Closing the Gap Between Inspiration and Action
Last weekend my husband and I were on a double date with one of my husband's colleagues and his wife. The guy is a successful entrepreneur. Like many entrepreneurs I know, his mind is always on the-go. He’s always looking for the opportunity in the marketplace. He has a big vision and great ideas, but the thing I realized that sets him apart from a lot of other people I know with big ideas is that he places the emphasis on action, not the idea. In the middle of dinner my husband was complimenting the business he’s built and his response was, “a lot of people have good ideas, not everyone takes action”. It’s a simple statement, but so true.
Here are the two main things I see that get in the way of people executing their ideas and what to do/think instead:
FEAR
People are scared to take action. Scared of failing and while we might not admit it as often, people are scared to succeed as well. Scared of what people might think. Scared to make a mistake. We become riddled with fear and then what was/is a good idea, quickly becomes just that, an idea that’s never realized.
What to think: Know that you can do hard things. You have done hard things and you will continue to do hard things. Know that the fear might never go away, but you can become an expert at being with the fear and taking the action anyway.
What to do:
Become best friends with fear
Get curious about what you’re actually scared of
Notice how long the fear actually lasts (spoiler alert: you’ll notice it’s a fleeting feeling)
Practice doing scary things that are low stakes. For example: have a hard conversation with someone who you know won’t judge you. By practicing doing scary things that have lower stakes, it allows you to build confidence for when the stakes are higher. You’re training your mind and body that you can take action and be scared.
COMPARISON
People think, “this has been done before”, “I don’t have what they have”. They doubt their time, resources, and knowledge by comparing themselves to others or comparing how they feel on the inside to what other people look like on the outside. Comparison is one of the fastest ways to kill inspiration and in turn kill action.
What to think instead: Whatever your ideas are, they have never been done before because YOU have never executed them. Nobody has what you have. You are literally one-of-a-kind and the world needs what you have to offer. You are a goddamn queen.
What to do instead:
When you find yourself in moments of compare and despair try to move into “You Spot it, You Got It” mode. Instead of finding ways that you’re not good enough by comparing yourself, try finding ways that you are brilliant. For example, if you think “I’m not as smart as them” flip the script to “I am smart or else I wouldn’t have been able to recognize that in them!”
Finally, I encourage everyone to keep a note or journal that is specific for inspiration. When you get an inspired idea, write it down immediately and then at the end of the week look at the list and see what still lights you up inside and ask yourself what is the tiniest action I can take this week in the direction of my inspiration.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Howard Thurman, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.”
Big Love. xx