Don’t let fear kill your dreams.

Mostly because I used to be afraid of making mistakes, I used to be afraid of making a fool of myself. I set high standards for myself and I was afraid of taking the “less than” steps to get me to the level I wanted to be.
I thought that if I dedicated myself to thorough preparation, research, rehearsing, making sure I know every detail and I have a strong grip on the process, then, when it came time to take action I would know exactly what to do. I thought if I prepared for this thing called “action” really well, it would be easy, there won’t be any fears holding me back. I bet you already know how wrong I was about that.
But if you think about it, the number one enemy of all human progress is perfect inaction. No matter how high you want to go, the only way to climb a ladder is to take one step at a time.

With every “next level” you have to start from where you are and work your way up. Take the wobbly steps and learn how to keep your balance as you start moving forward and upward. Accept that your next level is in the “never tried before”, or the uncharted territory and there is always something new to learn and experience, no matter how advanced you are.The problem is when you want everything to be just right before they take that first step.

Have you ever heard the saying
“Imperfect action beats perfect inaction every time”?
I know that the idea of Imperfect Action can seem scary.
After all, what if you’re wrong? What if people laugh at you?
What if it doesn’t work out? I get it.

The truth is that you don’t need to wait for the perfect time, the perfect understanding of every possible outcome, or hunt for guarantees that it will flawlessly work out.

There will always be some uncertainty and risk associated with any new venture. It is part of the experience. And the lessons you’ll learn along the way are invaluable, and are huge opportunities for growth. Take action and course correct as you go. Make mistakes and learn from them. Take another step in the direction you want to go.

In my experience working with entrepreneurs I often see people paralyzed by the fear of taking action: they either fear that they will fail or that they will succeed. That might sound strange, but it’s actually very common. Success can feel just as risky as failure: it means change and it means moving out of our comfort zone.

When you are eager to move forward, when you want to overcome that fear but the you don’t even know where to start and everything gets blurry and lost under a lot of “what ifs”, you are in danger of falling down the same hole again. The good news is that it’s definitely possible to regain control, feel inspired and take action if you learn how to deal with your feelings when faced with imperfect action or inaction.

1. Acknowledge your fear: The first step is recognizing that there is a fear that is holding you back. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s actually really hard. We are so used to ignore our fear, to move forward despite it or try to push it away. We are denying ourselves the gift of understanding that fears are real to us and allow them to reveal what needs out attention.

2. Understand your fear. Accept that your fear of imperfect action is totally natural: fear of taking action isn’t a choice, it’s a natural response to something we believe (consciously or not) might lead to failure. You can’t move forward and take new actions towards your goals if you are afraid that they might not bring the results that you want. Become curious to identify what’s behind your hesitation or fear. You might find that you’re afraid of change, afraid of failure, or afraid of success. Or you might find that your fear comes from the possible judgment of others, like failing in front of an audience or being laughed at.

3. Remember your vision, your big dream, and channel your focus on it rather than the fear. What led you down this path, what are your intentions behind your actions, why would it be important for your to move forward? Focus on your dream and think of the benefits that will result from achieving your desired outcome. the more positive energy you can generate , the better chance there is for taking action.

4. Come up with a plan: The fear of imperfect action is the fear of the unknown. So, develop the plan for reaching your goal, map out your journey to help you take action but don’t wait until you have every detail figured out. That would be such a waste of your time. As you take steps forward, new information and ideas will come to you and you’ll learn what works as you go.

5. Take small steps: When it comes time to taking action, don’t try to do everything at once. Start with something small that you can easily manage and that won’t overwhelm you. This will make it easier to stay focused on your goal and prevent sabotaging behaviors like perfectionism or self-sabotage.

Think of it as defining the minimum effective dose. This idea comes from medicine and says that we should take just enough of a medication to get the job done and no more than that. Same goes for imperfect action: the minimum effective dose for tackling a bigger goal is the smallest, most practical amount of effort. When you take smaller steps give you a sense of accomplishment and help build your confidence.

6. Take action with purpose: Your purpose is what fuels you forward, it’s why you are doing all this hard work, and it’s critical that make sure that your actions are carefully aligned with the desired outcome.

7. Free yourself from expectations. This is another technique to help you get out of your own way. Expectations are highly unrealistic standards that you place on yourself and others. When you release the expectations for perfection and you open up to learning and possibilities, you’ll find yourself more inspired and motivated to take action.

8. Evaluate. This is a key part of the process. After taking action, evaluate what happened. What worked? What didn’t work? What can you do differently next time? This feedback loop will help you get better and better at taking imperfect action to take you to the next desired level in your life or business.

9. Acknowledge your progress. Taking imperfect action is progress and it’s important take time to celebrate the accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. Acknowledge yourself for taking steps forward, regardless of the outcome.

10. Give yourself permission to screw up: don’t get me wrong here, this is not about lowering your standards. This is about taking the pressure off yourself so that you can feel comfortable trying, learning and growing.

11. Be flexible: flexibility is what gives you the opportunity to bounce back when something doesn’t work out as planned. When you are rigid in your plan, it’s easy for self-doubt and fear of failure to creep in. Being flexible with your approach allows you to learn and grow from your experiences.

Don’t give up on yourself and your dreams. Ever. Practice imperfect action: it is the process of learning and growth that will eventually lead you to your goals. The most important thing is to get started on working on your big goals and keep moving forward.