On the morning of January 17, 1977, Gary Gilmore stood before a firing squad and was asked for his final words. Charged with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of assault, and two counts of murder, Gilmore gained notoriety for protesting his stays of execution.
His final words were, “Let’s do it.”
A decade later, ad man Dan Wieden would cite Gilmore’s words as the inspiration for creating one of the most iconic campaigns of the century…
Nike’s “Just Do It.”
The slogan changed lives.
It transcended age, gender, and ethnicity. It was a “kick in the pants” that inspired folks to take charge of their lives. High schoolers got the courage to ask their crush to the prom. Professionals got the courage to tackle bigger challenges. Entrepreneurs took bigger risks. Scores of people took responsibility for their fitness. Many women wrote to the agency and said they’d finally left their deadbeat husbands.
What’s the big idea?
It’s high time you stop procrastinating and avoiding your growing pains!
And yes, this goes for everyone else too (including me). We all have serious room to grow.
Going from zero to making your first dollar online requires hulk-smashing through your “comfort zone”…and so does taking a 6-figure business into seven and beyond.
We all experience fear.
It’s nothing shameful. What’s important is what you do in response. Here’s a li’l hint… Taking action is the cure for what ails you.
And your actions alone dictate your results.
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
– Dale Carnegie
Sometimes, taking action might seem like the hardest thing to do. Here are a few tips to help you get off your butt, brush off the cobwebs on your shoulders, and take action:
1. Don’t Wait For Perfect Conditions
People who say they are waiting for the perfect conditions to get started usually never do; they keep waiting for “the right place” and “the right time,” which is exactly what their fear wants: another excuse to wait another day, week, or month before stepping out of their comfort zone to actually start playing the game.
The legendary Walt Disney once said:
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
Those who keep waiting for the perfect conditions remain bystanders for the rest of their lives; they end up overwhelmed by regret as they realize any real opportunity to actually do something with their lives has come and gone because they were still waiting for that “perfect opportunity” to put all their plans into action. And the worst part is, in most cases, they don’t even realize it was fear that kept holding them back.
Don’t get me wrong…it’s okay to be afraid. Muster all your courage, face your deepest, darkest fears, and…
2. Think Positive!
It seems these days you can’t walk down the street (or spend a few minutes online) without hearing some reference to the “power of positive thinking”; it’s in every self-empowerment book, as well as, in half the fortune cookies at your favorite Chinese restaurant.
However, people who continuously promote the value of positive thinking are usually those who realized it is an essential element in achieving success. Funny how that works, right?
People who start an endeavor focusing on the negative will fail before they even get started.
Sure, life is full of ups and downs, and there are a great number of things that can lead us to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. So, how can people think positive when they can’t seem to catch a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel? How can anyone be in a good mood when they can’t seem to catch a break in life? We’ve all been there.
There is always a silver lining to every bad situation; you just have to know where to look. Keep a close eye on your progress and celebrate it. In The Progress Principle, Teresa Amabile─a renowned Professor at Harvard Business School─stresses the importance of keeping a journal to record small achievements that would otherwise be forgotten.
When you realize that you’re actually moving in the right direction (even if it’s at a slow pace), optimism will start to drive you towards your goals, leaving self-doubt, overwhelm, fear, and anything else that has been holding you back behind you, allowing you to…
3. Boost Your Self-Confidence
Lack of self-confidence is one of the main factors that cause people to lose motivation, which leads them to remain within their comfort zone, and never take any real chances.
People often have a hard time believing in themselves, especially when things don’t turn out as expected. Which is going to happen, let’s be honest. Unfortunately, people tend to focus entirely on what they’re trying to achieve and lose sight of what they’ve already worked so hard to attain. Basically, they forget any past successes and allow their present circumstances to control their future.
Don’t fall into the trap of believing stories that aren’t true (and don’t serve you.)
Failure is nothing but an opportunity to learn what didn’t work, refine, and try again.
Michael Jordan once said:
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game’s winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that’s why I succeed.”
Take a look back at everything you’ve accomplished so far; be mindful of the lessons you’ve learned along the way; then turn your attention back to your ultimate goals.
Once you’ve regained your self-confidence and motivation, gather all your strength and…
4. Focus on One Thing
Gary Keller, author of The One Thing, put it best when he said:
“You can do two things at once, but you can’t focus effectively on two things at once.”
It is an undeniable fact that focusing your attention on a single task is the best way to actually get things done. Studies have shown that multitasking reduces productivity as much as 40%, and that it can lower a person’s IQ by 10 points.
People sometimes feel the need to tackle several goals at the same time to make the most out of every second spent on building their businesses, so they end up with too many things on their plates. They start writing an article, responding to email, calling potential customers, and looking for prospects on Facebook while trying to design a lead capture page. Can you relate?
Multitasking can be useful in extreme circumstances, but it often means doing things carelessly, putting quantity over quality.
If you focus on one thing at a time, and work towards attaining one goal at a time, you will make far more progress. This progress will also be more tangible, since you’ll be taking longer strides towards one goal, rather than taking tiny steps in ten different directions.
This will also significantly boost your self-confidence, which is especially nice when you learn how to…
5. Reward Yourself
All our lives we’ve been conditioned to feel good when we are rewarded. Ever since we got that shiny star for coloring inside the lines in kindergarten, or the quarter mom gave us for mowing the lawn on a Saturday morning, we’ve been non-consciously expecting a reward for everything we do.
Now before you object and tell me how you’re not entitled like everyone else…you need to know that this reward mechanism is actually biochemical. It’s hardwired. Intrinsic to being human. (…or any mammal with a functioning brain, for that matter.)
In his book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explains how habits are formed in the basal ganglia through cues, routines, and rewards.
What Duhigg calls the “Habit Loop” starts with the cue, an event that triggers your brain to react on autopilot using one of your habits; then, an emotional, physical or mental routine follows; and finally, the reward appears, which helps the brain decide whether a particular Habit Loop is worth remembering or not.
So how do you hack the system?
Reward yourself for actually taking action!
Hint: it works. Positive reinforcement will aid you in developing and reinforcing beneficial habits, which will boost your self-confidence along the way.
Punishments work too. Habits work either way.
If someone made a commitment to place $10 inside a jar every time he caught himself procrastinating or updating his Facebook status, when he should be editing his next video sales letter, that person would be extremely motivated to avoid procrastination, and leave Facebook for a later time, don’t you think?
Speaking of the double-edged blade of Facebook, understand that, in order to stay in the “action zone,” you must…
6. Eliminate All Distractions
Computers are extremely powerful tools that allow us to create content, organize pretty much every aspect of our lives, and even communicate with someone on the other side of the globe with a few clicks and keystrokes. Awesome stuff, right?
However, computers also represent a hazard to your productivity. Social media, instant messaging, and basically every website on the Internet can all too easily become a distraction. These seemingly harmless diversions have now invaded our mobile devices too, and there is now the constant danger of distraction everywhere you turn!
CareerBuilder carried out a study last year which revealed that 50% of the employers surveyed considered cell phones and text messaging to be a major “productivity stopper” during work hours, followed closely by gossip (42%), the Internet (39%) and social media (38%).
In the age of smartphones, it’s easy to get distracted by email notifications, text messages, and of course, unexpected phone calls. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is turn your phone off if you’re trying to focus on getting things done. Airplane mode, y’all! It’ll save you from some radiation too.
When using a computer for work, the best option is work offline as much as possible, especially when you’re writing. Some music may help you relax and concentrate, but it is usually a good idea to give Spotify a break and use a scientifically-engineered option like Focus@Will.
Making the necessary changes to avoid the “digital distractions” that keep you from doing something shouldn’t be hard, especially if you are able to…
7. Commit
Once you’ve started down a certain path, stick to it. Even if you sometimes can’t find the necessary motivation to keep going, never give up!
“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
– Steve Jobs
Keep your ultimate goals in mind and do whatever it takes to push through the adversities and challenges that life throws your way.
While others are busy making excuses to justify procrastination, you should focus all your efforts on actually getting things done. When your competitors are busy updating their Facebook status, you should concentrate on creating fresh content that will attract new followers and engage your audience.
When others fall prey to their fears, you should acknowledge your own and face them head on! To succeed online, you’ve got to put yourself out there and get in front of people.
Want to be an attraction marketer?
Then create stuff worth consuming. It’s that simple. How? You just need to focus…
If you want to be a writer… write! If you want to be a blogger… blog! If you want to be a podcaster… podcast! If you want to be a video marketer… get in front of your camera and start talking!
There’s training on every subject imaginable here at EMP. But you don’t need to watch every webinar to get results.
In fact, you should spend twice as much time executing as you do learning.
Your business isn’t a spectator sport.
You can watch Tiger Woods swing a thousand times, but until you pick up a club, you’ll never make any progress.
Don’t ask for permission.
Don’t wait for someone to say, “You can do it.”
Don’t seek approval. Don’t fear criticism or be too timid.
Every single leader ever has made mistakes and faced uncertainty along their journey. That just doesn’t happen to be the story you hear.
Life isn’t a training montage from Rocky or The Karate Kid.
You don’t get to “fast-forward” through the hard stuff while inspirational music plays. Time’s going to feel really slow when you get knocked to the mat and choose to get back up again.
It’s worth it.
If you want things you’ve never had you’ve got to do things you’ve never done.
It’s time to jump in the deep end, my friend.
Play a bigger game. Expand your vision. Make it happen.
In short…
Just do it.
Cecelia Morris
CEO Taking Charge Inc.
P..S., If this article provided value to you please leave a comment telling me which strategy you will implement first.
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