We were looking at the kind of nonsense we take seriously when we’re deciding to follow our passion.

Thoughts of insufficiency, and worse - implied criticism or disrespect from those who should be supporting us!

So what should we be saying instead of “I’m a failure”?

We all have habits.

Most of what we do every day is habit-driven. It makes sense! If you had to stop and make decisions about everything all day long you’d be exhausted by lunchtime!

Do you see things as PROBLEMS?

Or do you see OPPORTUNITIES

You see - they’re the same thing! And it’s all in the way you look at it

I was talking to you about the false idea many people hold about perfectionism, mistaking this sinister trait as a good thing! You can read it here

And this manifests a lot in holding something back that you know would be serving you best if published - released into the wild!

So if you make this THING then want to hold it back and fru-fru it up a bit more, And put it away then get it out and look at it,

Have you ever made something, looked at critically and then said, “Nah, not good enough … I just need to change this, Adjust that … re-do this bit …?

Is that you? 

If so, you can say, “I am a recovering perfectionist!”

Are you looking right now at a list with YARDS of to-do’s?

If that’s you, you’ll be familiar with the sinking feeling you get whenever you look at it! You’ll know what this scrappy bit of paper looks like and you HATE it!

It just seems to grow and grow and get messier and messier and never, never does very much get ticked off.

I was talking to someone recently who told me they had LOADS of ideas. They had even started to work out a plan to get them where they wanted to be but they would start the day all enthusiastic then come down with a crash when they realised they didn’t know what to do!

I am eternally curious. Think of the 4 year old child who drives everyone mad with endless WHYs. whywhywhy, but Mummy WHY? And somehow I never grew out of that! Whywhywhy is a constant cry of mine.

So - following from my thoughts last week about comparisonitis, and feelings of insufficiency - FEAR - my question for you to ask yourself is:

If I weren't afraid, what would I do?

I was talking recently about the need to trust ourselves more we really do know a lot more than we think. We’re a lot further on than we think we may feel stuck and think we know nothing but how true is that? Really? Do you know nothing? have you taken no steps at all to pursue your vocation? 

If you needed money to save a loved one, you’d find it.

If you knew you knew enough, you’d skip the next three years of study and do it later once your plan is happening next time something tries to stop you by saying, “You can’t do this!” say, “I haven’t done it yet, and I’ll never know till I try.”

If all the people who’ve invented things discovered things made our lives better had listened to their inner voice telling them they couldn’t do it we’d still be living in caves! So challenge those thoughts they are NOT gospel! They’re there to hold you back keep you safe - who knows what dangers are out there?

So after last week’s look at decision-making, let’s look at how to make better decisions!

They do say that we make from 40 to 60 THOUSAND decisions a day! From the moment we open our eyes in the morning we are making decisions.

I want to talk to you about making decisions today.

Some people are really good at making decisions!

They are quick, and they are final.

They don’t waste time - they assess the situation,

And they DECIDE.

What does the word DECIDE mean?

We were talking about ditching the to-do list last week … and I was met with shock and horror!

“I can’t do without my list!” people cried.

Has it become a security blanket for you? To delude yourself into thinking you’re actually getting things done?

We all have our days filled already.

We are all using our 24 hours already.

So when we want to add in something new or branch out into a new venture we have to accommodate that in those same 24 hours!

I was thinking about my goats the other day. I often do! they are such charming creatures individual, clever. I used to keep dairy goats along with my pedigree sheep and I showed them for fun entering them into milking competitions to get them their qualifications.

Who are “They”?

“They” are in charge.

“They” dictate our lives.

“They” have all the answers.

NOOOOOO!

YOU are in charge.

YOU dictate your life.

YOU have all the answers!

We mostly have the best of intentions.

We decide this is the moment we’re going to get help Then we forget the appointment. We decide that now is the time to earn money from our idea Then realise that we haven’t any money to invest to get started.

I sure would! and I’m happy to say that I often do.

No, it’s not because I’m too big for my boots! and it’s not because I’m a genius. There are not too many of them and I’m certainly not amongst their number!