Raise your hand if you’ve ever been trapped in a perpetual state of stuck. 🙋♀️
I’ve discovered that this is a regular state for me and most recently been caused by being completely overwhelmed with trying to come up with the perfect Instagram “strategy”. Every week, I say “this is the week I create a strategy and start posting”….another week goes by with me wasting far too much time down internet rabbit holes because that’s EASIER than making a decision!
The issue is that I am trapped in my state of perpetual stuck because I procrastinate on the things that I REALLY need to be doing….and today I realized what the common thread is that keeps me stuck in a procrastination loop….
It’s when I don’t have ALL OF THE ANSWERS.
It’s when something doesn’t have a clear path. It’s when I’m not sure what my path should look like. So instead of just rolling up my sleeves, digging in and trusting that the path will appear…..I get lost in looking at blogs of families who travel the world full time. ✈️🌎🙊
I become afraid to take action because I don’t know if it’s the RIGHT action. Can any of you relate?
And just for the record, we aren’t talking life altering decisions like should I start a family – should I move my family to Charlotte NC – should I allow my daughter to start dating when she’s 16 or make her wait until 37? Those decisions are pretty easy for me. I can be decisive when the rubber meets the road. Hell, we bought all of our houses after looking for only one day. We are a realtors’ dream client!
The nonsense that trips me up? “What should my Instagram strategy be?”
Seriously, I haven’t taken action on this item for 9 months because I’m scared of doing it wrong and I don’t have a map. WTF?!?! What’s the worst thing that happens if I choose incorrectly here? I have an Instagram feed that looks a bit disjointed?
Guess what’s worse? Doing NOTHING!
So this is my new mantra – “All I need is the first action.”
If all I need is the first action – I don’t spend weeks overcomplicating and overanalyzing something. I don’t see 8,000 possible roads to get me there and freeze like a deer in the headlights. I don’t get hung up on PERFECT action.
If I can just GET STARTED – the path will appear. Sure, I may change direction on that path a few times – but at least I’m ON THE PATH!
Imperfect action beats perfect inaction.
So, this is a call to arms for all of my fellow “control enthusiasts” – TAKE ACTION TODAY.
One step – just that FIRST action.
These aren’t life and death decisions. If it is, then I allow you to get hung up for a little while….but genuinely, 99.99% of the decisions that we make are reversible and adjustable. And quite honestly – they aren’t that important considering that gravity is holding us onto the side of a spinning rock with a core of fire that is rocketing through space at 1,000 mph in a solar system that is a tiny speck in a galaxy with 200 billion stars in a universe with over 100 billion galaxies.
Deciding how to manage that Instagram feed doesn’t seem so big after all, right?
What is it that you have been scared to tackle? What are you going to take that first step of perfectly imperfect action towards?
Are you ready to connect with pet photographers from all over the world? Join us in the Hair of the Dog Community - a place to ask questions, share resources, and connect with each other.
Nicole has authored a book “Pet and Equine Photography for Everyone”, available on Amazon. She established Nicole Begley Photography in Pittsburgh, PA in 2010 but now serves the market of Charlotte, NC.
Nicole shares her home with her husband, two small humans, and her Puerto Rican rescue dog Zoey. Oh yes, she is also Chief of Staff to Emma the cat. She is the creator of the #selfiedog series, a travel addict, and a chocolate martini connoisseur.
- Removing Distractions in Photoshop - September 1, 2023
- Firmware Update for Canon R5 & R6 Camera - August 11, 2023
- Quick Tip for More Impactful Pet Photography Images - August 4, 2023
This is SO me. Thanks for the reminder Nicole to take an action, any action, even if it’s a baby step!
Definitely me too! Making that first decision is always the hardest to accomplish. Keeley
AWESOME!!!! Thank you!
Yep I can definitely relate to this, I call it the “gunna syndrome” , I’m gunna do this, gunna do that. And then I actually do nothing! Lol.
Bang on! This has been me for months….
Thank you for the perspective adjustment and very well put!
I love this: “Imperfect action beats perfect inaction”.
Perfect timing to read this lol. Oh so stuck. Yes being on the path is the first step. I’m headed there now
Oh man. me to a TEE!!! thanks!
I can relate to everything about this! I think for me I get stuck because of feeling overwhelmed by trying to balance work and family life.
Thank you, very well said! I’m exactly the same way but love the reminder: “Imperfect action beats perfect inaction”. Thanks again!
Urgh this is also so me! Too much waiting for the perfect strategy… We (and me most of all!) need to remember “Done is better than perfect”. Thank you for this kick up the behind to get moving!
This is so timely for me. I’ve felt stuck for a while regarding my creative pursuits and it’s exactly because there is no clear path. How could I not have seen that was at the heart of the issue? I’ve also just lost my job and want to set up a creative business but that has put even more pressure on me to ‘get it right’. Thank you for the reminder that I just need to start somewhere and the path will open up. I remember that scene from one of the Indiana Jones movies, where Indy has to step off a cliff in faith. It’s only after he does so that the bridge becomes visible.
Marketing for me, what to do, where to do it, how does an introvert like me “network”, so I do nothing and then beat myself up that I have no clients…. Ugh, I have that quote “Imperfect action, beats perfect inaction” hanging over my desk and still, I procrastinate. I’m even in your BOPP class and I don’t find time to do the things I need to do (or even to finish working through all the lessons :-(. Plus, at 51 I feel that I’m too old to even bother trying to “start” building something new (I’ve been shooting dog events for years but really want to build the portrait side of the business). So, here I sit sipping a chocolate martini (which I got my addiction for from you, by the way) and trying to overcome overwhelming inertia.