Redefining Readiness: Why You Don’t Need to Be Ready to Begin

When we talk about change, whether it’s starting a business, writing a book, or climbing a literal mountain, one word often blocks the path: ready. We tell ourselves we’ll begin when we feel more ready — when we have more time, more money, more training. But what if “ready” is a myth? What if the real turning point isn’t about readiness at all, but willingness?

That’s exactly the shift Dierdre Wolownick invites us to make.

In her book Success in 7 Steps, Dierdre challenges the belief that you need to be prepared before finding your purpose. Her method — based on a life spent reinventing herself as a teacher, publisher, musician, climber, and more — replaces the illusion of readiness with a practical roadmap: learn what you need to know, gather what you need to have, and then do what you need to do. In that order. It’s deceptively simple, but radically empowering.

Because readiness, as we imagine it, never really comes.

When Dierdre decided to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan at age 66, she didn’t feel ready. She was scared. She didn’t grow up climbing rocks. She was a mother, a linguist, and a musician. But when her son — renowned climber Alex Honnold — began taking her on small climbing trips, curiosity outweighed hesitation. And in saying yes to something unfamiliar, she unlocked a new part of herself. That, she says, is how everything begins: not with readiness, but with a decision to engage.

Her story challenges the notion that goals require expertise from the outset. We often assume success is about talent, timing, or innate capability. Dierdre proves it’s about sequence and persistence. You don’t have to feel capable to start — you simply have to take the first step in the right order.

This reframing is powerful in a culture obsessed with immediate mastery and flawless execution. Many people wait for a moment when they’ll feel certain, confident, and equipped. But those feelings rarely arrive fully formed. More often, confidence is the result of action, not the prerequisite for it.

Dierdre’s three-part structure — knowledge, tools, then action — is not just a guide for goal-setting. It’s an antidote to paralysis. Too often, dreams remain vague because we try to skip to the action phase without a clear foundation. But when you start by asking, “What do I need to learn?” suddenly the fog lifts. When you follow with, “What do I need to have?” the journey starts to feel real. And finally, when you take that first small action — a phone call, a paragraph, a 10-minute walk — momentum replaces inertia.

But Dierdre’s story doesn’t just offer practical steps. It also holds a mirror to our assumptions about age, timing, and permission. Reinvention, she says, is not a single event. It’s a lifestyle of saying “yes” — to cosmic circles (those unexpected life moments), to your own curiosity, and to your so-called “crazy” ideas.

The world called Dierdre’s dreams improbable. But improbable things only become history once someone dares to pursue them. She didn’t become a conductor, publisher, or climber because she was waiting for the world to tell her she was ready. She became those things because she started learning, preparing, and acting in sequence. She made herself ready by beginning.

One of the most moving stories Dierdre shares is about her mother, who always dreamed of writing a novel but never did. That dream lived in her heart for decades, but she never took the steps to begin. The story died with her. It wasn’t a lack of talent. It wasn’t laziness. It was the quiet weight of waiting to feel ready — a fate too many of us risk repeating.

Dierdre’s message is clear: don’t wait until you feel like an expert to begin. Don’t wait for approval, clarity, or ideal circumstances. Structure is your shortcut to progress. It transforms vague ambition into a path you can walk — no matter your age, your background, or your doubts.

Importantly, her method gives you permission to move slowly. You don’t have to give 100% every day. Some days, 5% is enough. Progress isn’t about speed — it’s about consistency. The only number that matters is not zero.

This approach is especially freeing for perfectionists and late bloomers. You can start messy. You can be uncertain. What matters is that you start.

So if you’re holding onto a dream — a book, a business, a career shift, a long-dormant passion — stop waiting to feel ready. Instead, ask: What do I need to learn? What do I need to gather? What’s one small thing I can do today?

That’s how readiness is redefined — not as a feeling, but as a process you build step by step. Dierdre didn’t wait for her life to tell her she was ready. She acted, learned, and adjusted — and in doing so, she authored a life that’s now inspiring thousands to do the same.

You’re not too late. You’re not too behind. You’re not unqualified. You’re just at the beginning.

And that’s the best place to be.