4 mental blocks that keep us from doing epic things (and how to overcome them)

If you’re working on any kind of idea or project, I encourage you to devote a notebook or word doc to recording the process. Taking the time to reflect along the way is invaluable. I’m doing it along with you (:

1. Fear

It’s been said that the things that scare us are the things most worth doing. What if we acknowledged that, as a rule, fear & doubt are built into every single thing that’s worth doing? What if we pulled up a chair for our fear and we did the thing anyway? Even if we do “fail” according to our own standards, what we learn along the way is pretty much always worth it.

The solution: I’m afraid, and this may not play out as planned, AND it’s worth it to do it anyway.

▹ List as many fears you can think of around an idea you’re excited about.

▹ How many of these fears are outside your control? 

▹ Will any of them kill you or cause permenant damage? 

▹ Even if your fear came true, would it still be worth it to do that thing? 

▹ Even if things didn’t go as planned, what might you & others gain along the way?

2. Perfectionism

How many projects and businesses and art would exist if we could erase the belief that we shouldn’t do or create something unless it’s perfect? As an example… I can’t figure out why a few words of this blogpost are in white font and my infographic is blurry… but that didn’t stop me from posting! I’d rather this post exist than be perfect. Most of the world is more interested in sincerity & realness anyway.

The solution: I will do this to the best of my ability because I’d rather it exist than remain forever as an idea.

▹ Have you ever done anything *perfectly* anyway? List 10 things that you did or created that weren’t “perfect” but that you wouldn’t trade for the world. Now choose two of them and write out as many subsequent outcomes that benefited you or others (e.g. learning how to use new software or making a long-lasting connection).

▹ If you had the choice between doing something only once it’s perfect (and therefore probably never doing it) or doing it to the best of your ability, which would you choose?

3. It’s already been done

Something that has stopped me over and over from pursuing certain interests & hobbies and creating art is the belief that “someone’s done it before, and better.” One of the most empowering realizations is that every single one of us has something uniquely valuable that only we can add to the world.

The solution: I’m inspired to do this and no one on earth could do this in the exact way that I could.

▹ Even if a million others are doing this thing, how would my way of doing it add unique value to the world?

▹ What unique gifts or qualities do I bring to the table which are hard to replicate?

4. Lack of urgency

If nothing from the outside will impose structure on your process, then you have to hold yourself accountable. Make an agreement with yourself with concrete contraints (e.g. deadlines or a schedule). For example “I will publish a blog post once a week for the next year, even if I can’t think of topic ideas” or create an actionable checklist toward a goal and check something off every day, even if it’s “research the best software for __.”

The solution: Put a fire under your own butt 

▹ What are some realistic & actionable steps I could take toward a goal I have?

▹ What are some ways I could be held accountable from the outside (e.g. telling a friend, announcing it on social media, investing money such as paying for a website domain for a blog)?

▹ Which parts of my week or day does it feel realistic & inspiring to carve out some time to work on this vision?

I’d love to hear from you: Tell me something you did or created (imperfectly) that led to something amazing

Rev