Craving Hidden Certainty Is Sabotaging Your Progress

Five mental reframes that’ll help you take the next step

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What’s sabotaging your progress is the reassurance you seek. You can do so much when you lean into uncertainty.

But you won’t.

Because it’s unnatural to trust something you have no control over, even if you’ve envisioned the end and it looks great.

I do not blame you for seeking certainty and clarity before taking action. Who wouldn’t?

We naturally wire our brains to seek a reward for actions completed and avoid pain as much as possible. It’s natural, but very limiting.

Waiting for absolute certainty is a surefire way to delay progress and to self-sabotage — Fran Excell

A few days ago, I had an hour-long conversation with a friend who was unhappy with how superficial her life felt.

Below the surface, she craved a purpose-driven life but couldn’t fathom how to break away from her norm.

She invited me for a conversation, but I noticed that as we spoke and bounced off ideas and things took form, her voice grew smaller.

When I asked, she said, “This vision is so big. Where do I even start?”

There and then, I realized what her problem had been all along.

She’d known what to do to give her life purpose.

But the ‘how’ was scarier, so she avoided everything entirely.

Stop hiding, stop letting fear and uncertainty get in your way.

It’s now or never because all that waiting for everything to be perfect, not launching because you don’t have all the pieces in place just yet will just mean that the ‘tomorrow’ or ‘next week’ you’re waiting for just won’t come — Fran Excell

My friend and I are still a work in progress.

However, she’s gradually accepting that fear and uncertainty are part of her process if she wants to grow, pursue a purpose, and ink her legacy doing something she’s passionate about.

What about you?

• Are you stalling from executing your next step because you secretly crave certainty?
• Are you seeking validation, reward, and reassurance that when you leap, you won’t fall or fail so badly?

Good news! You will.

In pursuit of passion and purpose, remember that if there are no risks, there are no rewards. That’s the only rule to success and growth there is.

And there is beauty in starting and building, even when you feel uncertain.

We grow and learn more during times of uncertainty. This is one reason pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is so beneficial — Fran Excell.

So, if you’re a writer, founder, solopreneur, or author stalling because you feel uncertain, here are five mental reframes that’ll help you take your next steps​

1. Focus on the WHY, not the HOW​

Hold on to your reasons for pursuing your purpose, not how you’ll achieve it.

Focus on WHY you want to write a book, become an author, build a brand, grow a business, or become a leader.

Your why should fuel your how, not limit it.​

2. Trust in a higher POWER, not yourself.

You cannot predict the future. You cannot tell what tomorrow holds.

You may or may not wake up tomorrow. You may or may not be opportune to act tomorrow as you do today.

What you can do is believe that somewhere high up, someone is rooting for you to keep going.

Believe that someone is waiting for your next step to pave the rest of the way for you.

Start now, but trust that there is a higher power at work that sees your actions and will lay the path for you as you progress.​

3. Focus on WHAT is CERTAIN

The only certainty you have is what you can control.

• Your next step.
• Your next action.
• Your dedication to work.
• Your discipline to continue.

What habits would you build to create an environment for you to thrive?

Focus on that.​

4. Trust IN your BIGGER picture

Just as you focus on your WHY, trust in your BIGGER picture.

Don’t limit yourself because you’re scared your dreams are too big. The bigger, the more ambitious you become.

The more ambitious you become, the more obsessed you are with breaking through your limitations to achieve your dreams.​

5. Focus on your NEXT STEP

It takes a step to start, but if you stop there, you’ve broken the chain.

You must take the next step, and the next step, and the next step.

One foot in front of the other is all it takes to turn uncertainty into a win.

You are a leader.

Leaders ink their legacies, not run away from them.

Dear Reader,

There are no guarantees in life. Everything is uncertain. Even your next breath.

Whether you leap or not, time will fly past you.

There is satisfaction in taking action, even when they feel uncertain. Knowing the outcome doesn’t always mean things will turn out well.

Sometimes, it is in not knowing that we produce the best results.

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