Simplify for more energy & joy

Maybe you have been thinking about a career change, or something you want to bring to the world or some other change you would love to make.

Complex keeps us stuck
What I see over and over again with my coaching clients and also in myself. We tend to make things far more complex than they need to be. Resulting in us not taking any steps we want to take, losing the initial spark of energy, the joy and exhilaration this idea brings us. Because it is just so big, daunting and complex.

• The complex keeps us stuck
• The complex is ineffective
• The complex keeps us from experiencing the energy and joy of actually doing it

Hiding
Making things more complex than they need to be is often an unconscious hiding strategy, because this beautiful thing we want, also brings up fear. So what do we do?

• We ‘work’ towards the goal by doing a lot of preparing, and planning
• We ‘ work’ towards the goal by first getting more education
• We ‘work’ on endlessly polishing, perfecting and adding to what we want to bring to the world.

These are brilliant ways of hiding while we convince ourselves we are working diligently towards making this change.  But we don’t bring anything to the world, we don’t make a change yet, we are still not doing what we would love to do and are not in contact with the people we love to reach with our work.

Energy and joy
The energy and joy does not come from making a list of people you could reach out to who could help you further with your idea. The energy and joy (and lots of fear as well), comes from actually making that call to set up a meeting with one person and talk about your idea, getting input on your idea.

The energy and joy does not come from making elaborate plans on paper- it comes from taking one practical first step.

So simplify for more energy and joy.

Simplify so you can get out there, to get out of preparing and get into actually doing it.

 Some questions that might help you simplify:

🌱What would be the most simple, basic way to do this? The simple basic way that makes it possible to do it now. With the knowledge, skills and resources you have at this moment.  And what is my first step then?

E.g. If you want to develop a new course on a subject that is really close to your heart- you don’t have to read all the books about it first, design all the 10 modules. Instead ask yourself what is something I already know a lot about? Can you develop one trial lesson on it- and test it with a small group of students?

🌱Another way to go about it: Make a list of all the things you think you should do, learn, know, prepare first. Then ask yourself for each of these things on your list- If it was impossible to learn, prepare or know this first. What could I do now to get started anyway?

E.g. you don’t need to first know your career direction before setting up that zoom call with that senior woman you admire. In fact, the call might help you get more clarity on your career direction.

🌱 What step would be doing instead of preparing?

When I decided about 5 years ago to start my own company in coaching- that same day I reached out to three people to ask them if they would be willing to be my trial clients. Instead of first making a business plan, website, market analysis etc. Why? Because I wanted to keep the energy and joy going and really take steps immediately. I knew that if I would first take time to plan and think everything over, I would be so intimidated by what I needed to do and learn. Then all the fears and doubts would get the better of me. So when those fears and doubts hit me big time the next days and the weeks to follow- I was already moving because I had trial coaching sessions planned.  With my trial clients I already was doing the thing I wanted to do: coaching! I was experiencing the joy and energy of my dream while tackling all the other things necessary to build a company.

 

What can you simplify to find more energy and joy?