Category / action

by Nathan Coumbe

Action brings clarity (not thinking)

You can sit and think all you want… Contemplating your next step, figuring out all the possible outcomes, anticipating roadblocks.

But eventually, you’ll have to do something.

And most of the time, that sort of thinking is just procrastination. And it usually happens because we’re scared to take action.

Ideas aren’t eggs. Sitting on them doesn’t help them hatch.

If you want to figure out if something is right or possible or good for you, try it and see what happens.

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by Nathan Coumbe

Do the next right thing

Often we get so caught up in the future that it paralyzes us.

Or we feel so overwhelmed by everything we have to do that we accomplish nothing. Not the stuff we have to do… or that we want to do.

Our task lists, calendars, projects, dreams, and goals seem to cause more angst than hope. So we veg out in front of the television. Or mindlessly scroll on our phones.

Anything to avoid facing what we need to do.

The solution is simple: do the next right thing.

I’ve heard this phrase from both Julia Cameron and Michael Hyatt.

It’s a simple idea with wildly beneficial results. Rather than staying paralyzed and accomplishing nothing, the next right thing creates a tiny step forward.

It doesn’t feel like much, but then it’s not supposed to.

One step forward each day adds up to 365 tiny steps over a year. That’s a lot of progress.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself this question:

“What’s the smallest, easiest next step I can take?”

Then do that and only that. Afterwards you can reevaluate and decide whether to take another step or stop and chill out.

But at least you’ve taken that one step. And that’s one more than you would have otherwise.

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by Nathan Coumbe

3 Easy Tips to Help You Get Unstuck

Being stuck is rough. It can leave you with feelings of hopelessness, frustration, or even anger.

Maybe you’re in a dead-end job you can’t stand…

Or your money situation is quickly moving from bad to worse…

Maybe you don’t even know why you’re feeling stuck. All you know is you are.

So how do you break the logjam?

The good news is there are a few things you can do now that’ll help you get unstuck:

  1. Learn Something New: This might be a new skill, a new way of doing the same thing, or just a new piece of information that helps you change your mindset. Pick up a book from the library or Amazon. Type your problem into YouTube and find 100 videos that’ll give you a new approach. Or listen to a really insightful podcast or TED talk. I wrote up an entire blog post on how you can get a free (or nearly so) education WITHOUT having to go back to school. Check it out here.
  2. Take a Break: One thing many folks do is bang their head against the problem over and over without seeing any new results. Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop and walk away from the problem. This could be as simple as going for a 20-minute walk outside. Or it could be even more extreme: a weeklong vacation to leave all your troubles behind. Regardless of how you choose to take a break, you’ll come back to the problem with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective.
  3. Find a Teacher or Mentor: This tip is the one that’s helped me the most. Coaches, mentors, and teachers have a way of looking at the same problem you’re dealing with and seeing it in a whole new light. I was stuck in my career, hating every single moment I was at work, but I thought there was no other way to live. “That’s just how work is…” Then I had a coach show me that work could be a part of my life’s purpose AND enjoyable. Now I’m in a job I love and doing work that matters. All thanks to an outsider’s perspective.

Speaking of mentors, my coach Dan Miller is hosting a free masterclass today at two different times: 1pm CDT and 7pm CDT.

And the best part? The whole thing is about getting you unstuck no matter your problem.

“5 Reasons Big Dreamers Get Stuck And How To Blast Through Them To Success”

You can register for your seat here.

If you’re tired of going it alone and want an outside perspective on your problem, I strongly encourage you to sign up.

You’ll come away with fresh ideas, a renewed sense of hope, and strategies for moving forward on your most important goals.

There’s still time to register, but it’s happening TODAY. So make sure you sign up before it’s too late.

Save your spot now by clicking here!

I’ll be there too. I hope to see you this afternoon.

by Nathan Coumbe

Are you using “someday” to procrastinate?

Seth Godin wrote a very short blog post today you need to read. (Click here to read it)

I taught a class on this very subject yesterday afternoon. 

The students all had these grand plans to accomplish big goals for their budding businesses. But I told them: without a deadline to meet, they wouldn’t succeed.

By the end of it, all 71 of my students had a date certain for when they’d accomplish their goals. And we worked together to develop daily action steps to get there, too. 

“Someday” isn’t a day on the calendar. Declare your date and make it happen. 

(It never ceases to amaze me how Seth’s shortest posts seem to be the most insightful and relevant.)

Make sure you read his post here. And subscribe to his newsletter—it’s the most insightful email you’ll read each day.

by Nathan Coumbe

It’s Just a Simple Fear of Failing

Dan Miller sent out an email a couple of weeks ago entitled “Why Are You Stuck?” It struck a nerve in me, so I pinned that email to the top of my inbox and read it every day for the last two weeks.

Today, I finally took the time to craft a response and send it back to him. I thought I’d share it with you as well.

I’m a great writer—in fact, I do that in my day job. That, combined with my teaching experience, is why I was hired. Because I’m good at, and enjoy, writing, I keep thinking about, journaling about, and contemplating becoming a freelance copywriter as a 15-hour a week side business.

(Click here if you’d want to learn how YOU can start a business with only 15 hours per week)

I eventually want to become a full-time marketing consultant and a business coach for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business folks. I’m already doing the latter as part of my day job, just not as often as I’d like.

And…I keep getting cold feet, talking myself out of it. But today, I think I’ve finally been able to express what’s holding me back. It’s not a fear of cold-calling people or getting rejected…

I’m afraid I’m going to let them down! I’m afraid I’m going to fail to live up to my prices. Or write bad copy. Or that I’ll wireframe and write copy for a website, and it won’t work! I’m terrified of charging someone money for something and failing to deliver what I promised.

It seems disappointingly simple that my hold-ups come down to a simple fear of failure. But there it is. Dan asked me the question, and this morning I finally had an answer for him.

What’s holding you back? Maybe you’re thinking of starting a business or becoming a freelancer yourself. If so, I encourage you to click here and enter your email address.

You’ll instantly receive three free resources including 10 business ideas and how to start a business with only 15 hours per week!

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***Occasionally I include affiliate links in my posts for people and products in which I strongly believe. This is one of those posts.***

by Nathan Coumbe

It Might Not All Work Out…

We have the definition of optimism wrong.

We think optimism means believing that everything will work out for the best. Over time and on its own.

That’s not true. Plenty of awful things happen whether we’re optimistic or not.

“Well geez, Nathan! You’re obviously a pessimist with that outlook.”

No, actually, I’m quite optimistic. Because I realize that I’m the creative force in my life. I’m the driver of my own destiny.

As long as I’m alive, I have the chance to make something good happen.

Optimism isn’t simply believing that everything is going to be alright: it’s believing that whatever happens, you can make the best of it.

So if you’re reading this, you’re still breathing. And that means you can make the best out of whatever situation you’re in.

That is true optimism.

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by Nathan Coumbe

Ideas Aren’t Eggs

When you have one (or a dozen) you don’t sit on them waiting to hatch. Because they never do.

Your potential money-making, culture-changing, life-saving ideas are crops. The idea is a seed, but a seed by itself is worthless.

Unless you take action.

Till the soil; plant it in the ground; water and fertilize it every day.

You have to do something with the seed. Waiting around for it to sprout is useless.

Don’t sit on your ideas hoping they’ll hatch.

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by Nathan Coumbe

Thrive in All Weather—Think Like A Sailboat Captain

(HT to Seth Godin and the “EntreLeadership” Podcast)

If you’re piloting a sailboat, you don’t care in which direction the wind blows. All that matters is that the wind is blowing.

If you have wind, you can adjust your sails and steer the boat in the direction you wish to go. Only when there’s no wind are you actually stuck.

If we adopt this same thinking in our work and personal lives, we’ll thrive no matter what happens to us.

Technology changes in your industry? Embrace them and move forward. Your job becomes obsolete? Re-skill and do something else. (Both have happened to me.)

Circumstances will always be less than ideal. Sometimes they’ll be downright awful. But we can’t change which way the wind blows.

Don’t complain about its direction—adjust your sails and keep going.

Photo by Geran de Klerk on Unsplash

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by Nathan Coumbe

We Are at War! (A Content War, That Is)

There is a war going on, a content war—one of which we are all a part. If you are on social media or have a smartphone, you now have a voice.

We have two choices:

We can sit on the sides and watch passively, soaking up everyone else’s content and letting it sway us one way or another.

Or we can choose to create, contribute, and add our voice to the mix and try to be heard. To change someone for the better. To make a difference however small. 

It’s true you may never be noticed. You might be drowned out by all the other voices. But doing the work is still worth it—in fact, it’s all that matters.

If we do not speak up, there is no chance that we can improve anything. And those that seek to make things worse will overtake those who want to make things better. 

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by Nathan Coumbe

Holding Others Accountable Is an Act of Respect

I am in the second week of a leadership course created by FranklinCovey based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.*

This week’s topic is Habit 1: Be Proactive. For those of you unfamiliar with the 7 Habits, the first habit is about personal responsibility. It posits that we are the creative force in our own lives. We can choose how we respond to stimuli in the world, and these choices drastically alter our results.

One statement this morning stood out more than others:

“Holding people to the responsible course is not demeaning; it is affirming.”

—Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

We show respect when we refuse to let others blame circumstances for their situations. Holding others responsible tells them “you are where you are because of the choices you’ve made.” 

At the same time, we are communicating another message:

“You can make choices now that can lead you to a better situation.”

Of course, our environmental factors must be taken into account. Outside, uncontrollable forces definitely influence our lives. Our upbringing, sex, gender, or socioeconomic status can make things easier or harder. But they do not determine our lives! 

Each of us has within us what Viktor Frankl calls “the last of the human freedoms.” We can choose our response to any stimulus. It may not seem like much to you, but this idea was incredibly liberating to me. 

“Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose.”

Show another person respect. Let them know they have the power to choose. 

When you choose, you change things.

*If you want to level up your leadership skills, and earn an industry-recognized certification in the process, check out FranklinCovey’s LeaderU courses at leaderu.us.

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