There comes a point in every entrepreneur’s life when we become anxious about the future. This anxiety can lead to fear, frustration, and the lack of motivation or focus on the tasks that need to be completed today in order to reach our goals. It may seem like there is no way out, but sometimes all it takes to feel better is a small shift in perspective.
The tips below show you how to take 3 steps towards preventing anxiety from stopping your goals.
When I discuss primary elements of executing goals for clients, we always circle back to the importance of aligned actions.
What are aligned actions? Great question: these are the actions you take every single day that are in alignment with your future goals. For example, if you wanted to start an online business tomorrow, it wouldn’t materialize instantaneously with your desire to start the company. You would first need to make a list of actions you need to take to get the business up and running and then begin following that plan of action.
Aligned actions do not need to be grandiose in size. They can be as simple as setting your alarm at the same time each day to keep your circadian rhythm steady, allowing you to have a consistent amount of energy.
These small, consistent steps will continue to build on top of each other until your goals become your reality.
Unfortunately, anxiety can spark fear and, as a result, get in the way of completing these aligned actions.
By now, most of us know anxiety can be completely debilitating and can invade your healthy headspace. But as I always remind my clients: thoughts are not facts.
If you experience anxiety while attempting to carry out aligned actions, I challenge you to try these three steps.
Step 1: Acknowledge the existence of the anxiety.
If I told you right at this moment not to think of a white elephant, what do you think your brain would end up doing? It would struggle with the natural urge to picture a white elephant.
Anxiety is similar in this regard. The more we pretend that it does not exist within us, the more it exacerbates until it hits its ultimate boiling point.
Once we have acknowledged and validated the anxiety, we can utilize our favorite coping skills, such as breathing exercises, to help soothe the anxiety symptoms.
Step 2: Give yourself a pep talk!
By talking yourself through your anxiety, you remind yourself why you are putting yourself out there in the first place and setting goals for yourself.
Try it with a goal you are currently working on by saying something like, “Our future self will thank us for doing these aligned actions today” or, “these aligned actions will get my business to where I want it to be.” As long as you frame the pep talk positively, there is no wrong way to go about it.
Don’t let frustration or anxiety prevent you from achieving your goals. Set reasonable boundaries and make realistic plans to reach your goals. Check out this blog on setting boundaries!
Step 3: Break up your goals into 10-minute increments.
When you work on your goals, start by putting ten minutes on a timer. Once the timer goes off, ask yourself, “Do I want to continue, or is my anxiety impairing my ability to efficiently and effectively complete this task.”
If your answer is the latter, take a break. Otherwise, you will continue to spiral and only make the anxiety worse!
With aligned actions, our goals become our dreams. So try these three steps, and don’t let anxiety prevent you from all you desire!
Sometimes it’s hard to recognize that our anxiety is blocking us, but we need to become aware of it and make sure we don’t let it dictate our lives. Check out this video to get more support on your entrepreneurial journey.
