apply these learnings among our peers.
• Think about what it will take to Show Up. This may be the easiest or most difficult of the three. Show Up, be yourself, fully embracing who you are and who you are becoming.

So, are We Ready?

Have we learned enough?

Have we been responsible enough?

Have we been honest enough?

Maybe we have…

Maybe we have not…

We are all we have and we are all we need

We have been brought to this moment

By the mistakes we have made

By the lessons we have learned

Let us accept the mistakes with humility

Let us learn the lessons with wisdom

So we may grow up and grow into each moment

We are all we have and we are all we need

We have been invited into this moment

By our experience, our education and our expertise

By our accomplishments, our attitude and our aspirations

Let us accept this responsibility with intention

Let us step into this moment with courage

So we may act in unity and humility with our peers

We are all we have and we are all we need

We have been accepted among these people

By our presence, our potential and our personality

By our intellect, our intuition and our inspiration

Let us breathe deep, relax and be who we are

Let us accept with gratitude all of our beauty and brilliance

So we may give with gratitude and generosity to all without hesitation

We are all we have and we are all we need

For we are ready!

We have learned the lessons needed

We have the responsibility to commit

We have the confidence to be present

We are ready to be here

And we are ready to be now.