I am guilty of this time and time again. I avoid something I want to do because in the back of my mind, I don’t have a solid understanding of (A) if it is possible at all, or (B) if it is possible, the path to success must arduous and painful. Not to mention the deep seeded fear of my overall lack of belief in myself of accomplishing any said task, and the deeper fear of if I “fail”, I will be consumed by feelings of shame and regret.
The first step to conquering this fear would be to grab that idea by the scruff of the neck and drag it out from the shadows, and push it into the light. Ambiguous ideas are a friend of fear. First, start by defining what you want to accomplish by getting your thoughts down on paper. If you need to rewrite what exactly you are trying to achieve, this is the time to do it! By becoming clear on what is your main goal, this should have a big impact on reducing your overall fear of starting.
So, you have spent the time to condense your thoughts down on paper, and now you have a firm understanding of what you are trying to achieve. The next step is to write out small actionable steps you can take to accomplish this goal. Maybe start out small. For example, I want to learn about SEO. I can start by studying for thirty minutes a day, five times a week. If after completing this task, I feel energized to do more, then I can up my study time.
The last comment is a segway into another thought I had on goals. Why do you want to accomplish this goal? This is very important. Are you unconsciously trying to complete a goal because you believe your partner or parents would be proud of you? Is this goal in line with what and who you truly are? Make sure what you have set out to do is for the right reasons.
This thought is in line with knowing your “why”. You have to ask yourself do you want it enough? Are you willing to wake up at 4am in the morning and study for two hours, five days a week for months on end? I know I am guilty of this. I will have a grand idea while taking a shower, but in the end I am just not motivated enough to put in the hours and effort to achieve the goal.
Track your progress, and keep yourself accountable. Its easy to oversleep in the morning and put off what you want to get done. Have a calendar handy, hang it above your desk and mark off the days you have worked on your goal. This way you can look back on the work accomplished and it can give you a boost in confidence, and an overall feeling of accomplishment. While you are at it, to stay motivated, write out your “Why” and your goal on a piece of paper and hang it above your desk.
I think that if you are clear on what you want, you have checked in with yourself and you have confirmed you are pursuing it for the right reasons, and you know your “why”, then I think you have a very good chance of succeeding.
Personal Development Journey 