Why Readiness Is a Myth (And What to Do Instead)

A student once told me she'd been thinking about taking a woodturning course for three years before she finally signed up. Three years of imagining, researching, watching videos, collecting mental notes.

Then, within the first hour of class, she'd learned more about the feel of wood, the behaviour of tools, and her own ability to adapt than all that preparation had given her.

"I should have started sooner," she said.

But here's the thing. She wasn't more ready after three years than she would have been after three weeks. Readiness is a feeling, not a fact. It's the voice that says "not yet" to keep you safe from the discomfort of being a beginner. And that voice will never stop saying "not yet" until you override it.

The gap between knowledge and practice is enormous. You can watch every YouTube video on bowl turning (I've made loads of them), read every book, absorb every tip. But until the gouge touches the spinning wood, theory stays theory. The moment you start, you learn what videos can't show you: how the wood feels under the tool, how your body needs to position, how your breathing affects your control.

I think about this beyond the workshop too. How many projects, conversations, changes, and challenges do we circle endlessly without engaging? We plan, we prepare, we imagine outcomes, but we don't start. We're waiting for the right time, the right mood, the right level of confidence.

But confidence is built through action, not before it. The right time is usually now, or at least now enough.

There's a rhythm to starting that I've noticed over the years. First comes the excitement with the spark of an idea. Then comes the planning phase, which can drag on longer than necessary. This stage feels productive, but it's safe. It's thinking without risk.

The next phase is the hardest: that single moment before action. This is where resistance lives. The only answer is to act.

What have you been "getting ready" for? What would happen if you just started?

Class Recommendation: Stop researching. Start making. Our Experience Days at The Woodturning School are designed for exactly this – replacing research with reality.

Book: https://www.thewoodturning.school/beginners/woodturning-experience-day

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@msabansmith

Cross-Reference: Related: 'The Gift of Beginning' on The Woodturning School blog (Tuesday 20th January)