!

Earlier this week, I posted about procrastination. And really, not even just putting off things we wanna do, but actually, gulp, never doing them at all.

I was floored by the response to the post. Literally dozens of DMs and comments saying, “Yep, that’s me, ugh!”

See:

Years ago, the book, ‘The Top Five Regrets of the Dying’ was written by a palliative nurse who expressed the regrets of her patients, and the most common regret was, “I wish I’d had the courage to live the life I wanted, instead of doing what others expected of me.”

You can read the other four here.

I love this because it makes sense, right?

We often feel pressure from family, friends, society, the cultural script that says you need to be safe, save up, do your duty, have a quiet life, don’t make a mess of things, be compliant, placate and don’t ruffle any feathers.

The societal script can be one big blind spot for many of us. I know I fell into it effortlessly after college—good job, salary, 401k, buy the house, find the partner, hold down the job, hopefully have children one day, etc.

Except that not every story is going to look like that, nor does it have to (and I think sometimes we can feel shame if we aren’t following it).

Here’s the thing though …

Comfort, certainty and security are pivotal to the human brain, but so are purpose, meaning, passion, adventure, uncertainty, dreaming and helping others.

And oftentimes, when we’re living out the conventional route we lack those latter qualities.

We go to the “good job” but lack a sense of meaning. We have the 401k, but at the expense of being able to have adventures now. We have the security of our family, but only if we continue doing our duty, placating and being amenable.

All choices are fine … but I speak to people constantly who say they feel like they want to create something bigger or something with more meaning and purpose, but they don’t know how. Or they’re scared shitless. Or they don’t have the resources.

They talk themselves out of the very things they want.

Procrastination.

But more so, it’s the fear of the unknown.

Fear of “what if I can’t hack it?”

Fear of failure.

Fear of judgment from others.

Fear of not being good enough.

All completely understandable. But also … engaging with those fears is the very way we create meaning and purpose and something bigger!

Because the bottom line is this: if you don’t actually change anything, nothing changes.

So, it’s great to have goals and dreams for the future … but my question is, what are you doing differently NOW to make that a reality?

Same actions produce the same outcomes. Period.

You’ll never feel fully ready for the next big thing. In fact, if it feels 100% safe and secure, it’s probably too small a play.

Leveling up in business or physique pursuits or personal relationships will require a leveled-up approach. And that, by nature, will feel scary and uncertain.

I remember the first figure competition I did.

I signed up and then immediately freaked the fuck out. I’d never dieted that intensely before, I never worked that hard in the gym, I’D NEVER PUT MYSELF ON THE HOOK LIKE THAT BEFORE.

It was more accountability than i was used to.

It was more action than I’d ever taken.

It was terrifying because I didn’t fully trust that I’d actually do it.

And if I did make the leap, who’s to say I wouldn’t embarrass myself or not follow through or just ... not hack it??

Gulp.

Any scary investment we make to create a new level of success or different reality requires a different skill set. And that means, innately, you’re not gonna be good at that yet.

So you’re sticking your heck out.

You’re trusting that you can handle the unknown.

You’re doubling down on YOU.

But as scary as all that feels, I ask: what’s the alternative?

New outcomes require new approaches. New approaches require courage. Courage requires a self-trust you literally cannot see.

So ... it’s at that point that you have to jump.

You have to put your faith IN YOU.

Because if you can’t, who else will??

Thank you for being emotionally available for this little bit of tough love today. It’s just that I talk to so many folks who want the thing, but then don’t do the thing!

But also, I can tell you from experience working with hundreds of fit pros to build their online platforms, once you start down the path of building something bigger, your entire energy shifts.

You see yourself investing. You see yourself up-leveling. You see yourself doing shit you wouldn’t have done a year ago!

And THAT is how you stay in the game. THAT is why you’ll eventually succeed. By engaging and working and pivoting and taking those scary steps when it’s easy to not. Because it’s the path not many people will have the courage to take.

Soooo, I got you.

I’m always in your corner, let me know what you need. Happy Friday!

Xo,

Jill

P.S. IF you are ready to elevate and you are looking for a coach PLUS a kickass community of women who ARE doing the damn thing, consider applying for my 2019 Business Mastermind.

I’m looking for health/fitness pros who want to make the next 12 months DRASTICALLY different than the last few years. It’s high-action, high-accountability and (from what the members have said the last 2 years) an absolute game-changer, not only for their businesses but for their lives.

Apply for the 2019 Business Mastermind here. I’ll be reaching out if I think you’d be a great fit for our super-tight community of action-takers ;)