Getting things done has never been as easy as it seems. We have tried all tactics & strategies. We have used different productivity apps, we have learned to manage calendars, emails & even making to-do lists. Ultimately, it all exists for a while and then we are back to our comfort zone — doing what we have always done.
But when it comes to really get things done — things are little different. It’s not only about tactics or strategies but there are specific challenges which you have to overcome.
What are those specific challenges?
I will show you by sharing an instance of one of my friend who desperately wanted to start his online business but can’t make himself to do it. Here’s what he says:
“I desperately want to start an online business. I want to start an online business more than anything. You may find it difficult to believe but I can’t make myself to take even the first step towards my online business. I beat up on myself endlessly. I cry at myself asking myself to just take a single step towards my online business but why can’t I just do it.
When I tell this to my friends, they say if I really want to start an online business that seriously then I should just stop complaining and start working for it.
I have read tons of articles on online business and even purchased few books but still stuck to make myself start working on it.
Sometimes, I wonder what’s wrong with me? What holds me back? Why can’t I take the required action? How do I get motivated to get it done? Is there any specific tactic or strategy that can help me?”
We have all faced the similar situation where we beat ourselves up. We call ourselves weak and lazy. We use to say how do I get more motivated?
But take a deeper look at his story:
Is it lack of Motivation?
It’s not like that he is unmotivated. He seriously cares to start his online business and when you really care about something, you are motivated.
Is it lack of Knowledge?
He has read thousands of articles and even some books on online business but just can’t do it. If you are honest with yourself, there is already plenty of information, strategies around you. The Internet is full of tips and tactics but you just don’t use them. So, it’s not lack of information.
Is it lack of Desire?
He desperately wants to start his online business. He wants it more than anything. So do you think its lack of desire???
Here, it’s important to realize that he feels it’s lack of motivation/desire/information which holds him back. So, he is looking solution for these problems. But, as I just showed you that none of these things are actual problems.
Then, what’s the problem?
There are two reasons why we can’t get the things done we want to.
— Fear.
— Incompetence.
Let’s start with the first one: Fear
If we certainly want to do something, we’ll just do it, right?
But as we are faced with the idea of taking action, our fear magnifies twenty-fold and we are crippled out of anxiety and stress. This anxiety and stress are mainly due to:
- Fear of judgment: “I don’t have credentials, nobody would pay me.”, “I’m not expert enough to speak on that panel.”. What you fear is being judged or laughed at. If you care too much about what others think/talk about you and when you imagine them as being negative, you quickly want to move away from that unpleasant feeling so you procrastinate.
- Fear of failure: Look at this quote:”I didn’t join the gym because I’m scared I won’t follow through and that would just amplify my belief that I can’t get anything done.” We’re so afraid of failure that we can’t even take the first step to achieve our goals.
- Fear of success: “If I start a side business, I will get busier and my life will get more exhausting.” Yes, that’s right, we are afraid of success too.
You can see here, motivation, procrastination, and inaction are not actually the core problems. They are just symptoms of our fear and anxiety. Each attempt made to treat these symptoms will only increase stress and anxiety. We fail again and again when we try to treat the symptoms. With repeated failures, we start to form beliefs such as “there’s something wrong with me. I’m so lazy and unmotivated.”
So, how do you tackle this?
The truth is– we all feel this way. Even top performers and people who get things done have the same fear as others. What separates them is that they have learned to manage their emotions in a better way. For example, top performers are not afraid to make mistakes. They know they are going to fail, so they are prepared for it. They have adopted a child’s mind.
Have you ever observed a child? How do they learn to walk? I was watching my Niece learn to walk. I had noticed that she had been watching her elder sister walk around her legs. She wanted to get on her legs too. She pulls herself up and there’s that moment where she’s hanging onto what she’s known and then she lets go and there are a couple of uneven steps and she falls down. And she repeats and repeats and repeats with the falling down and getting up. I never saw her say, “That’s it. I’m just not meant to be a walker.” There was just no doubt that even though she was failing, that she would get up and eventually she would walk.
But, as adults, when we try something and it doesn’t work, we stop and start to say things like “I’m not the kind of person who can start an online business.”
As I am writing this, I recalled a Persian proverb about a bug in a rug that I would like to share with you. And the story goes that there’s this little bug that’s crawling around a rug and the tufts of wool stand like giant trees all around the little bug. So when it gets past one tuft of wool, another one, thwack, it hits it and the bug is forever trying to get between these tufts of wool to get to a crumb to eat that somebody’s dropped. And the tufts of wool loom above him like giant problems. Now, if the bug could raise itself up above the rug and look down on it, it would see what it conceived as problems as being part of the beautiful woven plan.
But the bug can’t see that and so as we humans. Problems and failures are a part of life. If we knew everything there would be no failures. But we don’t know everything. We simply know a tiny bit and what we’re searching for is more. So, we have to adopt a child’s mind. Adopting a child’s mind will really change your mindset. First, you will not be afraid of failure and next, you will be open to learning new things.
Now, let’s move on to the second reason: Incompetence.
When we fail to get something done, we feel like we are unmotivated and we hesitate to take action. We feel like we are dealing with resistance and we have to overcome this resistance. But what we’re actually dealing with is incompetence and the resulting exhaustion.
Think about the tasks involved in learning a new skill or starting a new project. So let’s say you want to start an online biz. What tasks are involved?
- Creating content
- Developing website
- Logo
- Marketing
- Generating Leads
- Sales page
- Pre-sell, etc, etc.
That’s a lot of work and if you stare at this list for just thirty seconds, you start feeling mentally drained. You get distracted and rush onto check your social media accounts. Then you want to have a cup of coffee. But coming back to list, still, you can’t start working on your project, you get overwhelmed and crippled out of fear.
And this fear is generally interpreted as a lack of motivation and resistance but mainly its tiredness and exhaustion. And this exhaustion is due to lack of competence.
How do we know it’s tiredness or exhaustion?
Because you were easily able to sign into your social media accounts and update your Facebook or Twitter profiles but to complete a complicated task such as starting an online business you need tons of energy.
Even if you complete one part of your project say creating content, there are still lots of tasks to be done. So, a while later, you quit.
We may be dealing with resistance if the task involves something simple like brushing your teeth or taking bath. But in a case of a complex task, it’s a lack of competence and the resulting exhaustion that eats up your entire energy.
How do we get around to being more competent?
We start generally with a haphazard effort. We start to read random blogs, we listen to different podcasts, we sign up for the various newsletters and we even buy a book thinking our problems will go away.
But as you proceed two steps, you get exhausted and your motivation drops. Finally, you give up and get stuck.
That’s all because you’re trying to get competent all by yourself.
And that’s the problem.
Then, what’s the solution?
Whenever the topic of cricket is raised, one name rises above them all: Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is a former Indian cricketer, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He is the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries, the first batsman to score a double century in a One Day International, the holder of the record for the number of runs in both ODI and Test cricket, and the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in international cricket.
The highest run-scorer of all-time in Tests and ODIs, Tendulkar took up cricket at the age of eleven, made his Test debut on 15 November 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi at the age of sixteen. At school, he developed a reputation as a child prodigy. He had become a common conversation point in local cricketing circles, where there were suggestions already that he would become one of the greats.
Most children are scarcely finding their way around the school at this age. And one thing I know for certain– You don’t think of a coach when you hear the name of Sachin Tendulkar, do you?
However, Sachin Tendulkar had a coach. His coach was Ramakant Achrekar. He gave us the greatest cricketer in the history of the sport. Achrekar sir, as Sachin calls him, was the first to spot Sachin’s talent, and used to carry him around the many Mumbai maidans where he could destroy opposition bowlers to shreds.
When you look at a great athlete or a great artist or any successful person — they all have a coach. A coach that guide them at each step, allow them to find their mistakes and help them move ahead.
Without a coach, you can go far—yet it takes a great deal of time.
As a beginner, you’re required to commit errors. You aren’t aware when or where you’re committing the errors.
All of this makes you feel frustrated—this resistance that holds you back to take action. You know something is wrong, but you don’t know what and how to fix.
And if you can’t figure out where the mistake lies, you need a coach. A coach who can help you in finding structural mistakes and help you to get better at the task involved.
Remember:
You need a coach or a mentor who can consistently guide you through your journey and help you reach your goals.
Crazy Entrepreneurs 