There are so many people that have some thing in mind that they want to “be”. But because they think it will be too hard to “become” that thing, they refuse to try. Fear of failure grips and that dream is shoved to the back of the brain. The ego says, “Don’t try that, someone might judge you or you may be disappointed and we don’t want that for you”.

Wanna Know A Secret?

It is so easy to overthink and make things more difficult than they actually are. But did you realize you do not have to be perfect at something to be a thing? Wha you say? This is truth. All you have to do is decide you are going to be something and the second you decide, start, and show some consistency in becoming, you are that thing.

Is your mind blown? Want to try this theory out? Let’s go through a couple of scenarios to test it.

Example Scenario #1 – I Want To Be An Athlete

You want to be an athlete, but you don’t feel even remotely qualified to try. Are you out of shape or overweight and don’t want people to mock you for trying. Do you have some sort of idea in your head of what a “real athlete” is or looks like and it’s not you? You tell yourself it’s okay to sit on the sidelines and just watch while others play pickleball, go for a bike ride, or run a 5k. But how nice it would be to be an athlete like that, too.

Screw that mindset. You wanna be an athlete? Decide you will be and get up. Put on your tennis shoes and go for a walk. The second you’ve made the decision, go for that walk, and make a plan to walk again tomorrow, and the next day. Guess what? You are an athlete.

You may not be running any 5ks yet, like “competitive” athletes do, but you are on your way. And the second you are ready physically and pay an entry fee, you are officially a “competitive” athlete. And nothing and no one can take that away from you.

Example Scenario #2 – I Wish I Were a Musician

How many of us have said that we can’t hold a tune or ever play an instrument? Music is such a gift to give other people, but we’re afraid and shy to share it. Again, where there is a will, there is a way. Do you need lessons? There are plenty of people out there that can and would love to teach you. Find one. Or head over to YouTube for tutorials on anything really. If you want to do it, someone is teaching it right there on your computer.

There are so many opportunities to share your passion for music; in church, in community groups, at a karaoke bar, at special events such as weddings and funerals, on social media. You just have to decide that you are a musician, practice, and share it. You don’t have to be famous or a grammy winner, you just have to share your gift. That’s all it takes.

What Do I Want To Be?

For years I claimed that I wanted to be a writer, despite the fact that I had been writing stories and scripts, writing in my journal, and even writing this blog for years. I didn’t consider myself a writer. When anyone ever asked me what I did, “writer” was the furthest thing from a description of myself I had. I didn’t have a book published or a screenplay being optioned. Only when those things were accomplished would I truly be a writer.

Then I read a post from a friend of mine who mentioned the same thing about herself. About how she had been writing for years, but had never considered herself a writer. The funny thing is that all I saw when I looked at her was a writer. She was putting stuff out there, baring her soul in words. To me she was most definitely a writer and a very good one. And then I turned that mirror around and all I saw was myself, as a writer. I felt I must have been denying it just in case someone decided to remark that I wasn’t, you know, a REAL writer.

You Wanna Be It? Then Be it.

As The Avett Brothers write in their song Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise “Decide what to be and go be it.” The most important thing to remember is that it’s not all or nothing. As in “If I don’t run a marathon I’m not a runner”. Just head out for a jog in your neighborhood. That’s it. Or “I have to sell a painting to be a real artist”. Just get inspired and put brush to canvas. It’s about making a decision and doing the thing. That’s all. Nothing more than that. And it’s just as easy as that.

Stop overthinking and belittling your own abilities. The world needs everything you have to share. Don’t let your ego let you off the hook too easy. Fight back.

LLM

Ye old podcast version:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1594894/11051227