Did you know there was once a time when I didn’t even consider self-employment and having my own business as a possibility for myself?

At first it just wasn’t in my realm of awareness. Then when it finally was, I very quietly and subtly told myself that’s not something I could ever do.

I had never done it before, so how could I now? Who was I to think I could do something that others I admired were doing? Why take such a risky and bold move? How on earth would I be able to make it work? Oh lord, I’m so far behind everyone else, how will I ever catch up? What will people say? What if no one buys what I’m selling?

It’s taken a lot of mindset work and perspective shifting on my part, to get past these limiting beliefs, that were holding me back from my true dreams and desires. And guess what – this kind of work never really ends.

In one of my previous blog posts, I talked about out MIT’s (most important tasks). It’s good and all to know what these are, but what happens when you just can’t take action on them?

We can only achieve what we truly desire by taking action on it. No one is delivering our dreams to us when we sit back and do nothing. Action is what’s going to move your life and biz forward, allowing you to see growth, movement, momentum, success (whatever that means to you).

Not taking action can LOOK like:

– Procrastination

– Jumping from one project to another

– Perfectionism

– Busy work on meaningless tasks

– Constant tweaking, planning, revising

Not taking action can FEEL like:

– Annoyance with ourselves

– Guilt

– Stress, worry and anxiety

– Irritation

– Unworthiness (something must be wrong with us)

– Wishing these desires would just go away!

Not taking action can SOUND like:

– “I’m not good enough to do that thing”

– “No one will want what I’m offering”

– “I’m going look stupid and people will think I’m a fraud”

– “I don’t know what the outcome will be – it’s too risky”

– “What if people judge me, criticize what I’ve done or don’t like it?”

– “It’s gotta be perfect before I put it out there”

Well here’s the good news: A little bit of fear, worry or self-doubt can be a good sign. It means you’re excited and care about what you’re doing. Those uncomfortable feelings are just trying to protect us.

But let’s not allow fear to paralyze us – let’s take action!

How To Get Into Action Mode

–  Ask yourself, what’s the worst that can happen if you take action? Then what’s the worst that can happen after that? And then what? Keep going until you can’t go any further. It may bring some perspective to what you think is the problem.

–  What’s the best that can happen? Write this down and keep it where you’ll see it every day. Consistently remind yourself what you’re working towards, and why it’s so important to you.

– Look for evidence that’s contrary to your thought or fear. When were you successful in a similar situation in the past? Who else honestly believes you’re going to fail at this? What’s happened before when you didn’t reach your goal or “succeed” in the past? I’m guessing the world didn’t end, and you probably took away some seriously valuable learnings and insights.

–  Write down 3 reasons that your thought or fear is total bullshit.

–  Dig deeper and ask what story you’re telling yourself. Do a stream of consciousness journal on your thought or fear, what is it about, where is it coming from, what does it mean to you?

–  Ask yourself what do you get for not doing the thing? Maybe you get to hide from the world, avoid rejection and stepping out of your comfort zone? What do you get if you take action on it? To help others, work on something you’re passionate about, connect with like-minded people?

– Take the smallest, tiniest step first. Just do the one little thing that you know you can do, and believe is possible, no matter how small. Just start there, and see how it feels.

–  As you take small steps and actions, keep track of them on an “Already Done” list. Write down each and every milestone, accomplishment and thing you complete. You’re going to feel soooooo motivated to keep going.