"You don't have to be great to take action, but you have to take action to be great."
How many times have you waited for the perfect time, the perfect moment, the perfect opportunity, or the perfect you to actually do something?
Where does this mindset lead you? NOWHERE.
It is time to stop this madness and get into action today.
Below are 5 easy steps you may consider to take action one day at a time and live the life you always dreamed of.
1. Stop waiting…..Start moving
If you want results, you have to stop waiting and start moving.
Waiting is what we do when we are uncomfortable, scared, insecure.
We wait for the perfect moment,for the perfect us, for the perfect body…...
DO we think that one day we are going to wake up and things are going to magically change:
“ that’s it, I am perfect today and can take action now, or I have a perfect body I can start living the life I have always dreamed of, or I am such a good speaker I am going to give lectures after lectures…”
As ridiculous as it might seems, we all do that. We all wait and wait and wait.
Perfectionist or not we think it has to be a time or a place to take action. So, we wait for that “perfect moment”. What does that perfect moment look like? What will make that time more ideal than another?
Procrastination comes from the Latin word procastinare that means postponing until tomorrow.
Is tomorrow going to be the perfect time? The bottom line is we do not take action because fear gets in our way, so we tell ourselves that tomorrow would be better, tomorrow would be “the perfect time”....
You need to take action despite the fear.
Fear is just an illusion. You can choose to hate fear or embrace it.
Fear is either here to keep you small or it is a sign that you are stepping out of your comfort zone.
There is no better “perfect moment” to take action than TODAY.
Keep the momentum going by moving forward.
You are not alone….
I cannot tell you how often I have waited for the perfect time, the perfect situation, or the perfect me, to take action. Where did it get me? Nowhere, I was the queen of perfection and I am telling you being a perfectionist allowed me to sit back and wait …I waited, and waited….
Sometimes, I wouldn’t even try because I knew I was not going to be perfect.
How ridiculous is that? I do not know what I was thinking, but as you can guess, perfection never came. The more ridiculous thing was, I thought people were born successful with all the talents and gifts, that they did not have to work at them, and they were born under a good star.
In a way, I was right we are all born with gifts and talents. We have all different abilities, and we can all achieve our dreams. It is not a question of being born under the right star, it is a matter of wanting it so badly that nothing can stop us from getting it.
Did I think I would awake one day and just become the perfect speaker, the perfect marketer, the perfect writer….I guess so.
Waiting to be perfect, it is what we do with a bottle of wine; we wait years to drink it because we know it will become better over time.
We do become better over time by taking action, not by waiting.
Action:
Take one action a day that you resist doing.
If you feel resistance or fear, push through it and take action anyway. It can be going to the gym, writing in your journal, or going to a networking event. Make the habit of doing instead of waiting. It is in action that you will get results. Celebrate yourself after each action.
2. Stop comparing and judging yourself….Start loving and accepting yourself the way you are..
Our mind can go on a fast track here… And this can be so damaging.You are beautifully unique the way you are. You have infinite talents and gifts that are extremely amazing. Believe it. You have to stop judging yourself and comparing yourself to others.
The more you judge and compare yourself to others, the less you are going to believe in yourself. You are going to stop the momentum and growth in you. Who wants to continue to get out of their comfort zone by taking bold action if there is a constant voice that it telling them “I am not good, in fact I really suck”, “I did a terrible job”, “She is such a better speaker than I am”.....
Would you want to continue or quit?
Be kind to yourself. Love yourself now, today, the way you are, in the situation you are in.
Loving yourself is going to attract people to you, doors are going to open, possibilities are going to come your way. If you want to change, you need to love who you are today.
You are not alone….
With perfectionism came self-judgment, at least for me. As long as I can remember, I have been judging, criticizing, and scrutinizing myself. It was never enough the way I was. I was always in search of a better me, a perfect me. I didn’t realize how harsh I was on myself. Until people around me, told me. I kept paying attention to my thoughts, and my words.
Finally, self-love replaced self-sabotaging behavior and self-acceptance replaced self-comparison with others. Did I erase it completely from my life? No, I am human, but at least now, I know how to deal with it: by using words of kindness.
Action:
What do you say to yourself most of the time? Whom do you compare yourself to?
On a piece of paper, draw a vertical line in the middle of the page. On the left side, write everything you tell yourself, this is what we call mind dumping, and on the right side, write down the opposite.
For example: I am too fat - I love my body.
Then from the list, make up an affirmation about yourself and write it down on a piece of paper, say something really nice about yourself, like the example above “ I am beautifully unique…..I have infinite talents and gifts….Have it in your pocket at all times. Read it several times a day, and before and after you take an action.
Becoming aware is one step forward to change. Accepting yourself as you are right now is the best gift you can give yourself.
3. Stop finding excuses….Start excusing yourself from your chair.
Waiting for the perfect time, for the perfect opportunity may have been an excuse. Haven’t you noticed how creative we are when it comes to finding excuses for our delayed action? Excuses such as, I haven’t slept all night, I was too tired, I was sick, I got an unexpected phone call, I am too isolated, I am too new, I am not organized enough...etc…
If you want to make a difference in your life, you have to make a commitment to get into action right now and to quit finding excuses. This behavior has not worked in the past, it is not going to work today. If you want to see results, you need to take action right now, not in a day or two, not in a week, a month, or a year. Get into action TODAY.
You are not alone….
I was creative at finding excuses to avoid taking action. I was also good at finding distractions such as emails, or Facebook….in order to postpone doing. I would bury myself in unproductive activities, in order to forget about the things that I resisted the most: marketing myself, promoting my business. Did I get clients? What do you think?
Promoting my business was in fact the best, most gentle act I could do for myself and other people.
Until, I realized it, I sat in my chair, waiting for clients to knock at my door.
Action:
Make a list of three things you want to achieve during the day and do them no matter what.
Again, here, you want to get into the habit of doing things you commit to before you go to bed. The more you practice this exercise, the more confident you will be, the more you will trust yourself, and the easier it will be to achieve anything you set your mind to. What a great habit, isn’t it!!!!
Relax and have fun!
4.Stop analyzing….. Start expanding
In other words, get out of your own head and start connecting with people, start being curious about others. What do I mean by that? Analyzing past events and ourselves is a great way to understand and liberate us from past traumas and will help us overcome present blockage. It is great to know your limited beliefs that prevent you from moving forward. However, it is really necessary to not stay stuck in them and the best way to do that is to take action while paying attention to what is going on inside.
You are not alone….
You must think I have a story for everything. I wish I could say no I don’t, but the reality is that I do. I have waited and waited for the magic pills. I have judged myself to a point that I did not want to hear myself anymore; comparing myself to others was my favorite past time. I was so creative at finding excuses to not do what I was supposed to do. I was analyzing myself, and situations, I was so much in my own head, that my head became my office.
Action:
Talk to 1 to 3 new person daily. Have a conversation with them. Connect with them.
5. Start saying yes to imperfection …. Start getting results!!!
Yeah. This is the fun part. This is what we all want.
There are no miracles here, if you want to get results, you need to take action. Say yes to endless opportunities, possibilities that are in front of you. Find perfection in your imperfections and go for it. People will be drawn to you.
Action:
Celebrate your wins small and big.
Please let me know about your experiences, or your insights.
Would love to hear from you.
If you need help to take action or want to become clearer about what actions you need to take. Contact me for a 30-minute discovery session, I will be happy to help you.
About the Author
Isabelle is the founder of Break Free Live Complete. As a life Transformation Coach she helps women entrepreneurs and mothers who are struggling to move forward in their life and their business. Isabelle helps her clients recognize their old habits, limiting beliefs, and mental blocks in order to set them free, let go of the no I can't, to the yes I can, reconnect with their true self and tap into their greatness. As the results of her coaching, Isabelle’s clients feel whole, complete and unstoppable.
