Information Overload

There is a time to learn, and there is a time to shut it all off and create.

 

That is where I am right now. I am physically dizzy with all of the information that I have been consuming over the past few months.

 

Dizzy and overwhelmed.

 

It is normal to have these feelings, especially in the context of building a new business, where other emotions such as fear of failure and of not being good enough live. The emotions are normal, and everybody from your neighbor, to your mother, to the most successful people on the planet experience them. It actually makes me feel better knowing that. The question is not whether you have moments of self doubt or not. Because we all do. The question is what do you do with it? What do you do after the feeling?

The thoughts and actions that follow that moment of self doubt are what matters.

 

It determines whether you make progress in the next year or stay where you are...stuck. And what would you prefer at the end of that year? To look back at how far you have come or still be in the same spot just dreaming of what could be if you could only...

How does feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious lead to self doubt? In this case, in creating a business, I have been researching, engaging, networking, reading, studying, and consuming anything and everything I can find that will help me along the way. In doing that, I see all of these people doing what I want to do and the space starts to look full. There are also just some people who are damn good at what they do which immediately makes me doubt myself and what I have to offer. After all, it couldn’t possibly be as good as what THAT person does, right?

And then of course there is all of the conflicting information out there in the form of people trying to give advice and help you find success. One person says, “Don’t EVER EVER EVER do X.” And the next person says, “X is how I built my business. But Y was just a waste of time and money for me.” And the third person says, “Y is the way to go and I’ll show you how to use it.” Then you have coaches and consultants showing you how to leverage  X, Y, Z, and A-W too. So how do I know where to start and what will be right for me and my business? Cue dizzy overwhelm and complete creative block. Next cue self doubt. “I’ll never figure this out." “I don’t know where to begin." “I’ll never be as good as them."

It’s the next move that matters.

 

You had the rush of feelings. You listed all the reasons that you should not take action and therefore not succeed It’s obvious now, isn’t it? Which way should you go? Your natural instinct is to back away. Do nothing. Stay safe where you are.

 

But don’t listen.

ALWAYS. TAKE. ACTION.

So how do you get from that moment of self doubt, anxiety, or stress, to inspired action? You can train yourself. That’s the beauty of it. Self doubt is a learned habit which means that it can be unlearned. You can actually replace self doubt with confidence. It is just a matter of a little bit of consistent training.

Allow yourself to experience the emotions. But instead of getting lost in the emotion, observe it. Notice the emotion and listen for what comes next. Surely. it will be one of your most commonly repeated phrases such as “I’m not good enough” or “What will they think”. Observe that as well. But this time stop yourself. And replace that with another phrase. One that serves you and your purpose. You create the phrase--one that resonates with you.

It might be “The world needs my unique talents” or “Beyond the fear lies positive change”. Or even something as simple as “I am enough”. “I can do this”.

Every time you feel the wave of emotions and feel the limiting beliefs and self doubt coming on, find one of your replacement phrases that you created for yourself and repeat it in that moment. After a while it will become a habit, and the other phrases, your old favorites, will naturally be cycled out of the playlist. 

Then do something. Whatever it is, whatever you were working on. Start writing. Get the guitar out. Pick up the phone. Put the pen to paper. Take action. Make a move. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. It can be messy--don’t worry, you’ll clean it up later. If you wait for it to perfect, it will never happen. We’ll talk about that another time. 

 

Just. Do. Something.

 

Sign up for that class. Work on your resume. Write that letter. Brainstorm. Get back to the drawing board. Whatever your thing is, water it. Help it grow. Because maybe you don't know it yet but that's where your oxygen is.