We’ve all been a wannabe at some point.
- A wannabe writer
- A wannabe entrepreneur
- A wannabe musician, creator, builder, thinker, etc.
I’ve lived in that phase longer than I’d like to admit. Whenever people asked me what I did, I told them that I was a writer. But the truth was that I wasn’t writing consistently. Nor did I make any money as a writer at the time.
I read books about creativity, watched interviews of successful creators, took notes, highlighted quotes, and felt productive. Yet, nothing real came out of it. I always remained a wannabe.
The truth: I wasn’t performing. I was preparing to perform.
Then, after understanding some cold truths, I finally crossed that line and became a real performer. I took the right action and did what I shouldn’t have done years ago. Here’s how it happened (and how you can do it too):
1. Stop Identifying With the Dream, And Start Identifying With the Action
If you are a wannabe, you probably love labels.
- “I’m an aspiring writer.”
- “I’m planning to start a business.”
- “I’m working on something big.”
Performers don’t talk much about what they are. They talk more about what they did. They understand that action matters more than identity.
For instance, if you want to be a writer, you don’t ask, “Who do you want to become?” Instead, you ask, “What does a real writer do on a random Tuesday?”
The answer won’t be glamorous.
Real writers write, even when they don’t feel inspired. Even when no one is watching, they still focus on the action.
If your identity is ahead of your actions, you’re stuck in “wannabe mode.” Let your actions earn the identity.
2. Preparation Is Comfort Disguised as Progress
The one thing I came to understand late in life is that planning feels safe and performing feels exposed.
Wannabes are addicted to:
- One more book
- One more course
- One more perfect plan
- One more equipment
I used to tell myself I needed more clarity before publishing my work. In reality, I was afraid of being seen and judged by others. I avoided being called out. I wanted to remain safely in the “planning zone.”
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: clarity comes after action, not before it.
You don’t become a performer by thinking about performing. You become so by stepping on stage, messing up, and doing it again tomorrow. The important part is that you show up and take action, no matter the outcome.
If you’ve been “getting ready” for months (or years), you’re not being cautious. You’re avoiding discomfort.
3. Lower the Bar Until You Can’t Fail to Start
I always take breaks from writing once in a while. When I restarted my writing habit a few months ago, my goal wasn’t to write a great article. It was to write 200 bad words and hit publish.
That small, almost stupid goal removed the pressure, and once I started, momentum took over.
Wannabes aim too high on day one. They want:
- The perfect first post
- The flawless launch
- The big breakthrough
Performers aim embarrassingly low.
If your standard is excellence, you’ll hesitate forever. If your standard is consistency, you’ll eventually become excellent.
4. Perform in Public Before You Feel Ready
Start before you are ready. Start before you know how. Start with what you have. Just start.
Wannabes wait for confidence. Performers build confidence by acting.
The first time I published an article online, it felt very uncomfortable. I hadn’t written anything before, and my inner critic screamed, “Who do you think you are?”
But I kept going — writing one cringy article after another, until I realized no one attacked me. In fact, some people found my stories helpful. They didn’t complain about my “bad” writing, grammatical errors, or any of the stuff I had worried about.
That’s when I realized: most people are too busy with their own insecurities to judge yours.
Public performance forces commitment. Once something is out there, you’re more likely to show up again. It’s also good to improve your performance. You can collect feedback and build upon it when you show up again.
Don’t wait to feel like a performer. Perform, and the feeling will follow.
5. Replace Motivation With a Schedule
I find it funny when people think “motivation” comes before action. The one thing I’ve learned that has drastically improved my life is that action leads to motivation, not the other way around (as most people think).
Wannabes rely on motivation. Performers rely on systems.
You see, motivation is temporary and unreliable. It disappears the moment life gets busy or uncomfortable. You won’t have the same level of motivation every day, so you can’t rely on motivation for your performance.
I started treating my creative work like an appointment — same time, same place. No debate.
I didn’t ask myself, “Do I feel like it today?” Instead, I asked, “What am I producing today?”
Consistency matters more than you think. Allowing yourself to show up, even when you aren’t motivated, makes you a performer. Remember, Discipline > Motivation.
6. Accept That Most of Your Work Will Be Average
When you expect perfect outcomes, you fear producing bad work. So, you become a wannabe. However, performers understand that bad work is the entry fee.
Most of what you produce in the beginning won’t be special. Everybody starts by making mistakes. Their creations aren’t as good as they want them to be.
The best creators you admire didn’t start great. They started early and stayed long enough to improve.
If you’re waiting to feel “ready,” you’re asking for something that won’t happen anytime soon (maybe never). The only way to do impressive work is first to do a lot of unimpressive work.
Conclusion
The difference between a wannabe and a performer isn’t talent, luck, or confidence. It’s willingness to be seen before you’re ready, to produce before you’re proud, and to show up even when no one is clapping yet.
You don’t need more time or preparation. You need one honest performance today. That’s it. You show up again tomorrow with the same goal. And before you know it, you become a performer — the one who takes action instead of preparing to do so.
Stop rehearsing the life you want. Step on the stage and start performing.
