Is the thing you’re getting stuck on keeping you stuck?

I was chatting with my business coaching program accountability buddy (I have one for my business because accountability helps me commit to the things that scare me), and she remarked how quickly I jump on the training.

I already know this about me—I love shiny new projects and have a ton of energy when it comes to starting things. My growth has been in FINISHING STRONG.

But what struck me today thinking back to our convo yesterday, is that for my buddy this was a phenomenon. She couldn’t see how this was possible, how I got where I was and had made so much progress, without getting all my ducks in a row first like she was doing.

I’m sharing this with you because 1) Yes, I’m in a business development program and I have a business coach, where I have an accountability buddy. I can spend days, weeks or years trying to figure out everything by myself, or I can hire someone who’s already been there/done that to teach me the way to get where I’m going faster.

And 2) Because if, like my buddy, you’re missing out on momentum because you’re trying to get it right before you even get started, you get to stop that. Like now.

Think about riding a bike: When you start pedalling, you’re slow and clumsy, right? But as you get going, you get momentum, and then the bike practically starts riding itself!

That’s just like pretty much everything else in life.

If every time you get in front of your book, your business, your passion project, it feels like the first time, you’re missing out on the gifts of momentum. Momentum creates momentum. It’s fast and it’s easy and you get to get on it.

All you have to do to catch some momentum, is start and keep going. Regardless of whether you know where you’re headed. Regardless of whether you’ve figured it all out—the business plan, the book outline, the strategy.

Start anyway. Then figure it out as you go along.

Now the figure-it-out part can look like a lot of things: It can be an hour you set aside to do just that. It can be a day in the week. A retreat. A skills development course. A coaching program.

But be mindful that too much planning can keep you stuck too. It can be a false illusion of progress and stop you from moving forward in your goals. Having an outline is not the same as having a 60,000-word first draft. A business plan does not equal money in the bank.

Planning, strategy, is great, but it shouldn’t replace the day-to-day task you get to complete that moves your project forward.

Don’t let planning disrupt your momentum. Or you’ll have to start all over again.

So today as you approach your day, tasks and to-do list, I invite you to ask yourself: Is the thing you’re doing right now creating momentum toward reaching your goal? Is it words on the page? Calls made? Emails sent?

Or is it keeping you stuck in the figuring-things-out part?

If so, stop it. 

Start. Figure it out along the way. And keep going.

Cat xo

PS: I’m launching two programs in September that will create a ton of momentum for you book writers out there. Click here if you want to hear more.