You're not supposed to feel ready — and that’s okay

Somewhere along the way, we all picked up the idea that we’re supposed to feel ready before we enter the ring.

That when we’re “ready,” it will feel calm. Confident. Controlled.

That once we’ve trained enough, gotten enough experience, or earned enough Qs, we’ll finally feel like we belong.

But here’s the truth: ready isn’t a feeling. And if you keep waiting for it to arrive like some kind of emotional permission slip, you’ll be waiting a long time.

The myth of readiness

The idea of feeling ready is seductive. It gives us something to chase. A box to check. A reason to keep training without putting ourselves on the line.

But readiness — true readiness — isn’t something you feel before you step in the ring.

It’s something that shows up after you’ve stretched. After you’ve taken the risk. After you’ve put yourself out there and survived the stumble.

And here’s the other thing: If you’re doing something new — a new level, a new dog, a new venue — of course you’re going to feel unsure. That’s not a flaw. That’s normal.

The pressure to be perfect

So often, the myth of readiness is intertwined with the pressure to be perfect. To enter only when we’re sure we can Q. To prove we’re good enough. To avoid embarrassment or judgment.

We start thinking: “I don’t want to waste the run.” Or, “We should be able to do this by now.” Or the old classic: “If I don’t think we can be perfect, we shouldn’t even enter.”

Here’s the problem: when clean becomes the only acceptable outcome, everything else feels like failure.

That pressure? It kills your joy. It smothers your learning. It shuts down your ability to bounce back.

You don’t need to be perfect to be progressing. In fact, you probably won’t even recognize growth until things get messy.

The hidden cost of waiting

When you wait until you feel ready, you delay your own evolution.

You avoid the feedback that trials offer. You miss the chance to test what’s working — and what’s not. You trade momentum for the illusion of safety.

And the longer you wait? The scarier it gets to go.

Let’s be real: our dogs won’t be at their peak forever. None of us will. You don’t have unlimited time. You do have today.

So what do you do instead?

You step forward anyway.

You let go of the idea that readiness feels a certain way.

You stop making perfection a requirement.

You enter with the intention to learn, not just to win. You look at your results as feedback, not judgment. You trust that courage comes first, and confidence comes later.

Try this: write yourself a new mantra for your next trial. Something like:

→ “I don’t need to feel ready — I just need to be willing.”

→ “I’m here to learn and grow, not to prove myself.”

→ “Every run is feedback I can use.”

It’s not about being fearless. It’s about going anyway.

Ready enough is ready.

In this week’s podcast, I’m going deeper into how perfectionism and self-pressure keep us stuck — and what it really means to grow your confidence from the inside out. If this post resonated, you won’t want to miss it.

Let this be the sign you’ve been waiting for.

You don’t need more time.

You don’t need to feel ready.

You just need to start.