Ep.20: Start Where You Are (Solo Show)

The excuses that we tell ourselves tend to be the number one reason we don't move forward toward our goals.

 

Do these excuses sound familiar?

• I don't have the money to buy the equipment
• I don't have the time to spend on that project right now
• I can't start a business in this economy
• I don't know how to use X software/hardware/etc.
• I'm not smart enough/thin enough/fast enough etc. to be able to do the thing that I want, so why try?

 

Instead of getting caught up in these limiting thoughts, ask yourself instead: What one thing can I do today that will take me one step closer to my goals?

 

You don't have to wait around until things are "perfect" for you to start working toward your goals. Instead, start where you are and you'll eventually chip away at your goals until you achieve them.

 

(Transcript Below)

 

Episode Notes & Links:

 

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Transcript

 

Welcome to the Go Find Out Podcast, Episode number 20! I'm your host, Jennifer Jelliff-Russell.

 

Today's show is focused on how to start where you are with your goals, no matter what your goals are.

 

No matter what your goal is, there is always some small step that you can take toward achieving it. It's very easy to let fear rule us and allow us to make excuses for why we're not moving forward with working toward our goals. Fear can manifest as excuses like:

• I don't have the money to buy the equipment
• I don't have the time to spend on that project right now
• I can't start a business in this economy
• I don't know how to use X software/hardware/etc
• I'm not smart enough/thin enough/fast enough etc to be able to do that thing so why try?

 

The common denominator here is that these thoughts come from a place of fear and negative thinking. It's easier to tell ourselves that we don't have what it takes to complete our goal than it is to make ourselves push toward achieving it.

 

And don't get me wrong, positive thinking is not going to suddenly drop a million bucks in your lap or fix the economy so you can open a business. However, flipping the script on this way of thinking and saying, "Okay, I don't have x equipment, but what can I do to make still make this happen? Will take you one step closer to your goals than if you do nothing.

 

Let's talk about starting a podcast as an example. It's true that there is a ton of advice out there on what kind of equipment you should buy and there can be a lot of upfront costs - but only if you decide to incur those costs. If you really want to start a podcast, all you need is a smart phone and occasional access to the internet. In most places, you can access both of those things. There are several free podcast hosts and free podcast recording apps for your phone.

 

So if your excuse to not get started is that you don't have the "right" equipment, then that's truly what it is, an excuse to not start.

 

One of my lame excuses for not starting to podcast was that I didn't have a quiet space to record. However, after looking up free ideas for recording spaces, I found tons of people were using their closets! I didn't need to spend big bucks just to buy a mini recording studio. Now, I'm very lucky that my husband and I are in the process of renovating our old farmhouse, and my husband converted one of the closets into a more sound proof room. However, it's just an unfinished closet with extra insultation! I don’t' even have a door on it yet. I'm just using a double layer of moving blankets nailed to the doorway. Super fancy, right? But for now, for the most part, it works. I've been able to record 20 episodes so far in this space with fairly good sound quality.

 

So why am I blathering on about this? Because the excuses we tell ourselves tend to be the number one reason we don't move forward toward our goals.

 

If you've listened to some of my recent interviews, you'll hear that most of my guests say that they didn't get external pushback on their ideas, but dealt more with internal negative dialogues that they had to reframe in order to get started moving toward their goals.

 

Rather than coming from a space of "I can't do X," or I don't have the money, or equipment, or the right body or whatever, instead, ask yourself: What is one step I can take today to move forward toward my goal?

 

If you've been stuck in moving forward, take a moment to write down your end goal. It doesn't matter how big your goals is. It could be this big, hairy, audacious goal of doing something huge, but you still have to start with small steps.

 

Next, break down your goal into actionable and realistic steps.

 

For example, one of my personal goals is to write 20 books in the next five years. If I break down this goal down into actionable and realistic chunks, that means I need to write 4 books a year. And that number breaks down to writing 1 book every 3 months.

 

After writing a few books, I know that I'm usually able to write 1000-1500 words a day within a 1-2 hours span. And that idea to write only 1000 words a day for 3 months means I'd have a good sized first draft of 90,000 words. But saying, I'm going to write 90,000 words in a 3 months is overwhelming. So instead, I'll stick with telling myself that realistic goal of writing 1000 words a day.  

 

Remember that the steps you're going for here need to be realistic. If I said, I'm going to write a book in a weekend! That  would be, for the most part, pretty unrealistic for my personal abilities as a writer. And if I told myself I was going to do that, then I would quickly become overwhelmed by the prospect of having to complete a book in a weekend and would promptly quit writing.

 

But let's say you have other goals. Maybe you want to visit every country in the world. You have the pretty simple excuse right now that you can't travel anywhere because of the pandemic. And you wouldn't be wrong to say that, right? But instead, if you say to yourself, "I know I can't travel right now, but what can I do to prepare for travel?" You might realize that this is a great time to apply for your passport if you don't already have it. Or a good time to check out free books from the library to start researching the next country you plan to visit when things do open back up.

 

If you're goal is to open a business but you don't have the funds, what are the things that can do right now to move one step closer to your goal? You could start researching what kind of paperwork you need to complete in order to get your business started. You could start researching government grants that might apply to your business. You could meet virtually with a small business administration or SBA representative and get free coaching on how to build your business plan.

 

So I want you to ask yourself, what is one thing that you can do today that will take you closer to your end goal?

 

I'd love to hear what steps you take toward your goals today! You can tweet them to me @GFOPodcast!

Or if you're stuck, let me know and maybe I can help you come up with actionable step you can take today!

 

Alright, join me next week when I interview Yolanda Russell, who is a business and branding coach helping women achieve their entrepreneurial dreams!

 

That's it for today! Now Go Find Out!