WHEN'S THE RIGHT TIME TO START?
I recently lost my beautiful Nan who lived a long and very generous life. Experiencing death and loss so close to home got me thinking about time and the unpredictable and finite amount that we each have. As someone who enjoys researching human behaviour and what motivates us to live our lives to the fullest, I have been reflecting on why we procrastinate, avoid or sabotage our dreams and goals. Perhaps we assume that we’ll have more time at a later date to prioritise our hearts longings so convince ourselves that there will more time to take the necessary action at a later date.
As a business coach I often receive emails from people letting me know that they've got a clear vision and sometimes feeling of where they want to go next but they don't know when or where to start.
Firstly I hear about their big dreams and goals and then a moment later, expressions of self doubt. They begin backing away from their previously exclaimed goals and instead find obstacles to put in the way.
I don’t know if I have enough knowledge/experience to start my business?
Once I have XYZ then I will (insert goal)
I don’t have time…
It always makes me sad to watch people talk themselves out of their goals and doubt their confidence and agency to take courageous steps towards them. Over the last 10 years as a coach, I’ve learnt that there are common denominators between those who do back themselves and realise their goals and those who shy away.
As I reflect on what I've personally been procrastinating about and how facing death has helped me to get clear on what I need to do to take action and remove my self imposed obstacles, I’ve crafted three simple steps that we all must take on our journey to goal actualisation.
Before we get into those, let’s consider why we might be holding ourselves back from taking action.
Firstly, if you’ve dared to say out loud a dream, goal or desire for your future self, then you must trust yourself! Using your voice to share with another an internal longing is a brave and vulnerable first step in allowing yourself permission to have it. The trick is to condense the time and space between declaring your intention and taking action on it, aka don’t back away, no matter how scary it might feel to have your desire out in the open. Yes the exposure to critics and failure can you make you feel vulnerable, but trust me when I say that it is not as common or scary as you might imagine. The fact that you’ve been able to articulate it is a good sign you’re ready to work towards it.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
―Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Often I think the number one thing standing in the way of a us and our realised goals is our self belief. We may not have past experience (a roadmap) or evidence to prove that we are capable of it, but in actual fact we do.
Consider the first time that you travelled to a place you’ve never been before. Perhaps you felt a sense of uncertainty before embarking on the trip, not knowing exactly what to expect. Instead of bailing on your plan to visit this destination, you instead gathered the knowledge of others who have travelled there before you, you learnt about the available routes, researched, budgeted and saved money and resources and over time chipped away at the necessary steps required to transport you to your destination.
Perhaps based on societal expectations or the examples of people we look up to or who have gone before us, we’ll happily set our sights on planning a holiday to an unknown destination, strive to buy a new car, plan a wedding or buy a house all big and scary goals that require learning new skillsets and embarking on an unfamiliar path. But the unknown of starting a business because there is no clear destination or certainty as to where it will take us.
But we can find confidence in knowing that we have traversed unknown territory before and have accomplished hard and unfamiliar things. We’ve managed to find a way through despite uncertainty, obstacles, fear and self doubt. Now it’s time to apply it to our business goals and dreams and trust that we have what it takes to make the journey to the other side.
Weather you’ve started a business before and are ready to take it to the next level or you’re starting for the first time, the process is the same. You know how to break big goals down into small steps and do what needs to be done in order to realise your desired outcome. So let’s get to work.
Three, plus one bonus step to help you take action on a goals, dreams and desires
KNOWLEDGE — it’s ok to not know but don’t let that be the thing that stops you.
RESOURCES — what do you have available to you right now and what’s missing that is holding you back?
TIME — you find time for what you desire (see next step)
BONUS: DESIRE —the secret ingredient that will keep you moving forward, even when it gets hard.
Tune into our recent podcast 'Now of Never: How to get started on an idea’ for a full breakdown on each of these steps. In this episode I will help you to figure out where you might be needing more support, why each step is so vital and how to fill up the right cup to help you get back into action.
Striving towards and achieving our goals doesn’t always require some superhuman skillset, enormous amounts of money or even good luck. Goals are realised when we dare to speak them out loud, when we back ourselves, ask for help, connect with our personal desire to achieve them and make the time to work towards them one small step at a time. You’ve got this!
There’s no time like the present, go for it!
REMINDER— You’re invited to join me for a 1-day, in-person workshop in Sydney on Saturday 9th of November to help you develop a clear business plan and get the low down on all things side hustles and motivation. Spaces limited and selling fast so be sure to RSVP to save your spot.
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