What does step into success mean? How many times have you told yourself that you must quit your job and try something else? How many times have you paid for a gym membership, and yet, you haven’t set foot in the gym?
The truth is that people resist change. They are afraid of the unknown and prefer to be in control. After all, we are creatures of habit.
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In my case, I was in a job for many years. I only ever thought of how I move up within that company…the idea of leaving did not occur to me. It was an easy drive, I had covered parking, I had benefits.
It was not until it became impossible to stay that I started to really look around at the possibilities. And they scared me. I wanted a change but was crippled by fear.
That was when I discovered how to step into success.
Many people believe that we are hard wired to go with the easiest way, even if that takes us away from where we want to be. The only way to break free from our internal programming is to do something different. Like taking a different route to work or adding in healthier foods just once a week.
Just doing this one thing differently causes our brain to shift from maintaining our current habits to actively working on making our new habits easier to do.
Related Post: 10 Shocking Signs You’re Burned Out From Work
Do you dream of launching your own business?
Perhaps you have an amazing idea, but something is holding you back? Maybe you want to move to another city or country, and start all over?
What if you could transform your life without actually making big changes? Think of it as a gradual process that you complete at your own pace.
A pace of one step at a time.
Step Into Success In 6 Easy Steps
Taking the first step is always the hardest part. It’s not uncommon to see people never do what they have in mind just because they’re too scared to get started.
New experiences come with a dose of fear. You must embrace the unknown and take risks. Not everyone is willing to let go and take on these challenges.
Believe it or not, you can bring your ideas to life without changing everything at once. It’s that first step that can move you in the right direction. Small things, such as building a new habit, can go a long way toward your success.
Why Taking the First Step Is the Hardest
No matter what you want to change, taking the first step can be scary. You might think:
- What if I fail?
- How will I make money?
- What will people think?
- Am I any good?
- Is this the right time to do it?
- How do I know if I am I ready for this?
All of these thoughts are based in fear. And fear is only in your mind.
The truth is that no one can guarantee that you’ll succeed. But, you’ll never know how it’s going to turn out unless you try. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering What if?
That first step is always the hardest because it requires you to embrace the unknown and face your fears. It’s also the most important step – without it, nothing will change.
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears” – Les Brown
“The fears we don’t face become our limits” – Robin Sharma
Let’s not forget to quote movie dialogue! From Avengers Age of Ultron: “The thing I fear contains the thing I need” (thanks Thor!)
And to quote from one of my favorite David Lynch movies, Dune: “I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration”. A bit intense, I know, but it makes the point.
Do we wonder why fear is such a big part of Hollywood? Because everyone has fears.
1. Take a Baby Step to Change Your Life
Most times, it’s the small things that have the biggest impact on our lives. You don’t have to change everything from one day to the next. If you’re scared of the unknown, take a baby step at first. That can be as simple at just thinking about change…you know, contemplating it.
It can be making a phone call to find out what it takes to start a business, or it could be drinking one glass of water in your plan to drink eight glasses a day. Choose one little habit and stick to it. Celebrate this first step and feel proud of it.
Later, take another step and then another, and so on. Stop waiting for the perfect moment to get started. Don’t over-analyze and just go for it! The best time to start is now.
For me, I have a sticky note on my monitor that says “What is the next thing I need to do or what action do I need to take that will help me get closer to my goals”. I just have to think about what I want to do next. If it feels right to me, then I move forward with it. Sometimes this means just talking to someone. Other times it means doing some online research.
2. Open Your Mind
The second step is to open your mind and embrace change. We are wired to resist any changes that disrupt our habits and living patterns. Unless you beat this inertia, you’ll never be able to transform your life.
Start with just considering the possibilities of what change can bring to your life. What is the logical first step? Just consider it for now. Relax and be ready for whatever comes.
Related Post: The Top 3 Habits of Successful People
3. Stop Caring About What Others Think of You
Let’s say you want to relocate to a new city, but your parents disapprove. They keep saying that you’ll feel alone, have trouble finding work, and waste a ton of money. Even the tiniest change has its challenges. However, this isn’t a reason to give up.
Stop caring about what others think of you. It’s your life, your decisions, your regrets. Focus on the things that make you happy, come up with a plan, and go for it! Who knows how things will turn out but if you try, you always have that.
4. Be Grateful
No matter how much you want to change your life, be grateful for what you have right now. Try to find joy in the smallest things, such as a walk in the park or the time spent reading a good book.
Gratitude will bring you joy. That will keep you going and boost your motivation. Negative thinking may be holding you back and increase your resistance to change.
Get a journal and write down every success, no matter how small. When you reach a goal, you deserve to feel good about that! Writing down your successes helps you to see how successful you are on a daily basis. Use this to motivate you to reach for bigger and more juicy goals.
5. Celebrate Every Step of Your Journey
The bigger your goal, the longer it takes to achieve it, especially if you have an online business that depends on your choices to make money.
However, this shouldn’t put you down. On the contrary – take the time to celebrate and enjoy every step of the process. Earning even one dollar proves that you can be a successful entrepreneur.
Go out and have fun, share your accomplishments online, or call a friend – do whatever works for you. The whole point is to be grateful for how far you’ve come.
6. Stick to It
Stick to the changes you have made. Don’t jump from one thing to the next. Be consistent and keep taking small steps toward your goals.
For instance, if you start meditating or doing yoga, do it every single day. Want to build your own business? Do something in this regard on a daily basis. That could be setting up a blog, creating a Facebook fan page, or connecting with potential clients. Build upon each success and before you know it you will be at the top!
Related Post: SMARTer Goal Setting for Bloggers
Conclusion
I hope that you can see how easy taking one step at time with your online business, or anything, is. If you want business success, just keep looking for the next logical step that you need to take.
Please join my tribe of subscribers and get all of my PDFs for bloggers as a free gift. PDF’s like 21 Email Marketing Hacks and my Avatar Worksheet to help you target your audience!
If you get stuck, do some research and you will see that many other successful people have come before you and shared their tips for how to beat fear. Follow in their footsteps and soon you will be the teacher, helping others to fight fear and be successful.
Until next time, happy blogging! And follow me on Pinterest
-Irma 🙂