How long do you have to think about something before you actually do it? If you’re anything like me, the answer is, probably longer than necessary. 

When you have an idea or a goal that you want to work towards, you plant yourself in the learning phase- wanting to absorb as much information as possible on the idea.  While doing your research is an important part of the process, at what point are you just stalling? 

Straight to the point- being in that ‘learning phase’ is a cop out to actually doing the work. There are just some things you won’t know how to do until you’re actually doing them & there’s no way around that. 

I know firsthand how this goes. I had thought about opening my own private practice- in my head- for at least two years before I ever said it out loud. I researched all the ways one would start a private practice. I read blogs, articles, and listened to podcasts. I casually asked people in private practice how it was- what did they like/ dislike- without offering up any motive to my questioning. I Googled all the steps to starting a business, printed off the information and put it in a folder that would sit on my desk for at least another year. I remember thinking that I had not done enough research & telling myself how irresponsible it would be to start something & be unprepared. 

Fast forward a couple more years and I finally mustered up enough courage to tell a couple people what I was thinking of doing. [Maybe in hopes of them talking me out of it & thus solidifying my logic that I wasn’t ready.] Instead, I was met with- just do it. There was no shock or disbelief in my abilities- unfortunately, that part was only coming from me. But because I waited so long my anticipation was at an all time high. I spent some time reflecting on how much time I had let go by just thinking about doing this (I also had a baby during this time & that will certainly change your perspective on time!). The voice in my head had decided enough was enough- less thinking of doing it and more actually doing it. I submitted all my business paperwork online-it maybe took a whole two hours and I literally hit the submit button holding my breath. To my complete shock, it was so anti-climatic. I did not die. Nothing exploded. I just thought to myself, ok- now what? 

It took a couple of weeks to get everything up & running before I could consider myself open for business. A couple of weeks worth of work that I had been avoiding for years because I was afraid I didn’t know what I was doing.  All of that anticipation for nothing! The narrative I had to change in my head was that I didn’t have to know all the answers, I just had to be able to figure them out & I felt confident in my abilities to figure it out. It was such a lightbulb moment for me.

I see this a lot with the clients that I treat. When it comes to weight loss surgery (WLS), there’s so much research that can be done. People will read every news article, join every social media group, watch countless YouTube videos and if they know someone who had the surgery, they’ll ask them a million questions all before ever scheduling their first consult. Most clients tell me they think about having WLS for 2-3 years before ever making an appointment. And then those same people come back 2-3 years after their surgery to say they wished they had done it sooner. 

The same hesitation comes with setting out to make lifestyle changes. How many times does one need to hear the basics: eat nutritious foods, drink water, move your body, before they actually do it?  The answer is- a lot of times. It’s my practice to ask clients about what changes they’ve made since starting to pursue WLS and so many times I’m met with “I haven’t started yet.” To which, I typically respond, “What are you waiting for?” I often get the sense they are waiting on someone to give them permission to start. 

I truly believe we can be one decision away from a completely different life if we really wanted it. If we gave ourselves permission instead of seeking that approval from someone or something else then we wouldn’t have all this built up anticipation to deal with. We would actually start to see progress towards our goals. We would actually be living the life we want instead of just thinking about it. 

If this is you, here’s your sign to just start. Do something. Do anything. One little, tiny baby step in the right direction is going to get you closer to your goals faster than staying still will. You don’t have to ask for permission- start trusting yourself enough to know you can figure it out along the way. You got this!