One of the most frustrating things is knowing what you want to do, thinking about it constantly but never actually making it happen.
This is known as dreaming.
You might be fully aware you are dreaming. The knowledge that you’re not doing what you know you should be doing will likely be causing a lot of frustration. The more frustrated you get the less action you take and before you know it you’re trapped in a vicious cycle. This is no longer a dream, it’s the stuff of nightmares.
I know this feeling well. For 3 years I was taking small steps to change careers. I had been training and practicing as a coach whilst working a full-time job. Finally, the time came to quit my job. I could never have been more ready to do the switch. Once i’d quit, suddenly I was struggling to take the actions I needed to build my business. I knew what I needed to do but something was stopping me from taking action.
Taking action is the only way to achieve anything in life. To act is to do.
I’m not talking about the act of making lunch or brushing your teeth. Yes, these are actions but you are likely spending more time doing these to avoid the action I am referring to in this post.
I’m talking about the action required to make that dream happen. The action to get that project or business off the ground, the action to get fitter, healthier, or to kick an unwanted habit. These actions are all things we know we ‘should’ be doing to make a change or develop in some way. They are often actions that will push us out of our comfort zone in some way.
Herein lies the problem. Getting out of your comfort zone, is, well, uncomfortable!
Outside of your comfort zone, you find yourself in the stretch zone. Here is a place where you are stretching yourself to learn and develop but where discomfort is felt.
When you take new action enough times it eventually becomes no longer uncomfortable. Through repetition, the action that caused you discomfort becomes a habit. Any learning needed to develop has been learned. Your comfort zone has grown around what was once your stretch zone. Now you have the opportunity to do a different action that will stretch you again. This is how we all continue to develop and grow.
Inaction is how we stay stagnant. It is a common issue. If it was easy to take action that takes us out of our comfort zone, everyone would be kicking bad habits and setting up thriving businesses every day.
Unfortunately, most people choose to stay where they are, in comfort.
Imagine if you were still where you are now in 10 years. Imagine if you had made none of your dreams happen. Choosing to stay in the comfort you feel now leads to a lifetime of discomfort.
So why do people do it? Below are some of the most powerful excuses people use to not take action. I’ve wrestled with them all myself. When you are experiencing them, believe me, they don’t feel like excuses, they feel like genuine reasons.
- I don’t have time
- I need help with it
- I’m not good enough
- The thing I want to do is not good enough
- I don’t know where to start
- I’m too tired, overwhelmed, or stressed
- It’s not going to work / I’m going to fail
- People will think I’m….
- Someone else is already doing it better than I could
- I need to learn more or I need more experience
All of the above excuses show up in different ways. You may find yourself avoiding taking action by taking a nap, making snacks, scrolling the internet, prioritising someone else’s needs above your own, doing a chore, or cleaning the house.
Each of the above excuses, which all perpetuate inaction, fall into the following categories:
- You don’t know why you want to do it
- You don’t have a clear vision
- You need a clearer plan
- You’re being consumed by fear
- Lack of structure and discipline
- Too Many Distractions
You don’t know why do you want to do it
Knowing why you are doing something is about getting clear on your motivations. For me, the reason why I needed to write that social media post or send that email was that I wanted to work for myself, escape the 9–5, and have more control over my own life. Remembering the pain of working for someone else in a job I hated, eventually was enough to motivate me to take action on the things I was avoiding.
Once you have a clear ‘why’ you can tap into it when you find yourself avoiding doing what you need to do. It will help propel you to take action.
You don’t have a clear vision
Without knowing what you are working towards, you will have no destination. If you don’t know the destination, then how can you know what actions you need to take to get you there?
Imagine yourself three, six or 12 months from now basking in the success caused by taking the action. The more you can visualize the feeling of being at your destination, the more motivated you will be to take the necessary action to get there.
Ask yourself — What does Success look like? When do I want to achieve that success? How will it feel when I get there?
You need a clearer plan
Now you have a clear vision, you can put your list of actions together to help you get there i.e a plan.
Not having a clear plan with the key steps to get you from A (where you are now) to B (your destination), will leave you flailing around not knowing where to start. After all, the key to taking action is simply making a start. As Simon Sinek so eloquently puts it “ Dream big. Start small. But most of all start.”
This is why business plans exist, they are not just so you can get money from the bank or investors. A business plan should include your ‘why’, your vision, goals, objectives, and actions needed to get you to that vision. What you need to do to get you where you want to be will now be mapped out for you. You will know where to start and what to action next. You will no longer be able to default back to the “I don’t know where to start” excuse.
You’re being consumed by fear
Fear of failure or fear of success are common fears that keep people in inaction. Fear will keep you stuck in your comfort zone forever.
It can be helpful to remember that everyone at some point on their journey has experienced the fear you are feeling. All business owners have feared their venture would fail but they took action and made it happen despite their fears.
In the words of Susan Jeffers, the author of Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, “The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and…do it!”
Fear of failure can also be a result of perfectionism. Fearing judgment from others is also linked to perfectionism. If you are trying to reach an unbelievably high standard then you will feel like you’re never going to succeed.
Lower the expectations on yourself and allow yourself to fail. Failure gives us great opportunities to learn and develop new skills.
Lack of structure and discipline
Having no structure to your day or week will make it harder to achieve anything. If you base your actions on what you feel like doing in the moment, you’re likely never going to feel like sending that scary email.
Structure your day by blocking out time in your diary to do specific actions. If you need to spend two hours writing a proposal, block out 2 hours in the morning.
Then, here is the key — commit to it!
This is where discipline comes in. If you don’t commit to doing what you plan to do then there is no point in planning it in the first place. Eventually, after you have made yourself do something enough times, you will break through the fear of doing it. It will soon become a routine.
Too many distractions
I doubt there is a person on this earth who could get focused work done if they had their phone with them whilst they were trying to work. The only way I can do my actions is if I put my phone in another room when I’m working.
Distractions are best avoided.
Identify what distractions get in your way, make a list of ways to avoid each of them then action your list.
In summary
It’s a wonder anyone gets anything done with all of the above stacked against us. However, it would be boring if everything in life was easy to accomplish.
If you start making actions today just imagine where you will be in 12 months’ time.
If you take only one thing away from this post it is this — Make a small start now or be forever stuck where you are.