Are Fear and Distraction Keeping You From an Intentional Life?

GRR!!!! Why is it that every time I try to make progress on the things that matter most I stall?

And not stall like I need to take a little break and come back in an hour stall…more like my engine just quit working kind of stall.

I start doubting ALL the things.

I stop taking action. I start questioning my purpose. I start chasing shiny objects to help me avoid the BIG stuff. I get distracted. I stall.

And it is SO FRUSTRATING, because I have this BIG vision for what I want to do with my life (and I’m guessing you do to!)

If you’re new to this blog, you should know I want to help women live more intentional and purposeful lives so they can have a big impact in this world!

I want them to step out confidently and chase their dreams using their unique skills, gifts, and talents to serve and help others.

I want to host conferences, publish books, and speak at events. I want to train, coach, mentor, and encourage the women in my life to do AMAZING things.

This DREAM and PURPOSE makes me light up inside, it gives me energy and hope, it ignites a sense of meaning…but I still stall…a lot…more than I even really like to admit.

Maybe you’ve experienced similar stalls when you started chasing your purpose.

If not, I want to chat because I want to know your secret for staying on track! No seriously, stop reading this post and send me an e-mail right now so you can teach me how to stop stalling.

But, I’m guessing for most of you, you know what it feels like to stall, and if you are like me sometimes it feels completely overwhelming.

FEAR AND DISTRACTION ARE HOLDING US BACK

Fear and distraction are the enemy of purposeful and intentional living. We face them EVERY day, and if we aren’t careful they will keep us from really chasing our dreams and pursuing our purpose.

Fear is the little voice that tells you that you aren’t good enough to really pursue those big dreams.

It shows up in the comparison trap….when you look at someone else and think to yourself I could never…

It’s doubting the value you bring to this world and silently wondering why you ever even came up with the idea that’s brewing in the back of your mind.

Maybe it’s the fear of not doing things well enough (hello my fellow Type A perfectionists) that stops you.

Maybe it’s the fear of what others will think.

Maybe it’s the fear that if you try and fail you don’t have a backup plan.

Maybe it’s the fear that what you truly want to pursue doesn’t fit in the vision someone else has for your life.

I don’t know exactly what your fear looks like, but I know it’s there. And I know there are times it stops you in your tracks.

The bad news is that is fear won’t ever completely go away. The good news is you don’t have to let it stop you from moving forward.

Trust me, I know all about that little voice.

I’m still learning to listen to it, ignore it, and then take deliberate action even when it’s scary.

It’s hard. It takes courage. It takes determination.

When we are intentional about the choices we are making, and clear on our values and goals, we can make progress even when the fear shows up.

Intentional living is all about eliminating the things that aren’t important so we can focus on the things that are important in our lives. It’s how we prioritize the things that have value and let go of the things that don’t really contribute to a more engaging and purposeful life.

Stepping into our purpose, helping others, loving better, and being more present for those we care about are the things we should be chasing.

Take Action Even When You are Afraid

So today I’m challenging you to take action even when you are afraid.

Take one small step to move your dream forward.

Pick up the phone and make the phone call. Publish the blog post. Look for new job postings. Research other non-profits that are doing the work you want to do. Volunteer. Get involved.

Imperfect action stops fear.

Because once you take the first step it gets easier to take the next step and then the next.

Let go of needing to have it all figured out. Life is a journey and your story is going to unfold in ways you couldn’t imagine.

Don’t let fear stop you from chasing the dreams, purpose, and calling you have in your life.

Stop right now. Take a few minutes to think about that big dream you have. Then think about one step you could take right now.

I’ll wait…

No really, even if you can’t take the step right now, write it down and make a commitment to yourself to take action in the next 24 hours.

You’ve got this!

Distraction May Be Your Way to Avoid Discomfort

Did you take the step? Or did you get distracted?

I’m asking because I care. I know what it’s like to come up with the step and then distract yourself with something else.

When I got ready to write this blog post I distracted myself with learning how to update some things on my website. Why…because I wasn’t sure what to write…there was a little fear in creating a new post.

What if no one likes it? What if it sounds too preachy? What if it sounds too simple? What if no one cares about what I have to say? What if it doesn’t help anyone?

On an on the thoughts swirled, and rather than start typing I started googling. Because Google has the answer to all things…even for the problems I don’t really need to solve.

If we aren’t willing to take action when we know we need to, we will find other ways to distract ourselves and then we will use those distractions as excuses for why we can’t make progress.

It’s human nature. We don’t like the hard stuff!

It’s so easy to distract ourselves with our phones, our TV’s, other commitments, dusting the baseboards (okay, not really dusting the baseboards, but now that I think of it, I really do need to add that to the list…).

We tell ourselves we are just TOO busy to start chasing those dreams.

But that’s just an EXCUSE!

The average American spends more than 2 hours a day on social media. Even if we cut that in half we’d free up a lot of space to chase our dreams! So stop saying you don’t have time.

We think to ourselves, I’ll start tomorrow, or next week, or maybe next month when things slow down a little…

Right now my “excuse” for not really chasing my bigger purpose is because I’m always tired from shift work.

Now it is true that shift work has taken a toll on my mental, physical, and emotional health (more about that in a different post!), but it has also been a useful distraction. One I use to avoid taking action that stretches me.

A distraction that has kept me playing small and not going all in on chasing my purpose.

What is distracting you right now?

Commitments to things you aren’t really that passionate about? Hours of surfing the web? Netflix marathons (although if it’s to watch Virgin River, I understand)?

Distractions aren’t always bad, but if they are keeping us from pursuing our purpose they are covering up the fear.

So stop, take a deep breath, and then take the next step.

Be Intentional

Today is the day to start taking intentional action towards the things that inspire you.

It’s time to move those big dreams forward even if they are scary.

What’s one thing you are doing today to avoid distraction or take action, drop a comment below or send me an e-mail. I’d love to share this journey with you.