One of the first things I learned when I was training to be a coach was that there is never a right time. I was taught the importance of saying “Yes” whenever an opportunity presented itself and this is how I have achieved what I have.
Most people, including me up until that point, have a habit of waiting. They are presented with a fabulous opportunity and they wait, either for the timing to be right, or the circumstances to be right or to be in the right place or to have the right money.
They think that if they wait for just that bit longer then everything will line up perfectly for them.
The truth is, there is never a perfect time, situation or circumstance. Things only begin to line up for us when we make a decision to move forward and start taking the steps.
I love the ducks analogy. When you look at a family of ducks, they don’t begin to line up in a straight line until the lead duck starts to move forward.
So stop waiting for your ducks to line up, just get moving and notice the power of synchronicity. My clients are always blown away by how things do magically line up once they start to take action.
Past surveys have shown that goal setters are in a minority 3% of people who are more successful, have more confidence, are happier and earn more money than 97% of people who don’t set goals.
What I have also noticed is very predominant with successful people is they say “Yes” to opportunities a lot more often and this helps them power forward to achieve their outcomes.
Now it’s probably all very well me telling you its important to say “Yes”, but how do you move from that space of holding back to saying “Yes” more often?
Get clear on what you want
If you’re not clear on what you want to achieve, decision-making can be very challenging. When you are completely clear on the outcome you want, you will be able to see if the opportunity fits your outcome. So get clear on the outcome you want and whether the results you can get from taking the opportunity will help you achieve it. If it does, seize the opportunity right now!
Let go of the need for certainty
Most people are driven by a need for certainty; they want to know what is going to happen next and whether they are making a “right” decision.
If you cling to the need for certainty you will find it extremely difficult to make those decisions that can really make a difference. When you treat life as an adventure instead, the possibilities you open up for yourself are endless.
So, tell yourself that there is no “right” or “wrong” decision, because any decision you make will take you to another space of awareness, and this will open up more opportunities for you that you are not even aware of yet.
Become a warrior for your own life
If you wait for fear or nervousness to disappear you will never make the move. Susan Jeffers said “Fear will always be there as long as you continue to grow”.
This means fear and nervousness are part of growth and change and if you want to achieve something new, its normal to experience these feelings. So you need to embrace courage and this is making the decision or taking the step with the fear still there.
Warriors are extremely courageous, because they are passionate about their cause and they are dedicated to it. So, make sure you are passionate about the outcome you want and become dedicated to your own cause, your outcome. When you do this it becomes easier to make the decisions and take the steps to achieve it.
Commit to your outcome
Real commitment is absolute, because it means you will do whatever it takes to achieve what you want. What I also mean by a real commitment is that absolute commitment to you. Commitment to self is powerful and its one of the key things that has helped me get to where I am today.
If you don’t make a solid commitment you will find yourself floundering with any opportunity presented to you. When you are fully committed you will do what it takes and that means saying, “Yes”
So think about firm commitments you have made in other aspects of your life, maybe to your child or to your partner, or a parent, or a friend, or a dear pet and make that same firm commitment to you and your outcome.
Always know the more you put things off, the harder the decision becomes and the further you move away from what you really want. Opportunities and challenges only present themselves when you are ready for them, so be passionate about your own cause, seize the opportunity and say “Yes” to you right now.