“You are going to be successful in whatever you want to do if you learn something.” – Ana Melikian

Ready, set, go! We’ve all heard that phrase at least once, from races to playground games. Where do you fall in terms of your approach to goals and aspirations?

I fall into the ready, ready, set, set, set, category, with few instances of go. I tend to over-analyze and over-prepare before taking action. 

Today, I explore tendencies like perfectionism, being a quick starter, and the common practice of over-preparing or rushing into actions.

I discuss: 

• The importance of balancing preparation and action
• Uncovering the right mindset for success
• Applying the P.I.E. Method to different tendencies

The importance of balancing preparation and action

What does Ready, Set, Go, mean to you? I see many people who share my perfectionist tendency and spend a lot of time getting ready, getting ready, getting set before they finally go into implementation and action. 

There is, of course, also the flip side of jumping into the “Go” before preparing or getting set—constantly going, going, going, and firing in all directions. I see both patterns in my work with coaches, entrepreneurs, and consultants.

It can be discouraging for the “getting ready/set” group to see the “go” group achieving goals quicker and more often, but the negative to always going is that they may not have the proper resources or materials to perform accurately, and they risk burning out.

Figuring it out as you go can work in certain situations, but there is a time and place for preparation and getting your ducks in a row—just as there is a time and place for fast action. That is why we must strive to find the balance between getting ready, getting set, and going.

Uncovering the right mindset for success

I found in myself—and by observing others—the little twist that makes us succeed. That is what I like to call the right mindset for success that is independent of what your initial tendency is: You are going to be successful in whatever you want to do if you learn something. 

The secret to succeeding is independent of your initial pattern. As long as you learn along the way, you win.

You create a reiteration of a balance between setting yourself, going into action, observing what works, and then building on that and going into action again.

Plan, take action and analyze what worked and what didn’t. If you fail, regroup, get set, and try again with what you learned from the mistakes. 

It's that balance between getting ready and set, and going, and then having a moment of reflection—or that pause that I like so much to speak about—in our personal, professional, and work development: an evolution. 

It's important to do that pause, to have moments where we can see what works and what doesn't work, where we can develop and increase our self-awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and embrace the experimentation mindset that everything we do provides data that we can use for our next adventure or experiment.

Applying the P.I.E Method to different tendencies

You may have read about or heard me speak about the P.I.E. Method on this blog or The Mindset Zone podcast. Practicing the P.I.E. method can benefit anyone, no matter your tendency—whether you’re a ready, ready, set, set, kind of person or a go type of person. 

Regardless of your initial tendency, I implore you to learn to pause, increase your self-awareness, and embrace the experimentation by the next action, by the next go, and learn from it. Create that rhythm between going and reflecting and learning and action.

Where do you fall in the ready, set, go pattern? Have you practiced reflecting on your approach?
Be sure to check out the full episode for further discussion!