Lesson 8 - Stop Waiting and Take Action

I had the idea of putting on an event in the back of my mind for a while, but I was afraid to take action.  Plus, as much as I have worked with other businesses and built my own, I still had myself convinced this wasn't capable of taking on.

I saw the need for an event like this.  As much as I wanted something like this to happen, I was secretly sitting back waiting for someone else to do it.  I just didn't consider myself someone special enough to put this all together.

What made me finally do it?

Well, I started talking to enough people about why I wanted to do it, and why I was considering it, that I finally decided I needed to stop doing and start taking action.  I put it out there to enough people, and I didn't want to seem like everyone who else who talks a big game but never does anything about it.

Maybe there was a little bit that I was scared of people's perception of me, but I guess if that means making something big happen, then I'm okay with that.

After moving forward, and starting to connect the dots, I learned an extremely important lesson.

It doesn't take someone special to do something big.  It just takes someone who will actually do it.

There was another key moment through all of this which helped me change my perspective too.   When I was getting the ball rolling on putting this all together, I was at another event.  Someone introduced me as someone who was a leader in the Dallas Entrepreneur community.  It took me really aback.  Even though I had been co-leading an entrepreneur group for 18 months, I would never have considered myself a leader.

It was a strange moment for me, but it gave me a much-needed push.

I realized I had a completely different definition of a leader was.  I expected someone ridiculously intelligent (of course that idea should have been nulled watching this whole political election), someone with more connections, and someone who was more of a visionary.

Although I possess all of these things (well, not ridiculously intelligent), I never considered myself to be enough of these things.

I know so many people sit back waiting for that right moment.  That moment when they have enough knowledge, when they have enough connections when they just feel that they're enough to make that next big move.  However, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm guessing there will never be a time in your life when you look at yourself and truly feel you're enough.  So you might as well get rolling.

Yes, some will tell you to fake it til you make it, but I think there's power in transparency.  Be honest with where you are.  Teach what you know, and have a solid foundation in your why.

There's just one big difference between those who lead and those who don't.  Those that lead do.  They take action.  They create.  They don't wait for anyone else to do it.

I have several meetings this week with potential clients, plus another meeting next week with a new start-up that we're ironing out the details to create.  All of these things would never have been on my radar a month ago.  The only reason they are was because I stepped up to the plate and stopped waiting for someone else to do it.

So my question is what are you waiting for?  What will make it enough for you?  Stop waiting for that moment and take action right now.  You'll be amazed at what happens.