Have you ever looked at someone who has "that?" You know, that, je ne sais quois. That "IT" factor and getting everything they want. You look at them following their dreams and creating the life they desire, only to get totally bummed or jealous and competing with them because you want "that?" How often do you say, "I wish I had the ability to do X, Y, or Z," but make up every excuse about being held back by that lousy job that pays the bills? We all have those lame responsibilities that hold us back from living a life that will provide us with endless happiness and bliss, right?
WRONG!
You are in the driver's seat of your own life, my friend. You have the ability to create your destiny. You create your mindset, which creates your motivation. If you tell yourself you can't, you won't. If you believe you can, nothing will stop you! I can tell you that that person you've been envious of doesn't allow a negative mindset to hold them back. So why do you get excited at the thought of following your dreams, then stop dead in your tracks? It's easy to get caught up in the minuscule details that depress the heck out of all of us. You start brainstorming a list you need to accomplish then get completely overwhelmed. Then you give yourself every excuse in the book to back out of achieving your desires. Perhaps those excuses sound something like, I don't have the time, I don't have the money, I'm not qualified enough, I don't want people to judge me, etc., etc. Then the excuses become so lame, you can't even convince yourself to believe yourself. You know exactly what I'm talking about! Believe it or not, even the most confident and motivated people run into these barriers at times, so don't get too down on yourself.
The trick to not overwhelming yourself, as Van Wilder says, is, "Write that down!" When you write it down, you get a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished so you can take baby steps instead of trying to do it all at once, then get overwhelmed. There's a reason you create a business plan before you open a business. It's also extremely gratifying to check things off your to-do list. Is it not?
Take, for example, a daily planner. I'm totally old school when it comes to my planner and need to use a trusty pen and paper. Go ahead, laugh, but I have multiple reasons I prefer to use paper.
I like to see it all laid out in front of me and not on a screen you have to tip or swipe to see the entire month's view.
It allows me to take full accountability, so I can't blame my phone for not saving my appointments. Lord knows I've heard those excuses a million times as a business owner with clients. When someone wouldn't show for an appointment, all I would hear is Charlie Brown's teacher mumbling, "Womp, womp womp."
There's power behind putting ink to paper, especially with goals and action steps. Every goal I've ever accomplished, I've written on paper. Just saying...
I like to see the scribbles and chicken scratches of the good, bad and indifferent ideas when brainstorming.
You can certainly do it any way you like, as there may be more power in typing or even voice recordings for some. You know the saying, different strokes for different folks! Try a couple of different ways to see what works best for you. It might take me more time to write, but it's something tangible that I can hold in my hands, and that's important to me. The most important thing and what most people struggle with, in whichever way you choose, is just to get started!
Post in the comments which project you've been overthinking or which brainstorming technique works best for you!
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