Readiness is not a feeling. It is a decision.  

Throughout my life, I have had various dreams and goals. More often than not, they have been future-focused. It is easy to dream up things for the future –– things that I’m not ready for now. They are conversation pieces that can be put on the back burner and dealt with later. I always had this future-focused mindset. That is, until last year.  

I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, last Spring. I went alone. I was the only Creighton student, and there was not another person in the city that I knew. This was something I talked about doing all my life. Packing up, moving somewhere new, doing it completely for myself. When I moved out of my dorm for winter break, the nature of what I was doing started to hit me. Why did I voluntarily choose to move halfway around the world with not a single familiar face? Everything was going to be new. The culture, the language, the people.  

A week before my flight, I began to spiral. I was panicked and anxious, unsure of whether this was actually something I really wanted to do. No piece of me felt ready. I wasn’t ready, but I went anyway. About two weeks into my program, it clicked. There was nothing that could prepare me for what was to come, except for actually experiencing it. I was never going to be ready. I had to decide to take the risk and do it anyway. 

Now, I know it’s cliche, but studying abroad is one of the best decisions I have made and led to some of the most amazing experiences life has brought me. I went paragliding in Switzerland, rode a tuk tuk around Portugal, hiked the Cliffs of Moher, and witnessed the Duomo bells signaling a new pope in Florence. I made new friends from all over the world, some of whom I’ve kept in close touch with since, and the once-unfamiliar city of Florence became a second home. I would not have lived any of those experiences if I waited for a feeling of readiness.  

As I move forward, I have made a conscious effort to embrace this mindset. Readiness is not going to show up on our doorstep. There will never really be a right time for anything. The time is right when we make it right.  

As we move forward with our lives, I invite you to consider the things you always talk about doing. If waiting on a feeling of readiness is what is keeping you back, it’s never going to come. Take those leaps regardless. Make the decision that you are ready now.