Stop Planning, Forget The “How”, Just Go For It!

The last couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about aiming for MUCH bigger in our business, in our life, and in our purpose. We’ve stretched, looked into the fears of dreaming TOO big (is there such a thing?!) and looked at all the other emotions that come up once we’ve actually MADE the decision to play a bigger game. These are related to issues of safety, not rocking the boat, and self-doubt as to whether we really CAN play a bigger game in life and business.

But then, if this weren’t enough, there’s yet another thing that is likely to stop a lot of people right in their tracks. And that’s trying to figure out the “how”.

“How will I ever get from here to THERE?”
“But I don’t HAVE the resources (the funds, time, help) to make that big dream happen.”
“I’m not qualified right now to take on this big dream. I just don’t have what it takes yet.”
“Once I know HOW I’m supposed to do this, I’ll do it. Until then, I’ll just wait to be ready.”

Problem is, this is EXACTLY the point at which most people give up, probably even YOU. Right there. You see, most people wait for the HOW before they make a commitment to accomplish their big goal. Being the good planner that you probably are, there’s a part of you that feels this is too risky of a project or a goal to take on without having a plan, a solid plan, without knowing exactly how it’s going to unfold.

You may have a dream of being on Oprah, for example, to share the message only YOU can share, and to give exposure to your book or business. You love the idea of it, you imagine yourself on her yellow leather sofa, talking to her and her live studio audience. You may even be able to feel the warmth of the studio lamps and the nervous feeling you would have in the pit of your stomach. Perhaps what you’ll be wearing and what she’ll say to you. Your imagination is strong about what it would actually BE like once you’re there. And it feels great.

But then it all stops. Your imagination shuts down once you try to think about HOW you’ll ever get to the Oprah show, or whatever else your big dreams are. Here are things I’ve heard:

“I don’t have enough media training. They’ll never pick me.”
“Everyone and their MOTHER wants to be on Oprah. There’s too much competition.”
“Explain to me how it would ever happen and THEN I’ll think about going for it.”
“Is there a guarantee this will even work? Probably not worth trying if I don’t have a plan”

Now, if you’ve seen my Mind Movie on my Facebook page, you know that I have BIG dreams. Writing best-selling books, doing workshops to thousands of people, affecting millions, and having a global effect on helping women and children around the world, and yes, one day, even taking my message to Oprah’s stage and sharing it with 10 million people.

I’m hearing it now… “Stop dreaming and GET REAL!”

And admittedly, some of these things ARE “lofty”. In fact, I would categorize them as downright “scary big”. Especially since I don’t have a clue yet as to how I will write ONE best-selling book, let alone many, how to get thousands of people to come hear me speak, how I’ll help on a global level (where, whom, what will I be helping them with???). And I certainly don’t have a clue about how to get on Oprah’s couch.

But I’ve decided to go for it anyway, because here’s “what I know for sure”. If you’ve got the commitment to do something, the intention is strong and you’re willing to do anything it takes to get there, in a good way/not bad, then things WILL unfold before you, like a red carpet being unrolled in Hollywood. You just need to take the first step, accomplish the task that’s right in front of you, and then the next task will show up for you to work on. Once you’ve done that one, just the right opportunity will land on your lap, followed by the right resource to take full advantage of that opportunity or to accomplish the task at hand.

But because we’re bred to be planners (or in my case, sometimes a bit of a control freak – have you ever seen me in the kitchen right before a dinner party??), we want to have the WHOLE thing planned out first, in every descriptive detail. It’s got to be all laid out and orchestrated ahead of time, in perfect order. Otherwise, we don’t make the commitment.

Thing is, that’s not how the Universe or life works. Your next step or the next opportunity will NOT show up until you’ve made the commitment. But once you DO, it shows up, and the more you do this, the faster things start showing up for you: the right operations manager, the perfect branding development coach, the spiritual guide with just the right message (even the bottle cap with just the confirmation you’ve been asking for) or simply, just the right book to get you to that next level.

That’s what is happening to me right NOW. It’s fascinating to be in the eye of the storm, calm (most of the time) and witnessing everything around me show up as it’s supposed to, having everything around me rearrange itself to make that big dream come true. In fact, it’s pretty humbling. It’s almost as though my intention and commitment to getting this big dream accomplished has taken a life of its own, in a really good way. And now, it’s just about taking the next step that presents itself, without thinking of the next HOW. In fact, it’s a very reassuring process, once you begin to see the pattern.

Your Assignment:

Notice your mindset as it relates to your big dreams and goals for your business or your life. Is there a way that you might be stopping yourself or putting a hold on your big dreams because you haven’t yet figured out HOW it’s going to happen? Is the planner in you squashing the dreamer in you?

Instead, I’d recommend you gather your strength, deny your “smallness” and grab hold of the truth of yourself: that you CAN accomplish that big dream, that it’s not a silly notion. Just the mere fact that you’ve thought of it means it can be done. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gotten the idea. Forgot the how! Just go for it. Each “how” and the resource needed at that time will show up exactly when you need it.