Ignoring Danger Signs
We know there’s never a perfect time for anything.
We typically refer to something as having had perfect timing in retrospect.
We can never time anything perfectly because we feel we need to know and control the outcomes. Your brain will start calculating the risk, weighing the cons, and bringing forward the fears.
Despite many years of evolution, we are still hardwired to watch for danger, but we have trouble realizing that fear and danger are different.
Examples of things that there will be the "right time" for.
Having a child.
Changing careers.
Going to grad school.
Writing a book.
Building or buying a home.
Moving.
Getting a puppy.
None of them would fit into my life perfectly right now, and all of the ideas were/are scary, yet I’ve managed through most of them and realized that the timing was perfect, looking back. Even if it wasn't perfect, there wouldn't have been a "perfect" time, so the experience brought more than wrong timing ever could.
Maneuvering around this shortcoming of our brain can be difficult, sometimes seemingly impossible. We can imagine the bad but are afraid to believe in the good. We are afraid to believe in general in this society, especially past a certain age.
I’ve often said that 98% of fear dissipates when we get into action. Don’t wait for the perfect time; prepare yourself to get into inspired action. Understand that your brain can talk you out of anything; sometimes, that is a good thing, and almost all the time, it can hold us back from the things we truly want and hope for.
If you are struggling to find purpose. Get into action. Do not wait for the right time to find you. Time has one duty, and that is to continue to march on. Your brain has one duty: to keep you safe from harm.
Learn to delineate the difference between fear and danger. What causes you fear will almost always lead to growth. Our brains have not yet learned that fear of something differs from being chased by a lion. You can teach it otherwise, and you will get better at facing fear each time.
The more you move toward what you fear, the better you’ll get at it. The stronger you’ll get, the less your brain will try to stop you because even it starts to believe. The more you will learn and the better you will become. Your brain will see things that once scared you as a mountain it can and will climb.
I'll fill you in if you haven’t read The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins.
The idea is that anytime you have the instinct to act on a goal, you count DOWN from 5 and then physically move into action…or your brain will thwart you.
Counting backward distracts you from the default of thinking about excuses and procrastination, then refocuses your mind on the action and moving in a new direction.
“The notion that you must be motivated before you do something is just a myth.”- Mel Robbins
In this book, she explains that you can control your destiny, trick your brain, and set out on the journey of your lifetime.
Start small. When you wake up exhausted but need to get going 5-4-3-2-1, move.
Getting ready for a workout you don’t feel like doing, 5-4-3-2-1, go.
It will work every time, but it must be used.
In doing this, you keep your mind from overthinking things, and it will leave no room for excuses.
Where will you start? Small? Big? Both? I don't have it all figured out, but I have learned to believe in myself and to face my fears with confidence in knowing I can tackle anything. I want that for you too. This hasn't just been in business, if you're following along you know there have been a lot of tough times in our world. This is a strength we need to grow for every aspect of our lives...because we only get one.
The #1 regret of those who are near death is that they worried more and did less. We regret the things we don't do and the life we didn't take full advantage of.
Start where you are...5-4-3-2-1.....