Monday, December 28, 2009

Quit Dreaming, Start Doing & Mute that SOB Self-Doubt

Photo Credit: Robocalypse

I was having a conversation with a young lady I am coaching when we arrived on the subject of dreaming versus doing. This girl has big dreams of one day being an entrepreneur and controlling her own destiny. She's impressive. She's ambitious. She knows where she wants to go.

The problem is she just happens to be afraid to take that first step in order to make it happen.

She has big lofty dreams for an idea that she knows will work but contends she can't do it without that "big break." Her idea has lots of potential but she's waiting for that "perfect client" to pitch it to. She has gobs of notes and an incredible plan mapped out and yet they remain locked up in her briefcase where only she will see them because "they aren't ready for prime time just yet."

I suspect she is no different than say you or me. We have lofty dreams, goals and ambitions that we spend countless hours thinking about, longing and hoping for yet like her aren't doing a damn thing about it. We allow self-doubt and insecurity to win out as our brains tell us we can't possibly be the next Steve Jobs, Malcolm Gladwell or Tony Hsieh. We make little excuses such as waiting for that perfect client or having an idea or our concept "just right" to avoid making an attempt to sell our idea to anyone. Some of us tend to be more dreamer than doer and that's why we will never see our idea, our product or our new fangled widget adorn the shelves of that dream retailer next Christmas season.

As for my client and by extension you and me there is hope. We don't have to be resigned to this fate of being a dreamer all of our life. Having dreams is fantastic but dreams are only stories we tell ourselves in a made up fairy tail land without action. Despite what you might read in those self-help books you received for Christmas simply thinking of it doesn't make it so. Life unfortunately isn't that easy.

No, you need to decide to get off your duff and be willing to jump off the ledge (or curb - whichever you prefer) to do something. You have to be willing to step up to the plate and take your swing. You have to be willing to take a few lumps (perhaps both mental and physical) and keep pushing through to get see your dream become reality.

You and only you can make this decision and there's no doubt it's a big one. Sure it's scary. Sure it's hard. Sure it might feel uncomfortable as hell, but if it were easy then everyone would do it right?

Self-doubt will always be there telling you what you can't do - giving you tons of excuses as why you shouldn't do what IT is you want to do. As I told my young client the difference between someone who is making their dreams happen and those who aren't is the volume they allow self-doubt to be played in their head. I chose to mute the son of a bitch or else I would never have written a book, walked up on stage to speak or done half the things I've done in my career and life.

She can too.

So can you.

So hit the mute button, quit dreaming and start doing something to make IT (whatever IT is for you) happen! Come on my friend you know you want to!

Ripple On!!!

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

2 comments:

Ann said...

A timely post as I spend this week pondering my goals for 2010. I have already started making a list, I prefer to think of them as goals rather than New Years Resolutions.

There's also the matter of looking at what goals I set for myself for 2009 and how well did I do reaching them. I'm saving that for New Year's Eve, it seems a perfect time to both reflect on the past year, and to look toward all I plan to do in 2010.

Greg Looper said...

Hey - Steve: it's Greg. This is a real good way to end this 2009 year
and this 2010 decade. I just read the latest 'Ripple-Effect' and it inspired and
blew my mind. I hope that many more people will read this.
I am going to share this (Ripple-Effect) with a few friends of mine as
a heart-warming Holiday gift. Best wishes to YOU, and your entire family,
happy-holidays, and a very bright, and exciting NEW 2010 year & DECADE.


Thanks - buddy,
your friend , Greg .