ọdịnaya
Many of us dream of realizing our own projects. Someone even starts, but, having taken the first step, under one pretext or another, abandons the idea. Where do you get inspiration to bring your plan to the end?
“I am interested in fashion and sew for myself, relatives and friends,” says Inna. — I like to find vintage things and put them in order: change accessories, repair. I want to do it professionally, I dream of opening a small showroom, but I’m afraid that I don’t have enough resources for this idea.”
“Inna is not alone in her fears,” says psychotherapist Marina Myaus. Most of us are afraid and difficult to take the first step. The receptors of the brain read this as an unfamiliar, and therefore a priori dangerous task and turn on the resistance mode. What to do? Do not fight with your nature, but go towards it and present the task as the most comfortable and feasible.
To do this, first, draw up a step-by-step business plan: it must not only be thought out, but also fixed on paper in order to start the momentum of readiness for action. Secondly, make the plan horizontal, that is, implying concrete, albeit small steps at first.
You don’t need to immediately draw the pinnacle of success: it’s nice at the level of a dream, but in the future it can work against you. You can become so anxious about the impossibility of achieving a high goal that you stop acting.
If you work or study and you don’t have much free time to implement the idea, write down in advance what days of the week and what exactly you will do. Any, even the smallest promotion gives motivation.
Six steps to help along the way
1. Give yourself permission to make mistakes.
Give yourself permission to do things that may seem controversial at first. “This is not about constant unjustified risks, but if you sometimes deviate from the usual, maximally safe pattern of actions, you will get more extensive experience that you can rely on in the future,” the expert believes. “Sometimes it seems that non-standard solutions led to an error, but over time we understand that it was only thanks to them that we saw new opportunities.”
2. Just try
Hyper-responsibility can be frightening and demotivating, so it is important to remove the feeling that your idea is overvalued. To do this, tell yourself that you will just try and you will not be disappointed if it does not work out. Reducing the level of seriousness and perfectionism will help you at the very beginning of the implementation of your plans.
3. Have a clear schedule
Chaos inevitably leads to procrastination. Any result is achieved in the system. If you find it difficult to maintain rigid discipline, let your schedule be more flexible and free, but not chaotic. For example, you always work a certain number of hours a day, but you decide what time it is comfortable to do it.
4. Learn to deal with fatigue
You are a living person and you can get tired. At such moments, try to switch not to social networks, but to something that somehow concerns your business. If you are tired of writing text, start testing new products or monitoring the market. Even walking around the city, as opposed to mindlessly scrolling through the tape, can give a new impetus to understanding how to strategically move on.
5. Compare yourself to others the right way.
Comparison can be both harmful and helpful at the same time. “Competitors must be able to competently use,” the expert jokes. – Choose those who will turn into a motivating sparring partner for you. This is the only way you can benefit from extraneous experience.
If someone else’s example makes you doubt yourself, it means that you have been interacting with this person for too long and it’s time to move away from him. You also need to do this in order not to blindly copy other people’s tricks and not become a “cover version” of your competitor, which always leaves you in a vulnerable position. Keep your token opponent as long as healthy, exciting competition is possible between you.
6. Delegate tasks
Think about what aspects of the work you can entrust to professionals. Perhaps editing photos or maintaining social networks will be better for those who have specialized in this for a long time. No need to take on everything yourself and think that only you will be able to do everything better than anyone else and also save money.
In the end, even if you manage to do everything, you will inevitably get tired, and you will not have any reserves left to think through the next steps and control the process.