Ready is A LIE

What's that thing you've been saying you're "almost ready" to do? The one you've researched to death, planned perfectly, talked about endlessly—but somehow never actually started?

That hesitation isn't what you think. You're not waiting to feel ready—you're waiting for permission. Permission to take up space, want what you want, and trust yourself in uncertainty.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why "readiness" is actually a nervous system safety mechanism keeping you stuck
• How we perform worthiness instead of embodying it through endless optimization
• The difference between authentic choice and performing for approval
• Using neuroplasticity to rewire your brain with specific vision work and daily prompts
• Why permission is something you give yourself, not something you earn

Through guided practice, you'll discover what you would choose if you already had permission—moving from "Can I?" to "How?"

The life you're longing for doesn't require becoming someone new. It's waiting for you to give yourself permission to be who you already are.

Ready to stop waiting and start living? Join the Emotional Sobriety Workshop where we practice giving ourselves permission in real time, with others who understand the journey.

Find everything at LiftOneSelf.com or search "Emotional Sobriety Workshop."

Remember: You don't need permission to come home to yourself. You never did. 💜

Chapters

• 0:00 The Lie of "Ready"

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

You know that thing. You keep saying you're almost ready to do the one. You've researched to death, planned perfectly and told three different people about the thing that lights you up when you think about it but somehow never makes it off the starting line. Yet you just don't feel ready. This might shock you, maybe even bring a tear. What if ready is a lie? Your nervous system tells you to keep you safe.

Speaker 1: 0:32

Welcome home to the Lift One Self podcast. I'm Nat Nat, and if you're here, you're probably tired of waiting for permission to live the life that's calling you. This is where we get real about what it means to choose yourself. Not tomorrow, not when you're ready, but right now, exactly as you are, if this lands, share it with someone who needs to hear it. These conversations change lives when they reach the right ears at the right moment.

Speaker 1: 1:04

Here's what nobody talks about. You're not waiting for readiness. You're waiting for permission. Permission to take up space, permission to want what you want, permission to trust yourself. Most of all, you're looking for safety in the unknown, the abyss of emotions and experiences. But here's the thing no one's coming to give it to you. Permission isn't something you earn or deserve or get handed by some cosmic authority. It's something you give yourself moment by moment, choice by choice.

Speaker 1: 1:42

But first you have to stop performing worthiness for an audience that never was really watching. You know what I'm talking about the endless optimization, the perfect morning routines you hate. The saying yes when you mean no, the shrinking yourself to fit into boxes that were never meant for you. And it starts with the most radical act imaginable telling yourself the truth. The truth about what you actually want, not what you think you should want. The truth about what isn't working, not what looks good from the outside. The truth about who you're becoming, not who you used to be. I remember the day I gave myself permission to stop performing, to have it all figured out, and I launched this exact podcast. Guess what? I completely ruptured my Achilles three weeks in and had to be in the chaos and mess of learning a new skill, which was a steep hill, while rehabilitating my body to walk again.

Speaker 1: 2:52

Talk about emotional sobriety. See, the shift happened when I asked myself what if I stopped trying to be the version of myself that other people need and started being the version that I need? That's when everything changes. That's where the remember to be kind to yourself evolved, because here's what I've learned your nervous system knows the difference between authentic choice and performance. It knows when you're living your life versus living for approval, and it will keep you stuck in survival mode until you choose truth over comfort. And this is where neuroplasticity becomes your best friend.

Speaker 1: 3:37

Your brain can literally rewire itself, but it needs specifics, not vague wishes. Instead of I want to be fulfilled, your brain needs I wake up energized, my body feels light and my days feel purposeful. Instead of I want to be healthier, try I move daily in ways that bring me joy, or I choose food that fuels me and keeps me vibrant. Your brain needs specific snapshots of what this life actually looks like. Then you pair this vision with new daily prompts. These work like mental steering wheels. With new daily prompts, these work like mental steering wheels. In the morning, you can say what choice today will move me toward feeling strong and alive. During stress, you can say what does my nervous system need right now Pause, breath or movement. At night, you can say what did I do today that brought me closer to the life I want? But here's the key Prompts only rewire your brain if they're paired with action.

Speaker 1: 4:47

When you ask how can I move today and then actually stretch, walk or dance, your brain learns oh, this is who I am now. Brain learns oh, this is who I am now. And you repeat it until it feels natural, it feels embodied, because repetition is what literally lays down new neural pathways. The magic happens when you pair prompts with sensations. Don't just think I am strong. Feel your feet grounding, shoulders, opening breath, steadying Feeling plus thoughts, equal long-term imprints. So let's practice this together by taking a mindful moment, wherever you are, let yourself settle. If you can put one hand on your chest and if it's safe, end put one hand on your chest and if it's safe, close your eyes. Feel your body in this moment, your feet on the ground, your breath moving naturally.

Speaker 1: 5:52

Now I want you to ask yourself something. Your head is going to want to answer, but listen to your body, take a deep breath in and gently exhale. Now the question is what would I choose if I already had permission? Feel that question, land, notice what comes up. Don't edit it, don't make it reasonable or responsible or small. Just receive what your soul has been trying to tell you, that whisper, that's your truth and it's the only permission slip you've ever needed and it's the only permission slip you've ever needed. Take a deep breath in and gently exhale.

Speaker 1: 6:46

Here's what changes when you stop waiting for permission. You stop asking can I? And start asking how. You stop trying to earn your place and start taking it. You stop performing worthiness and start embodying it. The life you want isn't waiting for you to become someone else. It's waiting for you to give yourself permission to be who you already are. And here's the beautiful part Every time you choose yourself, you make it easier for someone else to choose themselves. Permission is contagious.

Speaker 1: 7:26

So here's your invitation. What's one thing you've been waiting for permission to do? I want you to text someone about it today. Not plan it, not research it more. Just tell one person what you're actually going to start, because here's what I know about you. You're not here by accident. Something in you is ready to stop waiting, even if your nervous system is still throwing up red flags. And if you want to go deeper into this work, if you're tired of doing emotional healing alone, my Emotional Sobriety Workshop is where we practice giving ourselves permission in real time, with real people who get it. You'll find everything at liftoneselfcom, or do a Google search Emotional Sobriety Workshop, lift One Self. You'll find me Until next time time. Remember you don't need permission to come home to yourself. You never did. The door was always open. You just needed to remember. You hold the key. Lift oneself is about coming back home to you.