Right now you’ve got a severe problem.
It seems you’re not where you want to be.
Somehow, the entrepreneurial torch inside of you has been lit, and there is no way to put it out.
You see the possibility that you can indeed achieve your dream lifestyle. And this means you can never go back to accepting the idea of working for someone else for an average salary, of doing what they tell you, of working when they say to you, of being told how you will get your job done and who you will report to.
You’ve seen the light, and there is no going back now. There is something different for you out there.
We’re talking about a freedom lifestyle that lets you do what you want, when you want, making as much money as you want, assuming you’re ready to put in the work and overcome the obstacles.
Because there will be obstacles. Things you never thought of and things you did think of but can’t seem to fix. Things that are driving you crazy. Things that make you afraid to move forward.
Building a business brings out all kinds of boogeymen who have one job – to stop you dead in your tracks and send you back to your 9 to 5 job with your tail tucked between your legs.
But here’s a little secret – something few people know – the majority of those boogeymen are IN YOUR MIND.
That obstacle? Is barely a blip on the radar. But because your mind has built it into SOMETHING SO BIG YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT, it makes you afraid. Scared. Worried. Frustrated.
And so, you procrastinate. “I’ll handle it as soon as I figure out the best way.” But instead, it just grows and grows in your mind until that tiny little obstacle is now a 40-foot tall wall of razor wire.
How do you take charge and refuse to let your brain stop you from achieving your goals and starting your business?
Speed.
Plain and simple, speed will carry you through.
Let’s say you need graphics for your website. You could get bogged down trying to figure out what those graphics should look like.
Maybe you’ll visit a few sites (or a few hundred sites) and find graphics you like. Maybe you’ll read some articles on what website graphics should be like, or even read a book on the topic.
You could take a graphic design course. Or even get your degree in graphic design.
Or better yet, just wait until you FIGURE IT OUT. But you never will figure it out by doing NOTHING.
Or…
Or you could jump on Fiverr or Upwork, or Google “Website graphics” and find someone or maybe even more than one person to take a look at your site, look at what you’re doing and what you want to accomplish and DESIGN your graphics for you.
You might even have them make three different and distinct versions. Then you choose the one you like, have them make whatever adjustments might be needed, and you’re done.
And it took you maybe 2-4 days to accomplish this, versus waiting until the day when you magically figure it out on your own.
Have you heard the expression, “Ready, Fire, Aim?” That’s what they’re talking about.
When you don’t know what to do, DO it anyway.
Now then, sometimes obstacles are so big, they paralyze us before we get a chance to take immediate action. Sort of like coming upon a 40 car wreck on the highway – we’re not going anywhere for a long while.
So how do you clear a 40 car wreck?
One car at a time.
When you have a BIG obstacle that’s pretty much FREAKING YOU OUT, then you know you need to break it down into small, manageable tasks.
Let’s say you decide to write a book. Pretty exciting, right? Until you realize that it’s a HUGE job and you don’t even know where to start.
Rather than do nothing, you get out a sheet of paper, and you start brainstorming what you might need to do. For example:
- Create a file on the computer for the book in progress
- Brainstorm chapter ideas
- Research other books on the topic
- Find my angle – what makes my book different?
- Make sure there is a market for this topic
- Create an outline
- Create a working title
- And so forth
Now you no longer have to WRITE A BOOK. Instead, you pick something on your list and do that, instead.
Yes, getting started can be as easy as creating a file on your computer for the book you’re about to write. That’s not so scary.
And while you’re at it, why not start researching other books on the subject, and writing down chapter ideas as they come to you.
Wait – do you realize what’s happening? You’re starting on your book. Yeah! Good for you.
You can get past any obstacle if you employ speed, breaking the barrier down into small steps, or doing one last thing:
Changing your mindset.
You see, the only way past an obstacle is THROUGH the barrier. If you don’t go through it, even if it somehow goes away out of sheer neglect, you’ll still regret that you didn’t take action.
For example, you could neglect to write that book. And guaranteed, you will regret it.
But if you look forward to having it done, and if you look forward to the CHALLENGE of DOING it, you can change your mindset from fear to power.
There is a technique used in martial arts that illustrates this beautifully. On the first day of class, the instructor screams at the new student, “DEFEND YOURSELF!”
99 out of 100 students will take a step BACKWARDS.
One student out of 100 will step FORWARD.
It is the progressive mindset that you need. When you saw a problem or obstacle, run towards it. It is only through obstacles that we grow and become better people.
Remember, the obstacle is the way. Embrace the challenge, and step FORWARD.
Thanks for Reading
Steven Smith
