The Silent Killer of Your Dreams
“I’ve been thinking about launching a newsletter.” my friend texts me.
“Do it!” I text him back.
“I’ve been wanting to do it forever but I just never get around to it…” he says.
“What’s stopping you?” I ask.
“I’ve just been hesitant. I’m too busy, things keep popping up. I can’t decide on the right platform, not sure I can commit to a consistent content schedule… also what if no one subscribes?”
My advice? “TAKE DECISIVE ACTION AND ITERATE 🚀🚀🚀”
The excitement of New Year’s Eve has passed.
The 2020 resolutions hype on social media is fading.
We’re already in the full swing of 2020.
…Now it’s time to move from dreaming to execution.
As you think about the big goals you want to achieve in the next year and next decade, do you find yourself excited? Anxious? Both?
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably a mix of both. There’s something unique about the times we live in. Our goals can no longer be one-dimensional: it’s not enough to just have professional goals, it’s also not enough to just have personal goals.
There’s increasing pressure to do it all: We must have personal goals, physical goals, professional goals, creative goals, familial goals, spiritual goals, emotional goals, technological goals, habitual goals, relationship goals... We need to be
More successful!
More wealthy!
More fulfilled!
More fit!
More loved!
More worldly!
More progressive!
More innovative!
More more more!
For our generation it is still not enough to be doing more of all of these things, we also need to post about it, because if we don’t post about it… did it even happen at all?!
Over the last few years, I’ve learned how to be proficient at posting on social media. People see me on their social channels and exclaim, “You’re everywhere on social media!” They comment on my lifestyle, “It looks like you’re spending a lot of time at the gym” and on my work “Congratulations, It looks like you’re up to fantastic things!”
I don’t know why, but when people give me comments like this, I’ve felt anxious, undeserving even. You see, I’ve struggled through massive imposer syndrome, but as an entrepreneur whose work is directly tied to creating content to provide value to my audience, I’ve learned to take action in spite of the critical voice in my head.
There’s a fundamental truism that has stuck with me from none other than my fleeting 90’s pop star idol Britney Spears:
For creators, the most dangerous trap is to fall into a mode of passive observation.
Too often, I hear people tell me their dreams of starting a new passion project, only to come back 6 months later having made zero progress on it.
The leaders I work with want to grow their brands, write books, design products, create art, start online stores, produce podcasts… but for some reason they’re always “too busy” or “have other priorities that keep coming up.”
In reality, what this actually translates to is poor time management, procrastination, fear, and self-doubt.
The silent killer of all dreams is inaction.
I genuinely believe that there's a part within every single person that wants to put something out into the world that is a reflection of their authentic self… But then they get distracted by completely irrelevant things and mental self-sabotage.
Here are the mistakes I see people making in trying to launch something new:
They get too caught up in the weeds of logistical details that don’t actually move the needle
They are too easily distracted
They are too indecisive, and take advice from people who have no right giving it
They care too much about what audience reception will be
They hide behind a mask of perfectionism
They don’t create strong boundaries around their personal creative time
… and all of this results in analysis paralysis, inaction, and your personal project never seeing the light of day.
As you go into this new year, I want to encourage you to dig deep within yourself and commit to putting your project out there. Especially if you’ve had a prolonged nagging, guilty voice in your head that knows you’ve been putting things off.
I want to remind you that it’s your life and you have power to express yourself.
I want to challenge you to create an action plan to execute on that personal project that will most deeply fulfill you.