Does this ever happen to you?
You get really excited about an idea and begin to plan it. Then without realizing it at first, the fear sneaks up and all of the sudden the excitement, the anticipation, the enthusiasm is replaced by doubt.
You question every move. Suddenly you can’t remember the things that led you to success in the past. You are paralyzed and stopped in your tracks. You’re overwhelmed.
The good news is that, you can begin to recognize that little gremlin at work. It’s often your inner critic who is paying you a visit. If you begin to be aware of what is happening, it can just be a temporary glitch rather than keep you from moving forward.
It is just your ego reminding you that it’s fragile and trying to protect you. It is a misguided attempt to shelter you from harm but instead it’s keeping you from growing and being yourself, who you are really meant to be.
So, the temporary amnesia is just that – TEMPORARY. You can say, Oh Hello! It’s you again. You really threw me into a tail spin. Why don’t you relax? I know what to do now.
Create a Written List of Strategies That Have Worked For You Before
One thing I have found that helps me when I am in that very situation is to create a written list of things that have helped me get past some of those challenges before. Things like:
- Get support – the kind that will be understanding and help you move away from the panic button. So who can help you? This is probably THE most helpful thing you can do.
- Instead of fighting your feelings, accept where you are now and take the next small step.
- Do something nice for someone else. Sometimes it helps you to get away from your own problems and challenges and to get out of your own head.
- Inspiring words, a quote, a touchstone
For example, Ease and Delight was supposed to be my theme and touch stone for the year. Oh Yeah! Now I remember. I’m surprised at how just thinking about those words can make me feel calmer.
A very nice subscriber has a great idea. She said she started using the Ease and Delight as a touchstone and put it on her calendar every day so she would remember.
What are some other strategies that can help?
- Set limits – for example, what are the top 3 tasks you want to accomplish today?
- Eliminate distractions. What pulls you away from your focus?
- Set a timer to focus for 15-30 minutes at a time
- Ask yourself a question like, “What is the best use of my time right now?”
Where are you getting stuck again?
What has helped before?
I recommend that you start creating a list of things that have helped you before. Mine is called the What Works For Me list. Then the next time you are overwhelmed and have temporary amnesia, you can pull out your list and implement one or more strategies. That is, if you can remember to look at the list!
