It’s amazing to think that a single habit, lasting only a few seconds, can have such a significant impact on your success.
Experts estimate that we have 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts a day, averaging 2,500 to 3,000 per hour. Our brain is really an incredible machine!
But even if we have such an incredible machine to count on for ideas and generating thoughts, 70% of our behaviors are automatic, unconscious: they are simple habits.
A habit is an automatic behavior that allows us to accomplish more without requiring time to think, analyze, and decide. Imagine if you had to consciously choose on which side to get up in the morning, how much sugar and cream to put into your coffee or how to get to the office… You would be mentally exhausted by 10 am!
We have hundreds of habits that we activate every day: some are positive (taking a glass of lemon water when getting up in the morning, for example), and others are less positive (like procrastinating).
Of all the habits we have, one springs particularly in my opinion, a single habit that can change everything: the habit of hesitating.
Challenge your fear
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
-Nelson Mandela
You want to get up early to exercise or to meditate: the alarm clock rings, you hesitate, and then you hit “snooze”… You want to call one of your LinkedIn relations who could become a client, you hesitate, and then you decide to answer a few emails… You have the idea to host a webinar, an event, a seminar: you hesitate, and in the end, you do nothing, and your business practice remains at the same point…
There is a logical reason for hesitation: fear. The fear of not being good enough, the fear of being told “no”, the fear that it won’t work out.
Neuroscience studies tell us that fear is simply the brain doing its job: it’s about keeping us alive, staying in “its” comfort zone. Because, of course, if you venture into unknown territories, a tiger could attack you and eat you – it’s always possible in in the middle downtown!
Joking aside, hesitation is simply the brain at work. How many times have I heard an entrepreneur say, “I thought of this idea…” or “I would like to do something like that…”, but finally, didn’t move into action.
When I was working in the corporate world, I remember someone asking me how I got up at 5 am to work out. I replied: “My philosophy is ‘just do it’: I don’t think about it, I act.”
Because in that moment of hesitation, your internal dialogue is activated: “But I am not ready”; “I’m going to do a little more research”; “I’m too young, too old, too much of this or not enough of that.”
The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.
– Tony Robbins
We only need one small action
As we’re heading in the last few months of the year, which project or ideas are you hesitating to launch, to take on? Ask yourself, “What would I do if I has 10 times the courage? “, “What would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail?”
So, the next time you have an idea, challenge the habit of hesitating and take action! Do the smallest action possible: send an email, make a call, tell someone about your idea. This small step will prevent you from hesitating, because magic happens outside your comfort zone.
One action, rather than a moment of hesitation, can change everything!
Sara Gilbert is a Business Strategist and Mindset Coach. She helps established entrepreneurs and service businesses to propel their business to another level of success and accomplishment.
You can contact her at [email protected], and follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.