There’s No Perfect Time to Get Started: Take Action Now

We all have goals and dreams, whether they’re big or small. Some of us want to start our own businesses or hike Machu Picchu. Others want to write a blog or finally start that diet they’ve been talking about for years. Any of this sound familiar? Maybe you want to switch careers or put yourself out there romantically. Whatever your dreams are, you tell yourself that one day you’re going to do it. One day you’re going to take the necessary steps to change your life and make your dreams come true. But something is holding you back. And believe it or not, that something is you. That something is your own mindset and its limiting beliefs.

You see, if you’re like most women, you probably think that things need to be “perfect” before you can step out of your comfort zone and take action to fulfill your goals. The problem with this mindset is that your perfectionist beliefs are limiting you from venturing out and getting started. The truth is that there will never be a perfect moment or time. It’s a myth you tell yourself because you’re too afraid to take the risk, so you’d rather do nothing or take very controlled baby steps that lead to nowhere. All successful people do things before they’re ready. They take leaps of faith and bet on themselves because nothing is ever perfect and you can’t wait for “perfect” in order to start living your life.

Do not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.

Napoleon Hill

3 Limiting Beliefs That Block You From Achieving Your Goals

1. Excuses Stop the excuses. Excuses are safety zones. Excuses keep us safe. If you think about why you’re making excuses, you’ll probably realize that you’re using an excuse du jour to stop you from taking action and moving forward. Sure, you can say to yourself that you’re not totally prepared, that all your ducks are not in a row, that things may go wrong. And you may be right, but those are only excuses that prevent you from getting closer to your desired goal. And not taking a risk is a risk in and of itself.

2. Fear Confront your fears. A lot of people get stuck and won’t move beyond their current state because they worry about the what ifs. They are governed by fear of tomorrow and fear of what achieving their dreams and goals can bring. But these what-ifs often worry us with things that will never happen or things that are out of our control. For example, let’s say you want to become an accountability coach. And you start to worry that you may not have an office space to handle multiple clients. But you don’t even have one client yet. Or how about if you want to lose weight? You worry about how you’ll maintain the weight once it’s off. But you haven’t even lost one pound! These are fears that keep us stuck. Because when we worry about and fear the future, we neglect the present and fail to even get started.  In order to move forward, you must take things one step at a time and address problems as they arise, not before or even if they arise. In risk-taking and goal seeking, you’ll find that half of what you worry about never comes true, and it’s the unpredictable that we must confront once it’s in front of us. Remember that the future is not promised. We don’t know what the future brings; therefore, we must live in the present and shake off the worries and concerns that prevent us from moving forward.

3. Perfectionism Think progress over perfection. If you’re waiting for the perfect conditions to start exercising, losing weight, changing careers, writing a book, learning a new language or whatever you desire, I have some news for you: there will never be a perfect time. All you can do is get started. Take daily steps that will get you that much closer to your goal. Write them down and tackle them in order of difficulty. Take a deep breath. Don’t compare your situation to anyone else’s. Your middle will be someone’s beginning and another one’s end. It’s not a race and it’s okay to be on a different side of the road and go at your own speed.

Perseverance and Consistency is the Key to Achieving Your Goals and Dreams

Perseverance and Consistency is the Key. People who are consistent and persistent are the ones who win and achieve their dreams. Those who are laser focused, who consistently work on their goals and persist even in the face of failure and rejection are the ones who ultimately achieve their dreams. Remember that we never see other people’s failures, only their successes. And people do the same with yours. We project what we want others to see, so it’s easy to lose track of our own path and focus on those of others. Keep moving, keep going, and you’ll see that your path will inspire others around you, too.

Waiting for the perfect time will leave us waiting. Because that perfect time will never come. You’ll have wasted precious moments that you can never get back. Making excuses and setting limiting conditions are avoidance mechanisms that prevent you from taking risks. Get rid of the all-or-nothing mentality and realize that now is the perfect time to go for your dreams.