When You’re Over Preparing & Not Acting, This is Usually Why
Have you felt like you’re stuck in “I’m getting ready” mode or stuck in the “planning and preparing” phase for a goal or life change?
Over-preparing is often our fear dressed up as
“I’m being responsible.”
I know this one well — I lived here for a long time.
And once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it.
Let me share more so if you’re in this situation, we can free you!
On the surface it looks like:
“You are one of the few coaches/therapist/counsellor type persons who I have felt has really understood me, seen me and pinpointed exactly what I needed.”
planning
analysing
researching
getting everything “ready”
and it may also involve taking lots of action on things behind the scenes, but nothing that pulls the levers that really matter for moving you forward.
What’s often going on underneath are things like:
fear of uncertainty
fear of exposure or judgment
fear of getting it wrong or failing
a nervous system that doesn’t feel safe to move
perfectionism and control running the show
So we stay in “I’m getting ready” mode.
And then, we safeguard ourselves by telling ourselves a story about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, so we can frame it in a way that feels comfortable.
“You are one of the few coaches/therapist/counsellor type persons who I have felt has really understood me, seen me and pinpointed exactly what I needed.”
E.g focusing on the idea that our diligence isn’t hypervigilance or avoidance, it’s actually us being excellent, having high standards, being well organized, being responsible, professional, high quality, careful, and well managed.
These are WONDERFUL traits, but when those traits are occurring repeatedly alongside no action, we know something else is going on.
OR… even more sneaky, when these traits are teamed with LOTS of action, but action on all the “wrong” things (ie over analysis, over planning, background things that don’t make the difference for your outcomes).
Here’s how you know whether this is happening for you:
If I said —
“Everything is taken care of.
There’s nothing left to plan.
You’re set.
It’s time to go.”
What happens inside you immediately?
If your system says:
“Yes. I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Beautiful — this isn’t your loop.
But if your mind jumps in fast…
“Wait, but—”
“I still need to—”
“Not yet…”
Or your body contracts with fear, anxiety, strain…
That’s not preparation anymore.
Preparation has a season.
When it never ends, it becomes a self-protection loop.
And here’s the most important part:
This isn’t a problem.
This is a beautiful moment of clarity.
Because now you know:
There’s a part of you with the handbrake on,
and it doesn’t need forcing, cajoling, or logic…
it needs support.
Alignment, transformation and experiencing a new reality is not about pushing harder.
It’s about bringing ALL of you on board.
And when that happens…
you don’t just go forward —
you flow forward.
Ready to release old patterns and flow forward?
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“You are one of the few coaches/therapist/counsellor type persons who I have felt has really understood me, seen me and pinpointed exactly what I needed.”