Paralysis through Analysis?

 You ever thought to yourself.. I want to……. Fill in the blank.  

I have.  And I have often.  And then Analysis sets in.  I start doubting my idea, thinking about all the ways it won’t work, thinking about what people will say, analyzing numbers, and then the procrastination and the paralysis by analysis hits.   

It’s real.  It’s something i think we all go through.  We come upo with an idea and instead of doing the one thing we should do.. which is… TAKE ACTION, we sit back and we analyze it to the point of inactivity.  You are not alone in this affliction.  I am one of the biggest offenders of this too!  ADHD makes it real fun to work through this beast! 

So paralysis through analysis works in several different ways against our dreams, our goals and our visions.  We all carry demons in us, demons that we can decide to listen to nor not.  We have to quiet them down to allow the alaysis to let us move forward. 

Now not all analysis is bad of course.  There is a period of time where analysis is beneficial.  For instance, working the numbers, drawing the plans, creating the vision.  What I am referring to here is the voices we get in our head that stop us from going with our gut, going after what our vision is and telling us that we can’t do it because it’s going to be hard.  Paralysis through Analysis is designed to keep us in our comfort zone.  It’s designed to ensure we are staying where we are currently so we don’t make any moves that will create discomfort.  

I’m here to tell you it’s ok to get paralyzed for a little while, but what is really paralyzing us is not necessarily analysis, but potentially fear.  Fear, as I’ve said before, false expectations appearing real, can prevent us from doing so much of what we want to or even need to do.  Fear of what people will think.  Fear of success, fear of failure, dewar of rejection, fear of whatever it is that we fear.  It’s ok to be afraid,  In fact, some of the biggest decisions you make in your life may create a great deal of fear and that’s NOT a bad thing.  It does of course create caution at points but remember courage is not the absence of fear but acting in spite of it.  

So be courageous,  allow yourself a moment to be paralyzed by analysis, but don’t let that analysis stop you from taking action.  Don’t listen to the voices you hear in your head.  You are better than those voices.  And if you don’t like what they are saying, work on how they are talking to you.  Remember we are going to be our own worst critics in most cases.  It’s now just a matter of taking action when your voices tell you differently. 

This was a short post I am aware but I have 10 million voices in my head right now.. analyzing and I decided I didn’t give a fuck so I just went with it. 

Today, I didn’t want to, But did it anyway.

 One of the biggest discussions I have had with successful people and those that continue to stay disciplined, no matter what their profession, specialty or passion is, is what they do when they don’t feel like doing whatever it is they need to do or know they should do. The most common response and even in my own life is that they do whatever it is whether they want to do it or not. 

Success, in no matter what areas you want to succeed in life many times will involve doing things you don’t feel like or don’t want to do.  I’ll use myself as an example.  Today, I am at work, at the fire station, day 4 of 5 at work, working 120 hours before I go home in total.  Today, we had hose testing and training at the station and a ride-along (granted it was my son, but an extra person nonetheless).  It was a busy day.  I didn’t feel like working out, walking for an hour, lifting and moving my body.  So after lunch, I completed my reports and went to the treadmill and walked for an hour, and I didn’t want to.  I stepped on the treadmill, and took one step after another and soon, an hour had past.  I had walked the three miles I  try to get in every day and had watched a show while doing so.  Instead of settling down and resting for a bit, I walked.  Then, after further training, and running calls, when I was tired mentally, and physically from being day 4 at the station, i sat down for a second.  I forced myself to get up, head into the station gym and started lifting weights,  Low and behold, I went harder than just going through the motions and got a great lifting session in.  

My why- it guides me.  Even on days I don’t want to do it, I do it.  Even if it means just going through the motions, I do it.  Even if I am tired, exhausted, overwhelmed, under rested, I do it.  I may not go as hard, I may not go as fast, I may not go as long, but I do it.  I do it because I want to be healthy for my family.  I do it because I have a 3 year old grandkid that requires me to run around for her spurts of excitement. Lil do it because I want to be around for my family for a long time.  I do it because the why is bigger than me.  

One of the things I have learned is to allow myself some grace.  I used to be intense about everything, and now I am intentional.  Successful people are intentional in their actions, but they take action.  It doesn’t matter how large or how small as long as you are taking action towards your dream, goal, desires.  No matter what they are.  Watch the patterns of successful people.  Watch how they work when they are tired, when they are energetic, when they are stressed, overwhelmed, underappreciated.  They are crazy enough to believe in their dream, passion, desire, their PURPOSE that they continually work towards it, even when they don’t want to. 

YOU have the power within you to make what you want become a reality.  It simply takes action, many times even when you don’t want to do it.  

• Don’t want to get out of the warm bed, do it anyway.
•  Don’t want to workout today, do it anyway

• Don’t want to read that book today?  Do it anyway. 

•  Don’t want to study today? Do it anyway.
• Don’t want to make that phone call?  Do it anyway 
• Don’t want to deal with the challenges?  Do it anyway. 

Whatever it is in your life that will progress you towards the life you envision, Do it whether you want to do it or not.  You’ll thank yourself later.