7 Tips to Help you Find the Courage and Clarity to ACT on a Big Idea!
I was having a conversation recently with one of my entrepreneur friends and we were reminiscing about our startup days. And he asked me the question, “What is one thing that you were scared to death to do; you had no idea how it was going to pan out, but you took the leap anyway?”
We ended up talking for almost 3 hours.
Because the truth is, there are so many examples in my own life and startup journey where I was prompted by the Lord with an idea.. and it was scary.. and it was big.. but I did it anyway.
I did it afraid.
I made moves without all the answers.
And those moves lead to some of the greatest shifts and most significant successes in my entrepreneurial journey.
So today I want to talk to YOU about how to find the courage and the clarity to act on a big idea and to kick this off I'd like to share with you an awesome passage I found that was written by Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D. Elliot says:
“Courage is not an extreme. It is neither blind fearlessness nor cowardice. If there is a truck rapidly approaching, it is not courage to fearlessly attempt to cross the road. But if there is no sign of a truck, it is self-defeating to be afraid even if there are no guarantees that a truck will not suddenly appear. Blind fearlessness will get you killed while cowardice will keep you from living. Either way, you won’t get across the proverbial streets of life. Courage involves looking both ways, making a reasonable—albeit never certain—judgment that you can proceed, and then doing so.”
So good right?! So with that, let’s dive into 7 tips to help you find the courage and clarity to act on a big idea, ignite your passion and live a life you love.
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1. Get clear about what you really want
Sit back and think about what it is that you want. Take a minute to reflect. What it is that you REALLY want in your life.
Think about the date exactly one year from now. Where do you want to be? Do you want to be in the exact same place that you are now?
The same stage in your business? The same relationships? The same frustrations? The same roadblocks? The same bank account balance? THE. SAME. PLACE?
Or do you want more?! More of what? Where do you want to be exactly one year from now? I don’t know about you but when I look 1 year out I see a whole new level of me.
I see someone who achieves more, impacts more, experiences more, and acquires more than he ever has before!
What. Do. You. Really. Want? Get clear on that.
Tony Robbins once said “People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals -- that is, goals that do not inspire them.”
2. Identify what has stopped you in the past? (and stop convincing yourself that everything is ok)
What is it that you are most afraid of?
What is preventing you from doing what could bring you so much joy and fulfillment?
You overcome fear by first acknowledging it, embracing it and then be willing to take steps through it.
Do you really want just to sit back and accept that everything is OK when, in reality, that’s so far from the truth?
Do you want to live a life that’s taking you further from the life that you truly want to live?
Acknowledging that you are no longer satisfied in your current situation is a tremendous act of courage in itself.
And, it’s an essential step to overcoming your fears and putting into action what you REALLY want.
3. Break your goal into smaller steps and establish mini-habits
Statistically only 8% of people who set 1 year goals actually follow through to finish what they set out to achieve.
One of the primary reasons for that is because they only set the 1 year goal. Then they go on about their year doing some things here and some things there hoping eventually they’ll land at the finish line.
That goal has to be broken down into milestones at steps. Milestones are stages that you reach, usually monthly or quarterly, that show you are on track and making progress towards your goal.
Once you have a milestone goal for 30 or 90 days out, then you can set action steps so you know exactly what you need to accomplish every single week and every single day for you to reach your milestone goal. Then it comes down to mini-habits.
A mini habit is literally a mini version of a new habit you want to practice. So for example:
If you want to lose 30 pounds in 3 months, most people put some crazy plan together and convince themselves they’re going to work out 5 days a week for 1 hour a day. They’re going to cut out all beer and soda, have smoothies for breakfast, salads for lunch, and a salted tuna filet with three carrots for dinner. Lol!
Now I’m embellishing a bit, but seriously though. There’s no way! Most people try to go from zero to 100 knowing full well they’ll never sustain it!
There are 2 key reasons why mini habits are so effective:
Consistency > Intensity — 20 hours of workout in a day for one week won’t get you shredded, but 20 mins of workout every day for 52 weeks absolutely will.
Every master was once a disaster — This is true in any domain. Bodybuilders didn’t start out looking ripped on the first day they ever hit the gym. Instead, it was a progressive overload.
If you go too fast, you will crash!
Imagine if I was invited to a Nascar track to see how it would feel to drive a Nascar on a real track. That’d be pretty sweet right?
So I get all suited up and strapped into the car with the mindset of “I’ve got this!” I punch the gas and blaze out on the track at 200 mph. What’s going to happen?
I’M GOING TO CRASH.
My muscles, mind, and body are not trained to have the slightest idea what kind of strength, focus, or skill it takes to hold a car steady going around a corner at 200 mph.
Progressive overload is a potent concept. It involves increasing the resistance of a natural system by placing tension beyond its capacity.
It is only after the mini habits become easy to do that you increase your habit’s intensity. Once you lift 10 lbs, then you progress to 20, then 30 and so on. Only then can you ever lift a 100 lbs, or more.
Once you’ve adapted to this change, you can progress further by adding more metaphorical weight. It’s just rinse-and-repeat from here. And then before you know it, you will be a completely different person.
4. Upgrade Your Circle
If you have a bigger vision for your life, then you need to surround yourself with people who put air under your wings instead of weight on your back.
Now we’ve all heard the saying that you become like the 5 people you surround yourself with, but one of the things I’ve never liked about that saying is that it has the implication of money.
So if you want to be a 6-figure earner surround yourself with 5 6-figure earners. The thing is, those 5 people might have the income you desire but they may also be condescending, arrogant, jerks who make you feel awful about yourself rather than being any level of a mentor.
I think it is incredibly important to have a very specific mix of the right people in your life. Here is a list of 8 types of people that will change your life for the better if you can find them and establish them in your life:
Dreamers
Doers
Problem solvers
Someone who brings out the best in you
Someone who challenges you
Someone who holds you accountable
Someone who inspires and motivates
Someone who guides and elevates
Find these people. Get them in your life. And while you’re at it, set healthy boundaries and begin distancing yourself from anyone who doesn’t fit into these 8 categories.
5. “Work out” your Courage and Creative
Courage and creativity are both like a muscles—the more you lift heavy things, the stronger the muscle and the easier those things become to lift.
The more you work out your “courage and creativity muscles,” the more ease you will experience.
6. Say yes and say no
It takes a lot of courage to say the word, “No.”
While it may be uncomfortable to say no right away, the more you do it, the easier it will become. Each time you say “no” to something that doesn’t serve you, you will be protecting yourself from making poor decisions.
Additionally, every time you say “no” to something you are making room to say “yes” to something else.
So the question is, what have you been saying “no” to for a long time.. that now needs a “yes” out of you. And vice versa.
What have you been saying “yes” to for a long time.. that now needs a “no” out of you.
Shift your commitments. Reset your boundaries. Make some powerful new choices.
This will keep you focused and prevent you from being pulled in too many directions.
7. Do what you’ve been unwilling to do in the past
What have you been unwilling to do up until this point?
Have you been unwilling to take a leap of faith because of your fear?
Have you been unwilling to put yourself out there because of past rejection?
Have you been unwilling to make an investment because you don’t trust God to be your provider?
Have you been unwilling to try something you’re uncomfortable with because of your desperate need for control?
What do you need to release.
What do you need to embrace.
What step do you need to take.
I challenge you to be brutally honest with yourself and take a bold step forward into becoming the person that you are absolutely capable and qualified to be.
Cheers to that.
Cheers to you.
Let me know in the comments which of these tips was your favorite! I’d love to hear from you!
And if any of you are inspired and want to learn more about how you might be able to startup your own online business, I encourage you to visit my website justincapponpro.com/myprocess.
If you are interested in having a free strategy call with me feel free to shoot me a message through my contact form and we’ll plan a time to chat!
The ball is in your court!
Be great! ~ JC