It is amazing how often we fail to take this last step in the change process. We reflect, meditate, research, discuss all the options and then after all this investment of energy and time do nothing !At the crucial moment our courage deserts us and all the old negative programming clicks in …..’its too risky’…’ I might fail ‘….’people will think I am a fool’…..’who am I to think I can do this’….etc etc
It’s totally ok to have these feelings, more than that it is normal. It might help to know that a lot of successful people have these feelings but manage somehow as Susan Jeffers famously advises in her book of the same name to ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’
Some other tips for encouraging yourself to act :
– look honestly at the downsides….they may not be as dire as you think!
– look at the long term consequences on the ‘do nothing’ option
– act in baby steps to build your confidence and to prove to yourself that you can do it
– tell the world what you are planning to do and thereby embarass yourself into doing it
– surround yourself with supportive friends
– lots of positive self talk and affirmations
When you do act there may be setbacks along the way, and this is also part of the change process. Be patient, maintain your commitment and remember that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’.
