Hey, Me! Get Out of My Way

How often it is we give up wanting to do something even
before we give ourselves an honest chance of succeeding.

Perhaps, we begin writing our autobiography. We get the
table of contents and the introduction written, then we
let it sit because we don't think anyone will care.

We begin a diet over a weekend. Within a couple of
days, we are back to our normal habits because we
didn't see any immediate results.

Maybe we want to start a desktop publishing business.
We get it started and the clients start coming in
sooner than we expected. Because of our past
experiences where we have been so good at what we did,
we only remember getting bombarded with more and more
work when we wish we could have taken a break. We may
see how this can end up, so we slack off and let the
business of our dreams fade away.

Or maybe we have this idea of having our own place on
the Internet. We create a page, then we have different
ideas to put on it. Then we think of starting a
business with it. Then we also want to have a
newsletter for people. Then we want to do web pages for
others. Then we go back and work on ways to get people
to read our newsletter. But we need a better web site.
So we start from scratch and the circle continues.
Having too many things we would like to do can stop us
as well.

Personally, I've become an expert at getting out of my
own way when it comes to doing things. After all, I
have gotten in my own way over and over and over again
for years. I still fit that last one way too often.

There are so many different ways we stop ourselves. But
what can we do about them?

- I'm not good enough: Well, right now, a group of
students are being given a lecture by the worst
teacher. The worst actor is starring in a
made-for-television movie. And the worst boy band is
putting on a show for friends and family in their
garage.

- No one will be interested: Just look around at some
of the things you see on television or read in
newspapers or books or magazines. It's amazing some
things have lasted this long.

- I don't have the time or money: Need to evaluate
priorities. Are the things which take up your time more
important that what you would like to do? Can you begin
to change things in some ways to save more? This one
will take a bit of work and some sacrifice if you
really want to do something else.

- I'm too old/young: Colonel Sanders was in his
eighties when he began his Kentucky Fried Chicken
restaurant. Anne Frank was a young girl when she wrote
her diary which is still published and read throughout
the world.

- I don't know what I want to do: You may not know
exactly what you want to do, but there is something in
the back of your mind that is important. Especially if
you know you're not happy in what you are doing now,
you know there is more you want out of life.

- I want to do too much: No one says you can't do a
little of everything. Just have to pick one that will
set the groundwork for the others. Find what is the
common thread in the things you would like, and start
there. You can branch off once that foundation is in
place.

- The universe is out to get me: Not at all. Once you
make up your mind and begin heading in some direction,
the universe will open up in ways you can't see right
now. People will come into your life, events will take
place, and you will begin to see a bit further each
day. But you have to make the first moves.

Motivational speaker Les Brown in his book "It's Not
Over Until You Win," tells a story of a keynote speaker
at a National Speakers Association conference he
attended. The speaker was perhaps the worst speaker Les
had ever heard. By the end of his presentation, more
than two-thirds of the audience had walked out.

The speaker, noticing this said something that pretty
much sums up this column.

"The reason I am up here (Doing) and you are sitting
down there (watching) is because I represent the
thoughts you have rejected for yourself."

Just something to think about.