Monday Morning Margarita

Ac-tion noun: the accomplishment of a thing usually over a period of time, in stages, or with the possibility of repetition. (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary)

Happy Monday!

Last Wednesday night, on the drive home from my last final exam, I exhaled–big time. “Whew… I made it! Done with boot camp and my second term of MBA courses.”

I had but a fraction of a minute to revel in the contentment of my accomplishments, before being struck by the reality of my ensuing thought: The easy part’s over. Now it’s time for the real work to begin!

The cold, hard (and scary) truth is what I know means nothing, unless put to use. So, it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is–to put up or shut up! Will I act, or be just another loud mouth?

In my head, I’ve chosen action. (All my efforts thus far can’t be for naught.) But I’m petrified by what appears to be an insurmountable task in front of me. At times, I feel immobile, and I ask myself, “What the heck made me think I could pull something like this off?”

What began as a very simple and doable business idea, has grown into a much more lofty endeavor. And although the need and merit of my idea have been validated, my research is uncovering numerous challenges and obstacles I hadn’t even considered. In my head, I tell myself not to quit, to keep forging ahead. But my gut is screaming, “Run, Forrest! Run!”

I’m able to discern it’s fear, rather than intuition, talking; however, the realization doesn’t make it any easier. I want to hide behind more books, for the so-called purpose of better preparing myself, but I know this is pure garbage–stalling, putting off what needs to be done. I will never know everything, and to reach my next plateau, I must DO.

But, I’m scared!

I don’t even know what I’m afraid of, and I realize it doesn’t matter. What matters is how I’ll overcome it. Rather than waste time trying to analyze/understand it, I’ve decided to move on, in spite of it.

Here are the things I’m doing to cope, and keep myself in motion:

• Actively keeping up with this blog. This has been a huge help! Putting my thoughts in writing is both therapeutic and empowering. It forces me to be thoughtful–to wrestle with ideas, until I gain clarity, which helps me find viable paths of moving forward. It also helps me be more disciplined and committed. (Creating quality content and trying to build a community isn’t easy.)

• Working with an accountability partner and using my allies. One of the hardest things to accept (particularly if you’re fiercely independent) is that you can’t do everything yourself. Getting a business off the ground requires lots of help, so I’m taking advantage of the resources available to me. One of my boot camp classmates and I decided to be accountability partners, to ensure we remain on track, now that class is over. When needed, I also call upon the many people who have offered their support. There’s no need to go it alone; so at this point, I don’t even try.

• Surrounding myself with positivity. Whether it’s people, music, tv, books or other types of content, I relentlessly strive to keep my interactions positive. There is a productive way to approach  everything, and I try my best to maintain this perspective. When negativity starts to creep in, I immediately flip things around and look at the situation from a more positive perspective. This doesn’t mean I sugarcoat things. I focus on solutions, instead of complaining; and I give credence only to those things deserving of it.

• Taking time out to relax. When I feel fear or pressure mounting, I “change the channel,” so to speak. Everything need not be addressed right then and there. Rather than labor over it, I put whatever the “it” of the moment is down, and walk away for a while. I do something fun or relaxing, or something that doesn’t require much brain power–until I’m rejuvenated. Then I go back at it. Once I’ve regrouped, I’m usually able to tackle that which previously seemed so difficult.

Make no mistake about it, I’m still scared. But, that’s NOT a good enough reason not to try. So onward I march, fear in tow…

If you have any good tips for me, I most welcome them!

I love Mondays!