Be Willing To Do What Others Aren’t: Take Action, In Spite Of

Sometimes, you just KNOW there's something you need to take action on to take your business forward. However, if you're anything like me, you've gotten stopped in the past, even when it's something you KNOW will create big results. You procrastinate, you tidy up your office, get another cup of coffee, ANYTHING to not get it done. Ever have that happen to you?

There are different reasons why you may be stalling from taking action. It could be that you don't know the next steps, that you're not sure how to move forward. That happens, but that's not what we're talking about today. Most likely, it's something deeper.

For me, the procrastination in moving forward is sometimes a fear of success, especially when the outcome really means a lot to me. When it's something meaningful, something BIG, it's a combination of, "Wow, I hope I don't screw this up" and simultaneously, "What will happen if I succeed? Can I really handle the success and the abundance that will come my way? Am I really cut out for this much good stuff coming into my life?" (Just writing that seems ridiculous, but that's what sometimes comes up, and I KNOW I'm not the only one.)

That's what I call your INNER game of Client Attraction (mindset) dictating your OUTER game of Client Attraction (marketing.)

Although I'm usually focused and take a no-excuses approach to getting things done, it happened again this past week. I had set aside the time to finalize the info webpage for the upcoming 3-day Client Attraction workshop I'm hosting (August 20-22) and instead, I found myself doing things I "used" to do: going to eat something instead of sitting down to write it, cleaning out my office, even wiping down the desk, shopping for shoes online, and then I realized what was really happening.

I was momentarily being stretched past my comfort zone.

You see, this workshop is something I've wanted to do for 2 years. It's everything I'm passionate about: Marketing and Mindset. It's about giving people the real-life tools they need to market their business, while getting them out of their OWN way, so they can actually succeed. It's my passion, it's my dream, and it's my calling (just reading that gets me choked up.) So, as you can see, this isn't a light thing for me. There's a lot at stake, both professionally and personally. And actually DOING it has me feeling a little uncomfortable. Thoughts keep creeping up: "Will they want it? Will they pay for it? Will they come?"

That creepy gremlin of self-doubt reared its ugly head once again. I thought I'd clobbered him, but he was back. Thing is, I wasn't going to let him win once again. So this time, I decided to take ACTION, in spite of the fear, in spite of the uncomfortable feelings of self-doubt.

The key was to recognize WHAT was stopping me from taking action. What was at the core? What was this all about? Once that was clear, I chose an action that would move me forward, in spite of any negative feelings, or what my inner critic or gremlins were telling me.

Then, I wrote down the action I wanted to get done THAT DAY. Just ONE action step. Admittedly, it FELT massive, but it was just one thing to do. Next, I asked myself how it would feel at the end of the day, having accomplished that one goal, that one action. I envisioned being really proud of myself, happy inside, and knowing that I had done something really good today. The day had not been wasted. Once that was done, I got to work on the task I'd been pushing off for 2 years.

Well, every time this happens, the result is always the same. YES, the first few minutes are uncomfortable. I'm fidgety, a little anxious, I dread it. But once the flow gets going, once I'm committed to the project, it all just glides from there. When I'm in the flow, ideas start to surface that I hadn't thought about, concepts start to come together, and the whole thing just takes shape, making it easier than I thought it would have been.

After a while, you get a rush. That uninterrupted flow of creativity starts to take over and it's like you're riding a wave. At the end of the day, you're feeling a high, a pride, and a real sense of accomplishment. Not just because you took a step FORWARD for your business, but because you took that step IN SPITE OF.

Your Client Attraction Assignment: So, I ask you today. What is it that you've been putting off? What is it that has great importance to you that you've been procrastinating on? What's one thing that, if you got it done today, would move your business forward immeasurably? What could you take action on, in spite of any feelings of discomfort, knowing that once it's done, you'll feel AMAZING?

Write down the action you will take, then the FEELING you will have after accomplishing it at the end of the day (or preferably, by 11am?) Focus on that feeling and just begin it.

Remember, successful people are simply people who are willing to do what others aren't. Are you willing to do that? It's a new way of looking at your life and your business: the no-excuses approach. Once you do, Client Attraction becomes big time easy.

I don't get out of bed in the morning to be average, to do what everyone else does. How about you?

Copyright (c) 2007 Fabienne Fredrickson