The Longer you wait the harder it gets

You know that feeling you get right before you get on a ghost ride at a fairground, or the rollercoaster?

You know; when you are in the queue, checking you’re behind the yellow line, watching the group in front of you bravely taking their seats. Stoic. Heroic.

It’s the ‘oh crap’ feeling. You get butterflies in your stomach and your heart rate increases.

Your body is saying “are you sure about this? This is outside the norm. I’m not sure I’m in my comfort zone”.  But your head is saying “Yes. This I what I want. I put myself in this position for a reason…didn’t I?”

This queue is taking f****** ages.  The longer this goes on the more I’m going to back out.

And what about that time you wanted to suggest something to a large group of strangers or back at school when you wanted to raise your hand and ask a question about a topic that everyone else seemed to get. The longer you waited the harder it got. If you waited too long you would never ask that question or make that suggestion.

The longer you wait to do something that scares you, the harder it becomes. You keep putting something off. For weeks. Months. Years. A lifetime?

Sometimes it’s just better to jump in feet first. Get on the damn roller coaster!

You’ve thought about it for years.

You’ve wanted to for a while now so you know you want to.

What are you waiting for?

If you want something you gonna have to go out and fight for it. It’s not going to come about by wishing. It’s not going to appear over the horizon if you wait long enough. It’s not going to alter one iota if you don’t make the change.  It is up to you… your choice.

Don’t put it off.

And beware; procrastination can come in different forms…in disguise if you will. The most potent of all is “oh, I’m a perfectionist, I’m not going to launch until everything is perfect”. WTF? when will that be? I’ll tell you. NEVER.   

Nothing is ever completely perfect. At some point you have to bite the bullet and go with what you have.

Don’t let this happen, “It’s not the right timing. It’s not as good as it could be. I have lots of time to do it. It’s on the backburner for a while. I’ll do it once Christmas is out of the way. Easter, my Birthday, summer holiday…oh it’s Christmas again.”

When I started this business, it definitely wasn’t “perfect”. People told me I shouldn’t launch “in the current economy”.  Perhaps I should wait and get the timing right.  I could have. I could still be waiting now. My website wasn’t perfect. I am actually redesigning at as we speak. But the one I had did the job and got me various solid leads. The new one will be better. And I truly believe if I had waited for the perfect time I would still be at my 9-5 office job. Waiting. And making the leap would have been a lot harder.

The longer you leave it the harder it becomes. There is no time like the present. GO FOR IT NOW. Jump on the roller coaster. If nothing else, it’s one hell of a ride!

rollercoaster

2014…Let it Begin!

Here it is. Shimmering in the hazy sun.  Like untouched snow. Clean and pristine. The potential is endless.  It’s a new year!  Forget 2013. It’s 2014:

  • What are you going to do now to make sure you have your best year ever?
  • What one thing will mean the difference in actually achieving your goals rather than chalking them up to yet another year’s unfulfilled resolutions?
  • What can you do to enhance your life?

There are literally hundreds of ways you can kick-start your new year.  Here are just some of them:

START A BUSINESS PLAN. If you’ve been sitting on a business idea for a while and haven’t acted on it, it’s time to do something about it. Write down your ideas and start working on a business plan.  Take those first steps.  As I’ve said before in numerous posts there is no better feeling. Start your own business

LOSE OTHER PEOPLE’S OPINIONS. Follow your own rules. Be true to yourself. It’s your life after all. Go live it. Forget what others think. It doesn’t really matter. Truly it doesn’t

DO SOMETHING THAT SCARES YOU. What scares you? It could be talking in front of others. It could be holding a spider in your hand. Why not make this year the year you conquer that fear? Plan it and then do it.  You could be scared of heights. Why not plan a parachute jump?…that’s what I plan to do this year. If posts dry up around spring time you’ll know why.

PLAN A TRIP.  Where’s that one place you have always wanted to go? Why not plan that trip RIGHT NOW? In fact I highly recommend taking a trip of any kind.  If you’re not sure where to go, just chuck a pin in map. Go wherever it lands. I guarantee there will be something amazing to see.

SAY YES MORE. A LOT MORESay yes even when you want to say no. You want to increase possibilities, options and opportunities right?  The only way you are going to do that is to say yes to that new community project. Say yes to the night out (even on a school night). Say yes to every invitation. Stop waiting for opportunities to present themselves. Go and find them for yourself. And, dare I say it; you may enjoy yourself while doing so,

LEARN A NEW SKILL. This could be anything. Is there something you always wanted to be able to do but never learnt? Why not set some time aside every day. Or even every week to learn? As little as 30 minutes over a year will make a huge difference. What is that one thing? It could be learning to swim. It might be learning a musical instrument. Is it learning how to do a handstand or the splits? It could be learning a new language. I am (slowly) learning Spanish. What skill have you always wanted to master?

WRITE DOWN YOUR TOP TEN GOALS FOR THIS YEAR and post them where you can see them every day. They don’t have to be mind blowing. They are your goals and you’ll get a real lift as you tick them off throughout the year. What do you want achieve this year? It could be as big as starting your own business to as small as changing your hairstyle. Make a list and don’t lose sight of it.

SLOW DOWN. Life isn’t about getting somewhere. It’s a journey (and one hell of a ride!). Stop every once in a while to remember it. To enjoy it.  Relax. Have a look around. What are you grateful for? What have you done this week that you enjoyed?  Give yourself a break and stop. Turn off the phone. Switch of the TV and have a little self-reflection time. It really helps.

Most importantly. TAKE ACTION NOW. A lot can happen in a year. But it is only 12 months. It goes by pretty f****** fast!

HAPPY 2014 everyone. Let’s DO IT.

2014