One of my favorite phrases is “When you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.” Having this personal policy allows me to stay open to possibilities. It is tempting to get caught up thinking about what I am going to lose if I take on something new. By recognizing to the following “stay ready” truths, I am able to take advantage of the right opportunities.
I am pretty clear on what works best for me.
I literally have a list of characteristics for my ideal vision for every facet of my life. These ideals are written down and reviewed regularly. When my life changes or my insights evolve, I update the list.
This is my blueprint for the most purposeful and satisfied version of my life. It definitely took some time and effort to construct the original version of the list. Having done that heavy lifting on the front end makes daily life decisions so much simpler.
Everyone is different and you don’t know my life, so the chance that what you offer will completely line up with my dream scenario is slim. Knowing my ideal vision gives me a reference point for assessing whatever you propose, even if it is completely novel to me.
I am comfortable acknowledging when I have no interest.
This trait serves me well in life to avoid nonsense. People are constantly trying to convince me to do stuff that has no appeal to me. I bore easily even when I am interested, so I’m doing everyone a favor when I say no from the get go. There is a reason my chosen medical specialty is basically three jobs in one.
There was a period when I left clinical medicine that I thought I needed to be more open-minded. I dabbled in activities that seemed like a good idea based on my skill set rather than my genuine interest. These instances reminded me why I don’t do stuff when I don’t really care.
When I decline, it is no judgment on the significance of an activity. It just means, at this time, I don’t want to do it. My most authentic manifestation of openness is doing things I haven’t traditionally done that actually pique my interest. I’m a very curious person so that still leaves a lot in the mix.
I know most things in life aren’t that big of a deal.
This realization is life-changing. It lets me conserve mental and emotional energy on mundane decisions for use on significant decisions. I used to conflate the idea that making the decision is important with the idea that what I choose is important.
For example, I need to put on clothes every day. The rules of society and decency pretty much require me to make this decision. However, in most cases, what I actually choose to put on my body isn’t that big of a deal.
My work uniform for coaching is scrubs. It simplifies dressing remarkably. Even when I have to put on real clothes for speaking engagements and such, I have systems in place to minimize fuss. The hard decisions occur at time of purchase so I have a wardrobe full of clothes and accessories I know flatter me.
It really doesn’t matter if I wear the cute wrap dress with strappy heels or the suit with high heeled oxfords as long as I have on clothes and look like an adult. The energy spared from sartorial angst is much better spent developing content that makes my talk engaging and educational.
Living by these truths provides a natural initial screening process for any potential endeavors. It centers a decision on me and my needs before I get caught up in other people’s input.
How does this opportunity align with my ideal? Am I genuinely interested? In the grand scheme of things, how big of a deal is it to choose or refuse this option?
What you may notice about all these truths is they are based on me knowing and trusting myself. At the end of the day, staying in a space of love, trust and knowledge with myself is what truly helps me stay ready to choose or refuse any opportunity.
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Dr Jattu Senesie is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, certified success coach, physician satisfaction specialist and speaker. She blogs about issues of self care and well-being in an effort to help her fellow altruistic high achievers find satisfaction in their success as early in their careers as possible.
