You’ve probably heard the term ‘analysis paralysis.’ It’s that thing that you do when you know you have something to do and you don’t do it because you keep thinking about what to do, how to do, when to do, why to do and if to do. Get it? Yes, a lot of to dos there. And most people get held up and hung up on all of these things.
The worst part is that you might have an AWESOME idea that is going to be JUST the solution that others need to solve their current issue. So, why then do you hem and haw and skip and hop instead of just moving forward? There are SO many answers to that question. We want it to be right. We want it to be perfect. We don’t want to be criticized about it. We want it to work. We don’t want it to break. We don’t want to have to fix it mid-stream because then everyone will want their money back. We want it to be the best. We don’t want to get so consumed with it that we get held back from other ideas.
But, the reality is that these are all sensible EXCUSES that just keep us from STARTING. These are all simply rooted in FEAR….fear of inadequacy, fear of failure, fear of success, OH MY GOODNESS, that LAUNCH date…..all sorts of fear. And that FEAR tends to make you feel STUCK.
So, when you are STUCK, how do you START??
Being stuck often comes from a place of overwhelm. When you look at the end goal, when you look at the top of the mountain and all the possibilities that exist when you get there, that can often be overwhelming. There are some PRACTICED WARRIORS that can handle the view. But, that may not be you, just yet. So, how do you get there?
The simple answer is JUST DO IT!! But, let’s break that down a little further. Some action is based on reaching an overall goal and other actions are simply based on creating a routine. For instance, you might exercise with the purpose of running a marathon (BIG GOAL) or you might simply exercise because you want to create the habit of exercising three time a week (ROUTINE).
1. Focus on the smaller step of creating the routine first. What are the small things that you can do that will eventually allow you to reach your big goal? Exercise is a typical answer but what if I am creating a course or writing a book? Then, you simply need to get into the habit of writing? So rather than focusing on the completion of the book or course initially, simply focus on creating a 10 minute block daily where you will write. It doesn’t matter WHAT you write as long as you do. Then you can begin to focus on writing with purpose.
2. Take on just ONE THING. Often we try to change too many things at once and so the fear of ALL of the change gets rolled up into one big ball and just gets us stuck. Decide which ONE THING is most important initially and gain some momentum with THAT.
Good one, Robert! I find that, just as you are suggesting, replacing just one thing with one different thing (or just adding in one new thing) can help. Such as, in trying to limit between meal snacking on sugary things, I’ve swapped that out with a cup of herbal tea. Doing that for even just a few days in a row begins the new routine, as you suggested. It’s a small thing, but for me, it leads to an overall healthier eating pattern, and better overall health. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Awesome!! Thanks Jill! Yes, substitutions are an excellent idea. I always recommend change by ACTION instead of SUBTRACTION. Great response.
YES, big goals get accomplished with small daily steps. The key is to find the best action steps that will lead to accomplishing the big goals we have. Fantastic post!
Thanks for commenting Dan!! Yep. I’m learning about small steps :-)!
Glad to add to the discussion. It’s key.