Build The Plane As You Fly It

Build the plane as you fly it in simple terms, implies that you get things moving or in flight before all the pieces are in place. Personally, I experiment in this arena a lot and it’s not comfortable, but change or progress rarely is!

Being ready is an illusion. Ready just means prepared to do something now. So all we can do is our best to prepare and then make a move. Learn to be ok with uncertainty and learn to experiment because success is not guaranteed.

I remember 8 years ago when I was getting ready to launch my book ‘Coaching for Performance Excellence’, how hard it was to let go and put it out there. In truth, I had finished writing it, I learned the necessary parts of launching a book and so I was prepared. I knew intuitively that the only way I was really going to learn about the process was to jump in deep and let my wings take flight. 

Taking action creates momentum, triggers motivation, invites inspiration which all promote a sense of achievement. When you take action, you get insights along the way about what to do next, what to change or how to improve. You don’t need to know everything before you start, but you need to start to learn and grow.

If you’re working on something meaningful and important to you, then you’ll never really feel ready. You will most likely at times feel uncertain, inadequate, and not prepared.

Choose development and growth over comfort and certainty.

Most of our growth happens outside our comfort zone anyway. Almost everything you need to bring your goals into fruition requires new experiences, skills, and development. So you must do things differently and give new things a chance.

Building the plane as you fly it isn’t easy, but if you want to create powerful shifts, it’s required. Don’t let the fear of not being good enough stop you from going out into the world making bolder steps. What you have right now is enough. You can organize, edit and defer, but not at the detriment of your success. Not as the response to fear. What you have now is enough to start. It doesn't matter if you're trying to start a business, write a book, realise a creative project - who you are, what you have, and what you know right now is good enough to get going and you can learn the rest along the way. You must hold the vision and trust the process.

Having the courage to fail — in whatever you’re attempting to achieve, with whatever you’re wanting to express, on whatever challenges you’re undertaking —  is a pivotal step in actually creating and releasing something meaningful. So it is important to embrace the possibility of failure and then keep moving anyway.

Still, the illusion of being ready lingers, while you’re out there doing your best to build something, to be creative and get things off the ground.

You’re getting ready, to be ready, so when the perfect time arrives, you’re ready!

You say, “Once I gain the knowhow, all the skills, connections, confidence, money; once I’m sure I can make it happen, then I’ll start’. Guess what? The perfect time is now.

Act now and reflect along the way. You will learn about yourself, create new exciting ideas, open the door to new possibilities. You will be able to reflect on what’s working, what’s not working and refine your actions on route. Get experience. There’s nothing more in important than getting skin in the game. You need to touch it, taste and experience it, to really know it. This does not happen from the side lines. So get moving, as this is often the best way to get ready! One small step is better than no steps at all. Just take a step.

Think about it this way. Imagine that your goal is the bull’s eye on a dart board. The only way you’re going to hit it is by letting the dart take flight over and over again until you get closer to your target. You wouldn’t just stare at the board and go away and read 10 books to get your head around it before throwing the first dart, right? So, the same applies to those things that you’re wanting to achieve. Throwing the dart requires, boldness, being ok with not hitting the target first, second or third time and the ability to keep going anyway!

For those unknown pieces like creating and releasing your art, changing your career, starting a new business or wanting a life transformation, there is no sure-fire 5-step strategy to get you there. Starting once you’re ready is a recipe for never getting started or procrastinating as long as you can.

Sometimes your procrastination can be camouflaged as exploration and strategy. However, building the plane as you fly it, doesn’t mean you should be naive or random in your choices. Like I said before, do your best to be prepared, which will include some exploration and strategy. Just make sure not to hide behind the research phase. Instead, establish an inclination towards action. You’ll advance more and progress in ways you can’t yet see, because so much happens on the journey.

Don’t wait on figuring it all out, because in reality it is in the doing that you do just that. Thinking and theory will only get you part of the way, now is the time to add the practice.

Now is the time to make moves, to explore and create an adventure. Take a chance on you, take chance on success. You are worthy! You are enough! That’s why you must start before you’re ready.

Remember, today is all you have, don’t wait for tomorrow to start.