Reader Question:

I am good at setting goals and deciding what I want. But I never seem to take action. I’ve been considering changing jobs from a career as a banker to become a motivational speaker for youth and young graduates. The demand of the job is much and I find it hard to make significant progress. I have organized one training and talked once as an invited speaker at a university but that was since last year. Got any advice for me?

My Reply

Action is everything. If you aren’t taking it, look at the reasons why you are holding back. Is it fear? Do you have other priorities that come before this? Does it seem like your goal is “too big” to accomplish, so why bother? What do you tell yourself? When trying to accomplish a big goal:

1. Decide what the outcome should be. What does your final destination look like? How often will you speak to students? What kinds of training do you provide?
2. Set milestones. Don’t worry about making a living at this just yet. Instead, focus on booking one engagement or doing one training. Just one. Then, plan out your steps for achieving this goal.
3. Conquer your fears. If this is your life’s purpose, realize you must conquer your own fears if you want to make a difference in other people’s lives. Write down all the fears that are holding you back – do you feel failure, imperfection, success or that others will judge you? Any time we step outside our comfort zone and try something new, we will have fears. That’s natural. But you can’t let those fears hold you back. By acknowledging your fears, you can remove the power you have attached to them.
4. Turn fears into positive affirmations. How can you take your fears and negative self-talk and turn it into something positive. Create positive affirmations you can tell yourself whenever you feel afraid. How can you respond to your own internal dialog so that you feel proud, enthusiastic or successful about what you are trying to accomplish?
5. Hold yourself accountable. If you really want to do something, find a way to hold yourself accountable. Tell others your dreams. Find a support group. Figure out how you can partner with others to make this happen. Decide you will do something crazy if you don’t achieve your next milestone (shave your head, donate a large amount of money to a charity you dislike, etc). Check out stickk.com to help you be accountable.
6. Lighten up. This should be fun. Whenever something feels too big or too difficult, we have a tendency to take it way too serious. Relax and laugh at yourself. All these thoughts and emotions are things you are creating in your own mind.

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