Hours after the sun has tucked itself in for the night, you’re still up – working on your latest business idea.
You’ve got 2 outlines for online courses, the first 5 pages of an e-book, over a dozen half-written blog posts. You’re so full of great ideas, you can barely finish writing one down, and in pops another into your already crowded noggin.
I opened two “new post” tabs as I was writing this. This is why my drafts section has six months worth of nearly finished content, and the actual blog is lookin’ sparse (check back next week mang, I’m on a roll).
Why do I have so many ideas spinning in my head, but not many finished projects?
It’s fear, my friends. The ugly monster that hides under your bed, looks like Freddy Krueger and smells like bacon. Why else would people in horror movies actually look under the bed?
“Ella, no way. I’m not afraid. I’m just too busy.”
Replace “busy” with perfectionism, overwhelmed, indecisive, depressed, can’t focus.
What those words really mean…
Perfectionism: The fear of appearing like a total idiot loser. We all struggle in the beginning. You want to put out something of quality, but no one is an expert when they just start off. You may have the knowledge, but the skill in delivery is still being formed. Only time and consistency will make your work amazing, but you must finish what you start.
Overwhelm: What happens when your expectations are bigger than your plate. To prevent overwhelm, know how much you can actually accomplish when setting your agenda. Don’t overcommit to anyone, including yourself. Be ambitiously realistic, and set aside time for total relaxation.
Indecisive: Mistakenly thinking that you only get one shot at life. Possibly overestimating how many people will actually see your first attempts at glory.
Depressed: Entrepreneurial stuff can be seriously depressing. There’s a lot of work to be done, and the fruits of your labor are doled out like rations until you get keys to the pantry. Then there’s my next podcast guest, Clinical Depression. He likes to follow around creative types especially. Don’t let him convince you to give him a piggy back ride. He’s kind of a mooch.
Lack of focus: “Get some Adderall,” screams the banshee in my brain the remembers the superhuman mental acuity from prescriptions past. NO. Do not get some Adderall. I mean maybe, that’s your choice. Been down that road; went two years with no sleep. I can tell you that exercise, herbs, meditation, cognitive exercises and eating well are better things to become dependent upon, and will improve your ability to focus without robbing your body of nutrients.
How can I get past my fears and get stuff accomplished?
I make light of depression and difficulty focusing, but they can be serious problems. There’s no simple solution for either, but there are many places to begin.
If fear is what’s holding you back, action is the remedy.
Plan out your yearly goals. Boil it down to what you need to do in the next 3 months. Make an action plan for this month, this week, and choose a few things to accomplish each day.
Discipline is setting a goal, and repeatedly making the choices that will get you there.
If you have issues with focus like I do, narrow down your life to only the important stuff. I’m always focused on my relationship with my spouse and health & wellness goals. This month my business focus is improving my writing, reading a ton, and getting out of the house more (I’m a hermit).
The biggest part of this puzzle is you.
Are you embodying the characteristics of a person who is successful in your field?
Do you have discipline, take care of your health, set aside time where you don’t think about your craft? Are you getting the right nutrition and exercising? Do you have a support system?
Remember to celebrate your successes too! I just helped a business coaching client of mine get their Kickstarter project fully funded to 10K! My story pitch about their campaign was accepted by The Huffington Post, the #1 blog on the Interwebs!
Do you think I was overjoyed? Well yea! Did I celebrate? No. Not until just now.
That’s it. It’s white wine spritzer night, and I’m dancing in my kaftan in the rain.