I’m a perfectionist…

Wait, let me take that back.
I’m not a perfectionist but I do like to have all my ‘ducks aligned’ before taking action.

This wasn't always the case.

Let me explain…

When I was younger, I would just ‘jump right in’.
Whether that was learning a new sport or trying a new instrument.

Later on in life (late teens early 20's) it was diving into businesses and investment opportunities.

I lived by the mantra that …

“opportunities of a lifetime could only be ceased
within the lifetime of the opportunity”.

Good quote right? Something you could “memify” and put up on Instagram or Facebook. And it would probably get a ton of “likes” and “shares”.

I’m not saying there isn’t truth to this but it did cause me several years of extreme pain and hardship in my life.
(But I do take full responsibility for that.)

I lacked the basic skill of performing ‘due diligence’.

I ended up investing in several speculative financial opportunities (to the tune of a quarter million dollars) that ended driving me to near bankruptcy.

In fact, I am still feeling some of the ramifications of those decisions.
All because it seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime and I was a believer of fast movement and ceasing the moment.

Now, after being jaded from all these poor decisions and experiences from opportunities that didn't pan out the way I thought they would, I have turned into an ultra cautious person. I like to have all my ‘ducks aligned’ before taking action.

I thought this WAS the better way to live.
If the stars don’t perfectly align, then it’s not worth doing. (and I had the scars to prove it).

The problem?

The stars never aligned.
The ‘perfect’ opportunity never came by.

And as an entrepreneur, the advancement of my business hinges upon me making good decisions and taking a few chances.

The result… my life and business hit a stand still a few years ago.
I hit an invisible ceiling and couldn't break through.

I was afraid, frustrated, nervous and not sure what was going on.

My past experiences had finally caught up to me and were now holding me back.

I would balk at opportunities that could have probably changed my life and my business. But I was afraid to make mistakes.

The lost opportunity costs were adding up. And I wasn't sure what to do.

Turning Point?

It was then that I was re-introduced to the concept of ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’.

Michael Masterston wrote a book with the same title (which I recommend by the way).

In short, the concept is exactly what it sounds like. You get Ready, you then take action (Fire) and you adjust, pivot and make corrections as you go (Aim).

I soon realized that imperfect action on something mediocre is better than no action on something that is ‘perfect’.

Momentum is key.
Its easier to change the direction of a moving object than it is to start the movement of something standing still.

It’s apparent that the universe rewards movement.

I started being more open to opportunities. To take a few (calculated) chances. I got my ‘hustle’ back on.

I was afraid but knew I had to sow the seeds of action in order to reap the harvest of transactions.

I went to events. Took speaking opportunities. I put my content out there.

This forward movement picked up momentum and things started to change in my life and business.

The ceiling was shattered.
Clients started chasing me down.
More business started coming my way.
I was expanding the scope of my work.

One thing lead to another and I literally 10x’d my business in a matter of months.

Now when I consult with entrepreneurs I tend to see the ‘old me’ in them. The ones who haven’t quite yet reached some of their milestones and seemed to be held back by fear. And that fear was causing a lack of massive action-taking.

The takeaway?

Fear is normal. And courage isn't the absence of fear. It’s acting despite the fear. Mistakes are normal and you can walk away with a positive experience from anything.

If you have a dream, a vision, an idea a thought to expand your life (or business), take massive action on it. It’s likely to change and you’ll probably have to adjust and pivot along the way but your achieved goals are on the other side of smart and decisive actions.

So get Ready.
Fire!
And then Aim as you go.

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Nichoas Kusmich |
Speaker ~ Author ~Lifestyle Entrepreneur

www.NICHOLASKUSMICH.com
A better way… to live… to do business.

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