Why ‘Start Before You’re Ready’ Doesn’t Work for Old Souls (and What To Do Instead)

You’re not here to sprint, you’re here to tune in.

You’ve heard it a thousand times.
“Just start before you’re ready.”

It’s one of those motivational mantras that looks great on Pinterest — and sounds great coming from someone who’s been running on caffeine and masculine hustle for a decade.

But here’s the thing most people don’t say out loud:
for old souls, that advice can do more harm than good.

By Myrthe Warmenhoven is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Because we don’t freeze from fear, we pause from misalignment.
We don’t need another push. We need a pull that feels right.

Every time I tried to “just start,” I ended up building things that were shiny but soulless. Businesses that worked, but didn’t fit. Strategies that made money, but cost me my peace.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably blamed yourself for moving too slow, overthinking too much, or “not being ready.” When in reality?
Your energy was just waiting to catch up with your next evolution.

This post is for the ones who’ve outgrown the hustle.
The ones who crave clarity before chaos, vision before velocity.

My Personal Experience

Here’s the thing:
“Just start before you’re ready” has never been my problem.

I literally moved to Bali in 2020 and only realised a year later that I had actually emigrated. So yeah — starting? Not an issue.
Apparently, I even start moving to the other side of the world before I’m ready. 😅

But that’s also my biggest trap.

Take my previous company, BOLD Network: the community I built for online entrepreneurs abroad. I knew exactly what I wanted to create. I had the vision, the energy, the experience. I’ve never been short on ideas, courage, or work ethic.

And yet… something wasn’t landing.
The marketing didn’t flow. The momentum felt forced.

I had all the tools, all the strategy, all the know-how, but my energy was somewhere else. Deep down, I knew all that drive and creative fire I had wasn’t meant to be poured into that project anymore. It was meant for something else. Something bigger.

But I ignored it. Because in my head, I thought: I can’t just quit now. I need to push through. So I did. I pushed. I forced. I hustled my way through a business that my soul had already left.

And that’s where the whole “Start before you’re ready” thing can become dangerous.
Because when you’re an old soul, someone who’s already used to making bold moves, starting isn’t the issue. It’s alignment.

When you keep moving out of obligation instead of inspiration, you’re not building momentum; you’re leaking energy. And that’s exactly what happened to me.

I burned out. Not because I was lazy or inconsistent, but because I was trying to prove something. To others. To myself. To some imaginary audience watching from the sidelines.

People started giving me marketing advice, which made it worse.
“Try this funnel.” “Post more Reels.”
And I remember thinking: That’s not the problem. The problem is that I’m not supposed to be marketing this.

That’s when it hit me.

It’s not that I needed to “start before I was ready.”
It’s that I needed to stop doing what was no longer right.

Because for visionaries, “not being ready” isn’t resistance, it’s wisdom.
It’s your intuition quietly whispering, this isn’t it anymore.

And in a world that worships productivity and speed, that wisdom can easily get mistaken for self-doubt.

But it’s not self-doubt. It’s self-preservation.

The Collective Truth — Why Old Souls Struggle With “Just Start”

The thing about old souls is — we don’t need to be pushed.
We pause because our intuition is still downloading the vision.

And that pause?
It’s not procrastination.
It’s prophecy.

Somewhere deep down, I already knew where I was meant to go next.
But I didn’t trust it yet.

I kept thinking I needed more clarity, more structure, more strategy; when what I actually needed… was silence.

Because that’s how it works for people like us.

If you’re intuitive, sensitive, a visionary (if you’ve always felt like you see and sense the world differently) you don’t move from logic. You move from knowing.
And that knowing rarely arrives on demand.

It doesn’t come from a checklist. It comes through energy. Through timing. Through whispers that arrive when the world finally goes quiet enough for you to hear them.

But let’s be honest, our society doesn’t reward stillness.
It rewards speed.
It glorifies productivity.
It labels your pause as “fear” and your reflection as “resistance.”

We’re constantly told to do more, post more, sell more, as if the only metric of success is how loud and visible you can be.
So we buy courses, chase certifications, and keep optimizing our systems while quietly disconnecting from ourselves.

But the real question isn’t what should I do next?
It’s who am I becoming while I do it?

That’s the part no one teaches you.
How to listen.
How to trust.
How to build a business that matches your nervous system.

Most of the business advice out there is written for one specific type of energy: masculine, linear, outward. It’s the “show up every day no matter what” energy.
And it works for some people, the ones who thrive on output, repetition, and consistency.

But if you’re an empath, a visionary, a healer, a creator, a rebel, a sage; someone who feels deeply and moves with the tides, you can’t build from the head down.
You build from the soul up.

That’s why “Start before you’re ready” doesn’t work for you.
Because you were never meant to sprint.
You were meant to tune in.

Old souls don’t come here to play small games. They come here to build legacies.
To rewrite systems. To bring ancient wisdom into modern structures.

That can’t be rushed.
It has to be remembered.

It’s also why so many old souls never quite fit in the 9–5 world, or even the standard online business models. They’re not meant to execute someone else’s vision.
They’re here to channel their own.

You’ll notice a pattern: the intense growing pains in your twenties or thirties, the heartbreaks, the burnouts, the spiritual awakenings that made no sense until one day, they suddenly did.

You wake up and think:
“I’m not made for this pace. I’m made for purpose.”

And that’s the moment everything shifts.

Because when you finally start trusting your rhythm instead of fighting it, the noise quiets down. The wrong clients fall away. The overthinking stops. You stop chasing and start remembering.

You finally get it:
It was never about working harder.
It was always about working truer.

This isn’t the path the world celebrates, but it’s the one your soul signed up for.
And walking it means one thing above all: self-trust.

Unshakable, grounded, divine self-trust. The kind that comes not from another strategy, but from spirituality, in whatever way feels true for you.

Not from performing rituals you don’t even resonate with.
Not from pretending to be “high vibe” when you’re actually tired.
But from learning your own rhythm.
Honouring your own energy.
Creating your own path.

That’s the real spiritual work, the kind that doesn’t look shiny on the outside but changes everything on the inside.

Because once you do that, the biggest problems in your life don’t need fixing — they dissolve. You outgrow them.

You take yourself seriously.
Your energy seriously.
Your mission seriously.

And that’s when everything — finally — starts to flow again.

The Pause Isn’t Punishment — It’s Preparation

You know what I’ve learned? The pause isn’t punishment; it’s preparation.
It’s life creating space for the next download to land.

There was a time I used to panic when things got quiet.
When I didn’t “produce,” I’d feel guilty. Like I was falling behind.
But then I started asking myself: behind what exactly?

That question changed everything.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped separating “work” from “life.”
Because really; what’s the difference? If I’m reading a book about marketing on a Saturday afternoon… am I working, or relaxing?
And honestly, who cares?

That shift was massive for me. I realised there’s no such thing as work time or private time, there’s just my time. And how I choose to use it is entirely up to me.

Now, I tune in daily: Am I inspired today? Cool — I’ll create, write, or build something. Am I not? Then I’ll go to the spa, read, or stare at the ocean for an hour.
And you know what? That’s still productive. Because creativity needs space to breathe.

Even living in Bali, where the pace is slower and the 9–5 pressure barely exists, I still catch myself texting friends at the end of the day saying, “I didn’t do much today.”
And then I list what I did do and realise it was a full, intentional day.
That’s how deep this conditioning runs.

We’ve been so trained to associate worth with output that even resting makes us feel guilty. But the truth is: those so-called “empty” moments are where the magic actually happens. That’s when new ideas sneak in. That’s when clarity arrives.

Now I treat inspiration like a visitor. I welcome it when it comes, I’m grateful when it stays, and I don’t force it when it’s gone. And when it does arrive, I catch it. I write it down. I build on it. That’s not laziness, that’s alignment.

Because the moment you stop pushing, life starts responding.

So here’s my new rule:
No more forcing. No more “I should be doing more.”
Just full trust that when it’s time to move, I’ll know.

Because the pause is the preparation.

And when you honour it, the next chapter always comes easier, faster, and ten times clearer.

Readiness Isn’t Resistance, It’s Refinement

Mid–2025 hit differently.
It was one of those seasons that quietly rearranges your life without asking for permission.

Everything was happening at once: personally, emotionally, spiritually.
And for the first time in years, I couldn’t just “push through.”
I needed more me-time than ever, not the spa-day kind (although, yes, those too), but the kind where you sit with your feelings, let the tears roll, and process everything that’s been sitting under the surface.

I remember feeling so frustrated with myself.
I wanted to work. I wanted to build, create, move forward.
But my body and energy just said, “No.”
And that “no” felt like failure.

There were days I sat behind my laptop, staring at my to-do list, willing my brain to cooperate, and it just… didn’t. So I chose to listen instead. To slow down, even though everything in me screamed to keep going.

At the time, I hated it.
It felt like life had picked the worst possible moment to throw a plot twist my way.
But now, a few months later, I see it for what it really was: refinement.

Because the truth is, I wasn’t ready, not because I was weak, but because I was evolving. The lessons I needed couldn’t be learned from a strategy call or a business book. They had to be lived. Integrated. Felt.

And even though it didn’t look like “work,” it completely shifted the direction and depth of my business. That period gave me clarity, purpose, and a level of embodiment I couldn’t have reached otherwise.

We’re so quick to label ourselves as unproductive when we’re not performing.
But sometimes, what looks like “nothing” on the outside is massive energetic work on the inside. That’s what refinement is.

And honestly?
We humans are so stubborn. We like to think we know exactly what our path is, what we’re meant to build, and how fast it should all happen. But sometimes life’s like, “Cute plan, but I’ve got something better.”

So instead of seeing those slow, emotional, or confusing chapters as setbacks, I’ve started to see them as sacred realignments. The universe doesn’t punish you with stillness, it prepares you with wisdom.

And it’s funny, because the people who pride themselves on “working through it”, the ones who keep showing up like nothing’s wrong, are often the ones most disconnected from themselves. That’s not strength; that’s survival.

But for intuitive entrepreneurs; the sensitives, the visionaries, the old souls, that approach doesn’t work. Our intuition is our motor. Our energy is our power source. And when that’s off, forcing it only creates friction.

So now, when life slows me down, I don’t fight it anymore.
I trust it.
Because refinement always precedes expansion.

What Actually Works for Old Souls

So if “Start before you’re ready” doesn’t work for you — what does?
It’s simple: old souls don’t need to be pushed.
They need to remember.

You’re not here to sprint — you’re here to tune in.
Your business isn’t built through speed, it’s built through synchronicity.

When you stop forcing and start listening, you’ll notice something subtle but profound: the ideas start flowing again, your body relaxes, and the next step simply appears.

That’s the thing about alignment; you can’t chase it, you can only return to it.

🔮 Step 1: Remember Before You React

Every time you feel stuck, confused, or uninspired, don’t push through it.
Pause. Breathe. Remember who you are.

Your energy carries all the information you need to move forward.
And when you come back to that place of remembrance.

You’ll stop asking, “What should I do next?”
and start asking, “What feels true right now?”

That’s the shift. Because when you move from truth instead of urgency, everything unfolds faster, but with peace instead of pressure.

🌿 Step 2: Build From the Soul Up

Most business advice teaches you to build from the head down,
from structure, strategy, and systems.

But old souls build from the soul up.
From energy first. From resonance. From purpose.

Before you plan, post, or pivot, ask yourself:

• Does this match the frequency I want to lead from?

• Does this still feel aligned with who I’m becoming?

If the answer is no — you don’t need to quit everything.
You just need to re-align your direction.

Sometimes that means simplifying your offers.
Sometimes it means adjusting your pace.
And sometimes… it means completely rewriting the rules.

That’s the beauty of being an old soul:
you’re not here to fit into a model — you’re here to create one.

✨ Step 3: Expand Your Spiritual Toolbox

Here’s the truth — alignment isn’t an accident.
It’s a practice.

And the more connected you are to your spiritual tools, the easier it becomes to return to your centre — no matter what’s happening in your business.

For me, astrology is one of the most powerful mirrors I’ve ever found.
Because it doesn’t just show who you are.
It shows how you move.

Your chart tells you when to rest, when to rise, what environments fuel you, and where your energy flows best.
But that’s just one part of the picture.

There’s also BaZi (Chinese astrology) which reveals your inner rhythm and timing cycles, so you know when to take big leaps and when to refine.
Then there’s energetic mapping, which helps you identify what drains you, what amplifies you, and how to stay in energetic integrity while scaling your impact.

But spirituality doesn’t end there.
It weaves through everything — your content, your communication, your money, your visibility, your relationships, your leadership.

✨ When you’re working on visibility, astrology shows you how you’re meant to be seen.
✨ When you’re refining content, energetics shows you what messages resonate with your natural frequency.
✨ When you’re attracting money, your chart reveals your abundance channels — the energetic pathways through which you create value.
✨ When you’re deepening your marketing and communication, it shows you how your voice lands — and how to speak from your core truth instead of performance.
✨ When you’re helping others transform, it reveals your natural healing archetype — how you’re designed to guide, teach, or activate others.

Because every single business theme — from pricing to purpose — is connected to energy.

And when you learn to read that energy, everything starts to make sense.
You stop chasing formulas and start creating from flow.
You stop asking for permission and start embodying leadership.
You stop overthinking and start remembering.

That’s what the Soul & Business Bootcamp is built around.

🌕 The Soul & Business Bootcamp

During this 2-day immersive experience, we’ll tune you back into the rhythm of your soul — and translate that into tangible clarity for your business.

It’s not about learning more strategy.
It’s about remembering your soul’s strategy.

You’ll discover:
🌙 Your personal energetic blueprint — the map of how you’re meant to work, create, and lead.
⚡ The exact themes showing up in your chart right now — and how they influence your next moves.
🌿 How to recognise energetic misalignment before burnout hits.
🔥 How to reconnect to your purpose when business starts feeling heavy.
💫 How to attract the right clients through energetic resonance (not effort).
🌕 And how to rebuild your entire business from soul alignment — so it becomes easier, lighter, and more profitable than ever before.

This Bootcamp is for the visionaries, healers, creators, rebels, and sages —
the ones who feel deeply, think differently, and know they’re here for something bigger.

If you’ve ever felt like:

“I know I’m meant for more, but I can’t seem to make it click.”
or
“I feel like I’ve outgrown the business advice I used to follow.”

Then this is your turning point.

Because the truth is, you don’t need another marketing plan.
You need to reconnect to your energy.
To remember your design.
To come home to yourself.

That’s where everything begins.

💎 Final Note — You’re Not Behind, You’re Becoming

If this landed for you — if something inside you just exhaled —
know that you’re exactly where you need to be.

You’re not late.
You’re not slow.
You’re in refinement.

You’re preparing for the version of your business that actually matches your soul.
And that version can only be built when you stop trying to be “ready”
and start trusting your rhythm.

So no — don’t start before you’re ready.
Start when you’re real.

Because that’s when the world finally recognises your magic.

One last thing

If you recognise yourself in my work — not just in the words, but in the depth — you might want to explore The Shift.

The Shift is a one-year journey for entrepreneurs who feel they’re living and leading far below their true potential. Not because they lack strategy or ambition, but because they’ve hit an invisible glass ceiling — in identity, direction or self-trust.

And don’t forget:
You really help me out by liking this article and leaving a comment.

You can share your thoughts or experience here → [leave a comment on Substack]