What exactly are you waiting for?

You are supposed to feel overwhelmed and scared… Everyone does. But not everyone has the courage to do it anyway!

 

I had read somewhere before that growth is incredibly uncomfortable…that’s in theory. In practice it’s a bit worse than that.

You see, playing small and staying with the crowd is so much safer – apparently this is an instinct that goes back to our caveman days.

You literally risked your life by wandering out on your own.

 

Back then our biggest threats revolved around physical death– starvation, saber tooth tigers and cold etc.

Today’s threats revolve around our perceived social death – other people’s opinions, judgment and the effect they may have on our social standing.

 

What’s the secret?

DO IT ANYWAY!!

 

I felt this acutely the day I attended my first ever international marketing conference. I had been personally invited, but it took a fair amount of convincing to go.

I knew no one, walked awkwardly between all the groups of attendees who stood chatting and I retreated to the bathroom to hide until the first presentation.

 

I could have left and spent the next 4 days sightseeing in San Diego, but I knew if I was uncomfortable, it meant major growth lay on the other side of this.

So Here’s What I Did Instead…

I committed to talking to every person who sat next to me at every presentation and only using the bathroom for its intended purpose!

Those 2 simple commitments changed everything.

In fact they changed my life – but that’s a story for another day.

Now, there is something in my story that needs to be highlighted. The time restriction.

The conference was 4 days. Each hour I missed was gone forever.

But what happens when we have this week, and next week, and maybe the week after that to start doing that thing we want to do?

Nothing! Nothing happens!

The question is… What are we all waiting for?

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.

So please take that step!

Here’s the process I use to get moving!

Whether its making new friends at conference or starting your dream business…

Answer the following 10 questions:

1. What is the exact goal?

Sounds boringly obvious right? You’d be surprised at how people only have a vague idea of where they are going. Get granular, know the details!

 

2. How do you define “done” for this goal?

Once you have achieved what you set out to – what will “done” look like? How will you know you are there? How will it feel? This is crucial, or the goal posts will keep moving!

 

3. What has held you back up to now?

What are all the reasons you are not doing the things? Be very honest, and don’t overthink! Write down everything that comes up – no one needs to see your answers. Whose opinion worries you? What are you not confident about? Where is there confusion?

Pro-tip: “time” is very rarely a real reason!

It’s amazing how we find time for this we prioritize (some times without realizing… ie social media scrolling!)

 

4. How many of these are real reasons?

Go back through your list above, and circle the things that are valid “threats” to your progress.

 

5. What steps can you take to mitigate the real threats you identified earlier?

Now write a possible solution or two for each of them! Sometimes this may only be to research more, or to ask someone else – but it’s the first step in getting them out the way.

 

6. What are the steps you need to complete the goal?

Go back to your goal. At the top of a piece of paper write your goal, at the bottom the word “today”. Then starting at the top write down the steps to join the 2 using the statement “which will need”.

 

7. Realistically, how much time will this take?

For each of the steps you wrote, allocate the time it would take to complete.

 

8. Realistically, how much time do you have available?

If you look at an average week in your life – how much time do you have available for this project?

 

9. What’s your start and completion date?

Set a start date (in PEN) and based on your time above, set a completion date (in PEN)

Pro-tip, I like to work in 90 day cycles as I find you get the most traction!

 

10. How will you measure your success?

So many people miss this! You need a way to monitor your success along the way!

Decide on your Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and create a project “health chart” where you can plot the numbers weekly!

 

In my own experience, my process capitulated when I followed the exact steps above.

I have had many people ask about writing up a 90 day action plan – so I am thinking of putting together a short “mini-course” on this.

I will take you through the process and you’ll finish with a clear 90 day marketing plan to ensure your business is in a completely different position 3 months from now!

Sound good?

While I figure out the details, complete the form below and I’ll stay in touch!