I was just in time to avoid the storm.
Within an hour of arriving at my parents’ house this past weekend, the snow started and then kept falling. We weren’t going anywhere.
So in between catching-up and watching a movie, I set aside some time to reflect on a current challenge I’d been facing.
You see, while I’ve never been more clear on the concepts I want to teach, I was struggling to clarify which content gets made in which order, and for what platform.
I opened a blank page and ended up asking 4 questions:
- What is holding me back right now?
- Am I overcomplicating things?
- What would this look like if it were easy?
- What would this look like it it were fun?
The thing is, I didn’t have these questions prepared in advance. The answer to each question inspired the next question.
Looking at the list of “things” holding me back made me realize how much I was overthinking.
Q: “Are you overcomplicating things?”
A: “Yes. I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to have it all figured out right away.”
This answer prompted me to ask what it would look like if it were easy, to which I immediately answered, “I would choose a YouTube video to focus on and start creating it.”
Suddenly the list of all the “things” I hadn’t figured out fell away and I felt more clear. Like shining a spotlight on one thing I knew instinctively.
What was once overcomplicated was now uncomplicated.
That felt good because I was clear on where to focus my attention, but I still wanted to ask the final question.
So when I reflected on what this would look like if it were fun, the answers came to me right away. "I want to create videos about topics that light me up", and "I want to feel like I’m talking to a friend".
After this reflection exercise, I realized these questions related to the Momentum Formula:
- Am I overcomplicating things? Mindset
- What would this look like if it were easy? Method
- What would this look like if it were fun? Mode
In my case, it was important to acknowledge the mindset question first. I needed to admit I was overcomplicating my situation and embrace the idea that I don’t have to have it all figured out before I could answer the easy and fun questions.
If there’s something you’ve been struggling to do recently, are you expecting to have everything figured out before you take any action?
What would it look like to start with:
- the easiest version (a simple Method)
- a version you enjoy (a natural Mode)
If you give yourself the time and space to answer honestly, the answer may surprise you.