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- Never Idle - Edition #12
Edition #12
Hi All!
Here is your weekly serving of practical guidance and inspiration to ensure you live your life with purpose. Feel free to forward this along to friends and family. Enjoy!
I wanted to give a quick shout to the 13 amazing individuals who have joined us since last week. Thanks for being here and welcome to the Never Idle team!
We have officially crossed over the 200 Subscriber mark this week (208 to be exact). I just want to let you ALL know how thankful and blown away I am by your support! I truly hope this newsletter provides value to each and every one of you.
We are just getting started!
Read Time: 8 Minutes
Master Your Mindset
Fear Is Making You Your Worst Enemy
I was stagnant.
Scared to take the leap because I didn’t know what people would think.
“Won’t they judge me?”
I put off creating positive, self-improvement content — content I was interested in creating and passionate about implementing in my own life — all because I was nervous about how my friends and family would perceive me.
This fear stunted my progress and held me hostage for more time than I care to admit. Now wait a second, this is about conquering fear so let me spill it - this fear held me hostage for more than 5yrs.
That’s right, half a decade bottled up in my own head. Time I could have spent spreading positivity and uplifting others alongside myself.
When I finally overcame this fear and told my friends and family, their reaction was not the judgmental remarks I expected to hear. Instead, it was more like:
“I’m excited to check out your newsletter!”
“I didn’t know we had a writer on our hands.”
“Good for you, I want to incorporate those habits myself.”
That whole time I had feared a false reality I had made up. It wasn’t real and yet my perception made my lack of progress very real.
Fear can come in many forms:
Fear of failure
Fear of change
Fear of rejection
Fear of judgment
Fear of the unknown
All of these forms can have a paralyzing effect on your actions and progress.
These 3 techniques have helped me overcome the fears that previously held me back. Here’s how each one can help you develop a mindset that powers you forward:
The Fearless Frontier
Awareness
In order to conquer fear, you must first define it.
Without the awareness of what exactly you are afraid of, you will have a very hard timing overcoming it.
It is just like any other problem. Define the problem, then pursue a solution.
Open up to yourself.
Ask “What am I so afraid of?”
At this step it is perfectly fine to still be fearful and scared. You simply want to understand what you are up against.
Desire
“I want to stop drinking alcohol.”
Becoming Aware of Your Fear
“I am scared that my friends will judge me and will outcast me because I no longer want to go out drinking with them.”
Visualization
This step should be viewed from both a pessimistic and an optimistic lens.
I want you to visualize the absolute worst-case scenario and then the absolute best-case scenario if you took action on that fear.
Sticking with the example above, what might be the worst-case scenario:
Your ‘friends’ do judge your decision to quit alcohol
They peer pressure you constantly to drink with them
When they realize you are firm in your decision, they no longer ask you to go out with them
You have to spend time looking for a new social circle
You undergo a period of social isolation
Okay, now what about the best-case scenario:
Your friends completely understand your decision and support you 100%
You inspire a friend or two to also quit the booze and you help hold each other accountable
You start to feel the additional energy and health benefits
You use your evening time more efficiently and develop a new income stream
It is likely that reality will fall somewhere in the middle of these two scenarios but you have now at least painted the worst and best that can happen.
The fear is starting to melt away.
Forget Perfection
The final step of the Fearless Frontier is letting go of perfection.
Absolutely nothing is perfect. It is an unattainable outcome. Yet, we often think we have to reach it in order to start something or put it out into the world.
The better pursuit is the one that aims to make progress.
Progress is not nearly as scary as perfection because it is attainable. It is possible. And it is rewarding.
Progress can come in many ways but to close out the example of fear we have been discussing, let’s compare your sense of ‘perfection’ with the reality of progress.
Perfection:
You want everyone to accept your decision not to drink, they all stop drinking too, you start engaging in sober activities all together, you get amazingly fit, make a ton of money using your newfound time and energy, marry the person of your dreams, and buy properties in the south of France.
If you waited to stop drinking until all that was a certainty you would be hitting the bottle right now.
Progress:
You stop drinking for a week, then tell your first friend. They understand.
Your other friend finds out and peer pressures you to come out. You cave and drink one night.
Then you go another month cold turkey.
You have some wine with family.
You go another 3 months without drinking. You lose some friends along the way but you maintain a great relationship with the ones who support and understand your decision.
You start to hang out in social settings, comfortable with not drinking even if everyone else is.
By the way, if you’re interested in bettering yourself and your friends are giving you shit for that, they aren’t good friends to keep around.
Perfection v Progress - See the difference?
Perfection paralyzes you because it is fear disguised in a pretty bow.
Progress pushes you forward because you took action and realized reality is not as bad as the fear you had inside. You treat small lapses as hiccups instead of earth-shattering mistakes.
Fear is something we all deal with. It’s part of life.
But equipped with the right mindset, you can turn fear from a paralyzing, progress-stunting force into a wee insignificant feeling that you can overcome and make the life-changing progress you deserve.
Go be fearless!
Hone Your Habits
End Procrastination: 5-Minute Task Approach
This is a simple little habit I use to avoid those small little tasks we all deal with from piling up and causing endless procrastination.
I call it “5-minute tasks.”
The concept is simple: If a task is going to take you 5 minutes or less to perform, do it RIGHT NOW!
How many times have you thought about a task that you know deep down won’t take long but you don’t want to do it so you just put it off?
Then another pops up. Then another.
Before long you have this list of things you know you should do but now they feel insurmountable because of sheer quantity.
The 5-minute task habit solves all this.
Gotta empty the dishwasher? Do it now!
Need to get a journal session in? Do it now!
Need to pay that bill or credit card? Do it now!
Whatever the examples, we all have those small tasks in our lives.
If you build a habit of addressing them immediately, you prevent them from piling up and causing mental clutter so you can focus more on high-leverage tasks and projects.
I often even round up to 10mins but the real amount of time isn’t important.
The key takeaway should be this:
A task comes up
Ask yourself “How long will this take me?”
If it clears the 5-minute (or short amount of time) threshold then
Do it THIS EXACT MINUTE
Avoid procrastination, a long to-do list, and mental clutter by building this simple yet effective habit.
Words of Wisdom
Rather than the typical inspirational quote, below is a recent poem I wrote.
I have recently gotten into writing some poetry. This is something I would have been absolutely terrified to share in the past.
To prove that you can overcome fear with the techniques shared above, I am sharing this piece with all of you today.
I hope you enjoy!
Alarm buzzing, hit snooze.
Another ring, roll out, reluctantly.
Caffeine, a false cleanse of the fog.
Crowded roads, wasted time. stress rising.
Destination reached. A desk or a cage?
Hours pass, sedentary. Unfulfilled.
"Is there a better way?"
Traffic, once more, tiresome loop.
Destination reached. Home or hell?
Anger inside. Bicker. Yell. It escapes.
To the fridge, seeking solace in a can.
TV flickers, the mind drifts.
Stumble to bed. Collapse.
"Is there a better way?"
The cycle repeats.
Reality, a harrowing place.
Societal norms, slipping deeper.
"Give in or seek change?” Question posed.
Decision made. Finally. Time to try.
Still doubt and confusion remain.
”Is there a better way?”
Awaken, new journey begins.
Embrace the dawn, golden hue.
Inhale. Fresh air. Feel. The beams.
A sense of clarity. A focused mind.
Nourished body. Stretch breaks.
Search for purpose. Only 1 day.
”Is there a better way?”
Health prioritized.
A fresh passion to learn.
New routine takes shape.
A feeling of purpose. “Is it true?”
Time will tell. 1 week, then 2.
Limiting beliefs still persist.
”Is there a better way?”
Moment of weakness.
“Time to quit? No.” Discipline endures.
Paying dues. Discovering a path. Still unclear.
Strength of mind and strength of body. Fortifying.
Each day a challenge. “Does it ever go away?”
Obstacles. Problems. Questions remain.
”Is there a better way?”
Old ways, dreams but no plan.
Now action taken, progress made.
Embracing the ride. More calm and steady.
Realizing the process, a neverending pursuit.
Nothing is perfect, that’s okay.
Striving for better.
”This is the way.”
You can complement this weekly newsletter with short reminders, ideas, and thoughts about personal development by following me on Twitter.
Thanks for reading! And always remember…
Slow and steady. Never Idle.
Until next week,
Austin Sargent