Have you ever had a great idea? Have you spent hours, days, weeks and maybe months putting together a solid plan for a business, blog, podcast or book only to come to the most important part of the project (the start) and find out that you can’t pull the trigger?
It’s not just you. It happens to everyone.
Recently, I wrote a post about how we need to stop listening to ourselves and start talking to ourselves. Throughout our days we will have great ideas. But how many times will we take actionable steps to implement those great ideas and bring them to reality?
Don Shula once said, “The start is what stops most people.”
Let’s stop and think about that for a moment. Have you ever told yourself you’re going to do something big with your life?
How about telling yourself you’ll go back to the gym to get that “summer body” you used to have?
Or better yet, have you come up with an idea that you deem a “can’t miss” or “a no brainer” that can change the lives of others?
Now, how many times have you taken actionable steps to implement those ideas into your daily life to make a difference?
One of my favorite videos on this very topic is a talk by Art Williams called “Just Do It.” It was sent to me a few years ago by my good friend Joe Ferraro, who is the creator and host of the 1% Better Podcast. It was right around the time I had made a trip to Pittsburgh to meet with executives about the expansion of Kevin Wilson Baseball, LLC. I spent 5 hours in a conference room being mentored on how to take KWB to the next level.
I had a clear vision of where I wanted to go, but I didn’t exactly know how to get there.
At this point in the company’s history, I had taken the company as far as I could on my own. It was going to be vital to be very purpose driven in everything I was about to do so that I could impact as many people as I possibly could.
It was exactly what I needed at that time. I found the answer I was looking for.
I had to start.
Every day we are alive, our time for discovery, implementation of ideas and opportunities for influence, grow smaller. We are chasing our own “sunset,” and if we are in tune with our PURPOSE in our lives, we understand that every moment we waste not executing our ideas, we squander opportunities to influence people for generations to come.
What stops us from starting? What holds us back from taking action and making ideas become realities? Every one of us is different and unique. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer that I can give you, but I’m going to walk you down the path and see if you can come up with your own reasons why.
Perceptions Aren’t Realities
Some of us are paralyzed by what others think of us. As a society, we tend to conform rather than be unique and genuine. These perceptions can keep us from pressing the “send button.” We say to ourselves, “If I go through with this project, what are people going to think of me? Will I lose my friends because of this? What happens if it doesn’t work?” We come up with way more excuses to NOT put something into play than we do to START making our ideas reality.
So why are we so worried about what others think? Aren’t we in control of our lives? Aren’t we the ones who determine what we want to do and when we want to do them? When push comes to shove, we are the ones responsible for our thoughts and actions. We are the ones who hold ourselves accountable.
“So what if it doesn’t work?”
This is one of the most common responses from people I mentor when helping them to “take the leap” or “press send.” Some of us are looking too far ahead and worry about the outcomes before we even start the process. It’s like a hitter worried about if they are going to get a hit or not before they even step in the batters box. If you think about it, it’s ridiculous to worry about an outcome that hasn’t even begun to happen.
And yet, we sometimes put the cart before the horse, thus slamming on the proverbial brake pad because we have already decided it’s not worth the risk.
How is this any way to live? From experience, I can tell you it’s not a great way to live. For me, it brought about a lot of stress and sickness. At the time I didn’t think I had permission to go off and do my own thing. I felt I was second fiddle to some of those around me and the fear of branching off and doing my own thing scared me a little.
OK, a lot.
What’s The Worst Thing That Can Happen?
We tell ourselves stories about what we could be one day. How much we can accomplish if we just put our head down and did it. But those stories always have the “worst case scenario” ending attached to it, that is there to delay or derail our actions in making it a reality.
I tell hitters constantly, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” If you’re looking for a fastball on the first pitch of your at-bat and he throws you a curveball for a strike, what’s the worst thing that’s going to happen? It’s going to be strike one. Who cares what the coach says. Who cares what the well-intoxicated fan behind home plate says, you can’t hit what you aren’t looking for. But you would be surprised how many young hitters are afraid to look to hit one pitch before two strikes.
They are afraid that just because it’s a strike they have to swing at it.
They know they’re wrong, but it’s tough for them to give themselves permission to sit on one pitch. Until they realize that the worst thing that can happen is the pitch is a called strike and they are “down” in the count. That’s it.
Going back to that conference room, one of the executives asked me, “So if you don’t go forward with this expansion, what are the consequences?”
I sat there for a minute and then said, “Nothing.
The worst thing that could happen would to NOT start doing it.” He smiled at me as he strolled down to the end of the conference room table and gave me a high five.
I finally understood it! With that answer, I’ve been able to spread the word of #GoodBatting and impact the lives of thousands across the world. It’s allowed me to take KWB to the next level and position ourselves in different areas of leadership, mentoring and mastermind environments that create more opportunities to live my WHY.
Have you been sitting on a big idea that can help others? Are you working a job just to pay the bills and know there is much more out there for you to accomplish in life? Do you want to be the player you always wanted to be but haven’t pushed yourself hard or far enough to make that jump to the next level?
You know what you need to do. It’s no longer a fantasy or a dream. You have permission to “press send” and change not only your life but the lives of those around you.
Love,
KW
For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.
He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller The #GoodBatting Book and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today!
Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com