Take action – A simple skill you need to build momentum

You know you deserve a great life. You’ve the skills and are ready take action.

You run towards the door to start your quest. You slam it wide open and you feel as if there is no floor, the door leads straight to a precipice.

You are paralyzed with fear, you can’t make that jump and survive, right?

So you go back to your couch and start building up some courage again, just to do this over and over again.

Sounds familiar?

You can’t predict the future

When you’re about to take a quest into uncharted terrain, your brain kicks in and starts reminding you of all the safety you are leaving behind, after all he’s in charge of keeping you alive.

You can ask any entrepreneur, just before they launch into a new venture, their mind is rushing with an insane amount of memories past failures. I bet you feel this way too when you want to change a habit or start a new project.

But let’s be honest, you can’t predict the future. There is no way you can foresee all the possible outcomes of your actions, so why worry about it?

You don’t need to know where you’re going to land

The reality is simple, you really believe you need to know the outcome of your quest. You need to know you’re going to slay that dragon or you won’t set a foot out of your comfort zone.

This is your brain trying to protect you. You’re about to take a path you have never walked before, your conscious mind may be perfectly clear on what you need to do, but the subconscious thinks the safest route is a far better approach.

You need to deal with those thoughts in the back of your mind. But you’re not going to get anywhere if you are just hunting for them one by one. You don’t need to spend the afternoon being paranoid about your thoughts, you need to take action now!

Relax, the answer is easier than it seems.

Stop focusing on the end game

Instead of trying to find every thought and reason your subconscious is throwing at you from his comfy spot. You can use his own approach to your advantage.

Your subconscious is truly afraid of moving forward and trying new things, but that’s because the leap of faith you’re about to take is huge. You are about to jump from the mountain and into the abyss, even the bravest would doubt a little bit.

Instead, why don’t you look for a staircase or a simpler path? You will complete your quest, but instead of thinking about slaying the dragon, you focus on stepping outside town. That’s easier and your subconscious won’t complain.

Dungeons and dragons aside. You’re afraid to take action, not because you have more excuses, but because you’re focusing on the end game when you have not even started. This is another reason that could be stopping you from flying.

Yes, it’s important to know where you’re going and align yourself with your ultimate goal, but that serves as a guide, you need to focus on the next step and nothing more.

Start focusing on the next milestone

Time to add another great weapon to your warrior arsenal.

Being able to break insanely complex tasks into simple steps is one of the biggest skills you can learn. This process can help you create better and far more flexible plans. It’s an epic win with just a small time invested.

Let’s say you want to be in better shape. To do that you need to start eating healthier food and add some exercise to your day.

Your mind may already be rushing with ideas of being all sweaty, lifting weights, and complaining about the lack of flavor of healthy food. With that train of thought you’ll feel tired and craving some nachos. All before you even start.

Break the quest into smaller tasks

Instead, let’s focus on a simpler milestone. You’ll add one fruit or veggie in your next meal and you’ll walk to the bookstore instead of driving. That’s easier.

You’re still walking towards your goal, but now you are focusing on a smaller task. You can break any task into smaller ones and completely remove your fears from the game. There is no need to predict the future.

Now here are a few points to keep in mind when you create your milestones:

• The milestones must feel a bit challenging: There is a fine line between challenging and overwhelming. You want to keep yourself on the challenging side by asking yourself how your feel about this smaller goal.
• Focus on the next task: Don’t try to break the whole quest into smaller pieces, just focus on the next step, once you’re done with that, you can find out what you will do next. This keeps you flexible in case something needs to change.
• Keep the main goal in sight: As you’re taking more steps towards your goal, check it again. Make sure you’re still waking in the right path!
• Reward yourself for completing each milestone: Just as games reward you with experience for your character, you can reward yourself too, remember you can use gamification on any task.

Practice time

Practice this skill during your day and soon you will master the art of taking action. You will no longer be paralyzed before starting because you’re just taking a small step. Be sure to give it a spin before going back to the couch. Remember that you’re investing a little bit of time to reap greater benefits.

Have you ever tried to break a huge task into smaller ones? Do you have a similar method to kick yourself into action? Let me know int he comments below.

Photo by Daniel Flower