I can recall a few instances where I’ve put off starting a project because there were too many roadblocks that got in the way. Everyone’s been there, when you talk yourself out of doing something. You’ve quit before you’ve even started.
For example, you may put off starting because what you’re trying to do is too challenging. Or you think you’d never finish it. Or if you did, no one would pay attention to what you’d accomplished.
How do you get to the point where you just go ahead with your gut instinct and start even though you didn’t know where you’d end up? It takes a lot of courage to put aside those fears and just start.
In this blog post, I will examine why people quit before they even start, and how you can defeat those negative voices and get better at achieving your goal.
1. You are too critical of yourself
I put off writing because I wasn’t happy with anything that I wrote. I admit that I was held back by a lot of negative thinking. For instance, my voice was asking me, why would anyone want to read what I write? Or, I would read what I wrote and not finish writing it because I thought it wasn’t good enough.
If anyone’s experienced the same thing, the root of this problem is that you have high standards which you think you won’t meet. You get too discouraged for not meeting these standards which you’ve built up in your mind.
Sometimes, you are your own worst critic. You don’t allow yourself to dream. But what’s wrong with hope or thinking that you can live a better life?
You might think, I can never be as good as he or she is. But, there’s no one to prove you wrong if you don’t start. If you start creating something, you’d be surprised. You’d find out that when you thought you weren’t good enough, you were wrong.
2. Accept that what you create isn’t going to be a genius work of art
It takes time to develop skills in anything you do. It’s called learning, for a reason. It’s when you get to make mistakes and learn from them to be better and faster at what you do.
Keep in mind that nothing that you start is ever really perfect. That’s why it’s called a first, second or third draft. You can’t measure yourself against someone who’s done it for years while you are just starting out.
Perfectionists will have a hard time accepting that imperfectionism is okay. If you waited until all of the stars were aligned and for the best moment to start a project, you might wait forever for all the pieces to fall into place, for the perfect opportunity.
You could be waiting for the lightning of inspiration to strike. But as everyone knows, how often does someone get struck by lightning?
That’s why you have to just make a decision and start today instead of waiting until tomorrow. So don’t quit before you start!
3. Thinking that something is too difficult to do
I used to be discouraged whenever I thought that something was too difficult to do. I asked myself, do I really want to waste my time trying to do something that I can never achieve?
I felt ignorant because I didn’t know what was the first step to becoming knowledgeable, and that many other people who find it easy had an advantage that would put them ahead in the game.
But nowadays, we have the power of the internet and free resources to take advantage of, such as classes, seminars, and podcasts. If you don’t know something, ask someone for help or look up the information in a book or a blog.
Creating is also about learning. Learn your craft from mentors that you trust. Most people are not born knowing how to do something. They were taught. They went to class, to school, or attended a webinar, and they learned. There are plenty of instructors who have a wealth of knowledge that they’re more than happy to share. Make use of these instructors.
4. Thinking that you can’t reach your goal
If you think that you can’t reach your goal, a change in your attitude will help. Think of the benefits that you can derive from the journey towards your goal, and not the end goal itself.
This is especially true when you’re at the beginning and when you’re just starting. The goal might seem far away and impossible to reach, but this is because you just haven’t hit that first step yet.
You may be overwhelmed by all the things you need to do to make your project work. You may think that you will never achieve your goal.
That’s why you need to break it down into smaller, manageable steps. That way, you are hitting your smaller goals each time, which allows you to feel like you’ve succeeded, without feeling overwhelmed at the long list of things you have to do.
5. Quitting before you start makes you feel safe
Sometimes, you can talk yourself out of trying before you even begin. You put up a lot of road blocks, even getting creative with the excuses for not trying. There’s a lot of fear before you start anything, whether it be a project or business or even a hobby.
These roadblocks make you feel safe. If you don’t try, you won’t fail and your ego won’t take a hit. But if you don’t try, you can’t succeed either. Believe that you can do so much more.
If you’re still haunted by self-doubt, you will need to get out from under the shadow of that self-doubt. What else can you do about it?
6. What can you do to combat self-doubt?
Have a support system, or someone who will encourage you in your endeavors. Educate yourself. First understand what it is that you don’t know and try to fill in the knowledge gap. Create something, and be proud of how imperfect it is. Don’t rob yourself of your right to brag about your accomplishments.
Finally, find a mentor who has their own words of wisdom to pass along to you.
Don’t quit before you start, because the journey towards that goal is when you will learn and grow, and become stronger at what you can potentially achieve.