Crush Your Resolutions: Here is how to!

Happy New Year

I hope you had a good Christmas and are now getting ready for the New Year. It’s 2024!

Many people have set themselves New Year's resolutions and if you are one of them: Go you!

If you are not one of them: Go you!

I am a huge advocate of change

As anyone who knows me just a little bit: I am a huge advocate of change. It’s what I do with hypnotherapy! And it’s what I help people with. So why is it that I am not the biggest fan of the traditional and conventional New Years resolution…?

Well first of all: Researchers suggest that only 9% of people who make resolutions actually complete them. In fact, research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolutions by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.

Whoa!

The problem with ‘shoulds’

Many resolutions are set because it is tradition. Therefore it’s just something that the person feels “they should” do or change.

A ‘should’ is not a real “oh man if I don’t change this, it’s going to be horrible for all these reasons but if I do change it then it will be so awesome for all those reasons!!! Heck yeah, let’s do it come hell or highwater” And that’s when a skilled and very experienced hypnotherapist is your greatest asset!

In essence a proper New Years resolution is a bit like setting a goal. “Look after myself more” / “I want to drink less” / “Get fit” / “I want to work on myself” / “I will eat better” / “Overcome anxiety” and so on…

The problem with all of those goals is that you have no way of knowing when you’ve reached it or if you’re even on the right track to getting there. Most people haven’t actually done the work to get the clarity of what reaching that goal would look like specifically and how they’re life will be better once they’ve done it.

As long as it is a ‘should’ there just isn’t enough “oooomph” behind it for you to last the distance. By doing the above you create more ‘oooomph’!

And when you’re ready then you need the right method and the right support to become the person who has made that change and loves being that new you.

Therefore all change has to start when there is a true need for change. And if that is because you have used the break to take stock, reflect and do the work then Heck yeah! Go with that New Year's resolution and no matter what do NOT let yourself off the hook…

A real strategy for change:

1) Imagine achieving what you want. Get super specific about the nitty gritty details on what that will look like, feel like, sound like

2) Get clear about what obstacles are between you and your goal

3) Decide on very specific and clear steps which take into account how you will overcome those obstacles and succeed.

4) Consistently pay attention to the feedback and adjust your strategy and you steps

5) Get adequate support

Here is to a wonderful, healthy and joyous 2024

Yours in health, happiness, hypnosis and wellbeing

Silke

PS: We are all back on deck so please give Jane a call Jane on 0422 525843 or send me an email if you have any questions at all.

Hypnotherapy on the Sunshine Coast Peregian Beach and Birtinya

Writing in the new location about one of our three fears

Probably a good 80% of my work is helping people with overwhelm, stress, anxiety, fears, PTSD and phobias. Plus the habits that have come from trying to mask, numb or outrun these things… 

I am in the new space of the Australian Hypnotherapy Centre at Boardwalk Professional Suites in Peregian Beach (Corner Heron St/ Kingfisher Drive). There is a constant hum of the cafes downstairs and it’s just such a nice atmosphere… And that’s the view from my window, straight onto Raw Energy and the French Patisserie next door…

I am just putting the finishing touches on a 3 week online program to help people like you handle anxiety & overwhelm so they can feel more calm, centred and in control. At the end I’d like to ask you a couple of questions so that I can make sure I have it all covered… 🎉🚀

So let’s get stuck into the 3 fears that so often hold people back. These 3 awful critters are trying their best to rain on your happiness parade. But with a bit of humour, mammalian wisdom and using the truly powerful mechanisms of your mind we shall be victorious. 

Fear #1: Fear of the Unknown - What A Massive Abyss 🌌🤔

As mammals it's in our nature to prefer the comfy embrace of familiarity. All mammals seek security to thrive, familiar territory helps the squirrel store more nuts for winter. 

‘The unknown’ forces us to be on the lookout. We don’t even know what the next thing is that could potentially harm us but we better look out for it… So when faced with the unknown, our inner squirrel gets its fluffy tail of concern in a knot. 🐿️🌟

As more evolved mammals once we got a roof over our head, food on the table and can support our loved ones needs we’re good. And pushing beyond that goes against our mammalian instincts…

In order to be able to push against that we do need some serious mind-training tools and hypnotherapy. Because the combination helps you overcome those inherent fears and instead push forward in the way you want to!

Struggle is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

Go get em.

Next time I will write about the Fear of Making Mistakes and the fear of being excluded…
Watch out for that!

The brain just does what it gets rewarded for...

How many times have you heard me say: “The brain just does what it gets rewarded for.” Right….?

If you keep engaging in that “what if…?” thinking and solving imaginary problems your brain will reward you by doing more of that thinking and producing more anxiety.

That is a fact. 😬

I can’t count how often I get asked how I stay motivated (with regards to anything…) or how I kept going when I had more crises happening at the same time than I have fingers on my hand… Well obviously hypnotherapy, self hypnosis and NLP help me a lot!

And also the truth is: After years of BSing myself, I changed what I am focusing on and rewarding myself for.

Over the years I have changed what I focus on:

❌ Massive action towards a goal and when it’s not working, deciding that either I can’t do it, I am not good enough or throwing even more action at it. 
👉🏻 Exploring my options first, deciding on the best strategy from the current status quo, then taking action, learning from that, searching for and responding to the feedback ✅

❌ Focus on outcomes and big goal
👉🏻 Focus on feedback and adjusting my strategy accordingly ✅

❌ Validation from peers and seeking approval from others
👉🏻 Developing my own philosophy, signature frameworks, unique solutions, and methodologies in alignment with my personal values and rooted in my own critical thinking. Plus always crafting the art of hypnotherapy and my own way of working with clients, hypnosis and NLP,
(Changing this years ago was one of THE biggest game changers…) ✅

❌ Giving in when clients were chasing quick fixes
👉🏻 Deeply understanding what my clients truly want, what is stopping them deep down and then helping them make real and lasting changes that last and are in alignment with their values. Therefore helping them fix the underlying real issue instead of the symptom… ✅

It is for you to choose whether you want to be proud of yourself for achieving a certain outcome or if you are proud of yourself because:

✨ You showed up today, you did what you said you were going to, managed your focus and your emotions

✨ You got the help you needed so you can grow and do what you need to

✨ You want to be a long-term thinker and appreciate that every change you make within yourself gets you further (even if it's indirect)

✨ You took some time out for yourself and maybe even thought about what gives you meaning and purpose

So what’s important to YOU…?

When and how often are you giving yourself a pat on the back….?

What are you deciding to call a great day, week or month…?

Where do you spot patterns in your own behaviour or thinking that could do with an update? Because updating your own inner software programs… That’s what my work with hypnotherapy is ideal for.

If you want to align yourself for growth, it really helps to rethink your inner reward structure.

Redefine what you consider successful and what the things are that make you proud of yourself 🤗

As always, I hope you'll find insight and a couple of helpful thoughts or ideas here.

Small shifts can make a big difference.

Hugs

Silke

PS: Your mission should you choose to accept it: Give yourself a pat on the back for no reason at all! Not because you’ve done something, achieved something or whatever.

Just because. 

Because that is a way towards true self-acceptance, warts and all…

PPS: To book, please call Jane on 0422 525843

Anxiety, overwhelm and what we do on the inside of our heads...

Two weeks ago I sent an email explaining how I deal with challenging / overwhelming times. And I got a lot of great feedback! Thank you! 

So I promised I would go into more detail of one of my favourite mind training strategies. 
Of course there are lots and lots of hypnotherapy and NLP strategies I use myself, depending on the situation but here is one of the many.

Feedback from a Free-Diver

One lovely gentleman shared with me what he is learning in his free-diving training and the breath work that goes with it. Fascinating stuff, Thank you!

Not everyone reading this will be aware of the pictures they are making in their own heads. I get it. Some people prefer to talk to themselves or need to get a certain feeling... So I promise to follow this up in a few weeks for the more auditory and kinaesthetic folks...

How I deal with challenges

One of my strategies for dealing with challenges or things I'd like to achieve but have no clue how to, is this: 
I create a picture of the outcome I’d like to achieve. Once I have that picture it gives my brain and neurology something to aim for. A target or a goal as it where... 
If it doesn’t happen 100% that way, that’s okay too. I know I can adjust. 

Young mum overwhelm, anxiety, hyposis and NLP

Okay so what kind of images are useful to make? Recently I was working with a young mum, four little kids and a lot of overwhelm… She constantly worried about everything that could go wrong. She also feared that either herself or because of her choices a teacher would stuff up the kids or that they would get hurt or or or… There was no end to her worries. Consequently she was always stressed, run of her feet and at times didn't respond to the kids in a way she would have liked to. 

There was just no end to the horror scenarios her brain was creating for her... She was in her own sort of hypnotic trance. Just not a good one… A part of her was watching all those terrible scenarios being played out. So no wonder she was freaking out. 
Heck, I would certainly be doing anxiety if I had to watch all that… Be aware of what your unconscious mind does when you’re not paying attention and reigning it back in ;-)  

So we needed to help her make better images. We needed to create something positive to work towards. 

And when I struggle with something I do the same

First I check on what my brain is doing... The creativity! ;-)
When hubby was in hospital getting a new hip I made a picture, actually a little short movie, of him walking comfortably on the beach with a normal stride, in the sunshine, at low tide, with my old Pippy girl next to him and my little puppy running rings around them... I saw it as if I was looking through my own eyes, as if I was there on the beach watching them....

The content of the image pre supposes all the following: 

  • Hubby had a successful surgery and he recovered well

  • He can walk comfortably and we can do the stuff we love together again

  • My old dog is still alive and well in a few weeks

  • My puppy likes hanging out with us even in highly distracting places like the beach (at least ever so often)

And every single one of those presuppositions made me feel good and confident and gave me hope and trust and whatever else. 

So back to free-diving training

Here is what I learned:

“You are not allowed to look at the destination but you have to enjoy the moment. We train in the pool and as soon you look ahead to see the end of the pool , you will struggle. If you enjoy the journey across the pool you will suddenly bump into the other side.” 

Wow! That is so cool… So I had to think about it and translate that into how the mind works…  

When you look at the end of the pool there is a fair chance you’d go into tunnel vision. And tunnel vision is often one of the elements of how people do anxiety…  

If I was free-dive training and needed to dive across the length of the pool, I would probably make a picture of myself resurfacing at the other end of the pool doing a fist pump… Or getting out of the pool with a huge smile on my face… Something that would let me know I’ve done it. And then I’d focus on the job at hand. 

Common objections

Now people might say: “but creating an image of a positive outcome is not always realistic”. True! And I totally agree. 

Neither is creating images of your 11 months old baby being a drug addict as a teenager… Just sayin’… 

The question is: Which one gives your neurology a clearer goal what to aim for…? Which one makes you feel better and calmer…? 

=> Let your creativity work for you!  

So there you have it. I promised to show you how to use this super simple trick in a few different situations. 
The short summary really comes down to:

Make sure your mind works for you! And not against you....
Just play around with it…
Make an image of achieving your goal and then do what you need to do to make sure you are working towards getting closer to it...
Do it now! Go!

That’s the image I had for weeks…

That’s the image I had for weeks…

And that is why hypnotherapy and NLP totally works.

Gratitude: 

Today I am grateful for modern western medicine! What an incredible blessing that we have amazing technology and brilliant medical professionals! When I think about how not all that long ago that would have just been it. With no hope of ever being pain free again... And today….? Wow, just wow.
We are so blessed today. Thank you!


Yours in happiness and wellbeing
Silke


PS: My image just came true this week…!

Appointments by booking only:

Call reception on (07) 5351 1970
=> Coolum Beach: at Step Up Your Life - 5 Birtwill St Coolum Beach (upstairs Coolum Chambers building)
=> Birtinya: at Regatta Corporate, ground floor on the right, 2 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya

=> Worldwide online sessions

Stress and hypnotherapy

Stress and hypnotherapy

Stress is is the response to overwhelm. Hypnotherapy is proven to be most effective in stress reduction ad stress management. Stress can show up as anxiety, overwhelm, anger, panic attacks or depression.

Read More

Get more motivation real quick

I know this one is again not the shortest email but you know what? This one and the one from last week combined will change your life if you are a leader in some shape or form!

You’re a mum? Great, you are a leader!

Business owner? Yep, you’re a leader…

Employee? Yep, you’re a leader…

Want to motivate yourself or someone else?

So, read on then.

The question last week was “Do you get inconsistent results…?”

The reply I got the most was along the lines of: “In certain areas of my life I can set goals and work towards them… But in other areas I do a bit and the lose motivation…”


So last week was part one of that explanation. The short form is that a lot of your results depend on whether you are more motivated by going towards something positive or whether you just want to get away from something negative.

If you haven’t read last weeks email do that now. I’m serious. I made it even easier for you, here is the link to the blog post.

https://www.australianhypnotherapycentre.com.au/blog-1/inconsistent

And why is understanding this important anyway?

I suppose at some stage in your life you will want to motivate yourself or someone else to do something. Understanding how motivation works, will go a long way towards achieving that…

Workplace:

Imagine you have an “away from” and a “towards” person on your team… One gets really motivated by avoiding negative consequences. The other gets super motivated by working towards something awesome. You might just need to motivate them very differently.

The promise of a big bonus for meeting their KPIs and goals will totally work for one of them but not at all for the other…

Sports:

Imagine you’re a coach of a sporting team. One athlete plays to win the championship, the other one plays to make sure you don’t lose…

Weight Loss:

One person wants to be fit and healthy so they can do what they want to do. Another person doesn’t want to get sick from being overweight.

Let me introduce you to my imaginary colleagues Nancy and Poppie

Negative Nancy and positive Poppy are having a conversation in the lunch room:

Unfortunately all the other positive Poppies had an early lunch and Poppie is stuck with Nancy.

Poppy tells Nancy about this super exciting course she is doing! It will help her become more confident and build a little business on the side. She is hoping that it might make her some extra dollars so they can pay off the house faster and go on an overseas holiday. She is so excited about the future she is starting to build now… 

A very confused negative Nancy is trying to make sense of what she just heard. Remember Nancy sorts all incoming data by “getting away from negative”. The only thing Nancy can say is: “I didn’t think your life was that horrible…? What do you hate about it…?”

Now it’s Poppies turn to be utterly confused…: “No, it’s not horrible at all, I love my life AND I want to make these changes and create an even better futures…” 


And Nancy just doesn’t get it. “What do you want to do that for…?” (And no Nancy repeating the same words will not help Nancy understand…) Nancy wonders why on earth anyone would put that much effort into something that is not going to help them get away from something dreadful or painful…

Yep, Nancy and Poppie live on different planets and they speak a different language.

Imagine how Nancy would have reacted if Poppy had said: “I am doing this course cause which is a lot of work. But I’m anxious all the time and maybe it will help me stop this horrible anxiety. And I am terrified we could lose the house. And this course is a lot of work but maybe I can make some extra cash, so we don’t have to go any deeper into debt.”

Nancy would light up like a Christmas tree. Cause she’d totally get that!

So what about a default “towards the positive” software program

Okay as an overall approach to a happy and productive life a default “towards the positive” software program tends to work better.

(Remember there are certain contexts in which “away from” is useful, you could also call it common sense)

When I work with people and for the first time in their lives they decide to check out an “Towards the positive”approach… Wow, it has such profoundly positive and life affirming effects.

When you are setting goals and need direction in life, then a “towards” is the most appropriate choice. Your mind can not think in “don’t”. It can only process information that is stated in the positive. When you are sorting all the data for what you do want, then you have enabled the freedom to fully imagine it, set direction for it, follow through, achieve it, and experience its rewards…

The downside of overusing the “Towards the positive” software program

Is usually that people use it in inappropriate contexts. Then people make decisions that can seem a bit naive or risky because they have not thought about any possible pitfalls or obstacles that could stop them from reaching their goal.

Sometimes a little bit of risk assessment can be useful. Too much “she’ll be right” can have it’s downside too…

And no, “towards the positive” is not at all simplistic “just think positive” or “use your positive affirmations”. (No, I will not get on that soap box this time… lol)

Each of the software programs are useful in a given context. And as I always say: My job is to help people have more choices in life.

Negative Nancy mainly runs one software program and as such she simply doesn’t have a choice.

And to me, having a choice is always better than “no choice”.

The ability to chose and intentionally run the software program most appropriate to the context is super powerful.

Also the ability to chose your language wisely, depending on what program a person is running may well change your life.

Today I am grateful for watermelon! 
Seriously how good is cold watermelon on a hot day?? Even the puppies love it!

Till next time, yours in happiness and wellbeing

Silke

One degree of change

Years and years ago I had it my head that I wanted to sail a passage…
Not that I could sail, but I was determined not to let that get in my way… Anyhow, long story short I ended up being ‘the crew’ on a 39 foot yacht and sailed from Tonga to Fiji.
I’ll always remember those endless night watches, staring at the amazing starlit sky and the dark ocean, fighting off sleep… Being more exhausted than I ever was… Watching for ships or drifting containers and making sure we stayed on course.
I aways remembered the “just one degree - rule”: “When you set out from a harbour and you change course by just one degree it is barely noticeable at first. But in the long run it makes a HUGE difference of where you end up…” One night I woke up the skipper because I noticed some strange lights… Needless to say it was the shoreline and clearly not were we wanted to be. Even though according to the compass I kept us spot on, Iad not factored in the ocean currents. Sigh.

The one degree rule is true for any change and also for bad habits. If you change by just one degree, it’ll make a huge difference to where you end up. Change habits by one degree. For example: I help a lot of people lose weight or quit smoking. People don’t need to be Non Smokers by the time they leave my office. They can reduce, regard that as a success, then reduce again give oneself credit and reduce again and before they know it, they’ve done it… Same with weight loss. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be sustainable! No perfect diets… Just fix one meal… Or get rid of dead carbs or…. Just one degree at a time. And next week another degree, and the week after another degree…

Learning something new is the same thing. It is so easy to get overwhelmed because there is so much to learn. And then people want to learn it all at the same time. But what ends up happening is that they stall. So they end up not doing anything. Not moving forward at all. A lot of my Supervisees do that, they stall. Because there is so much to learn: all the different language patterns, the questions, picking up on all the different subconscious patterns, just to mention a very few… And I get it, they love it and they just want to be good at it. So my recommendation always is: Pick one category. And then out of that pick one subcategory and out of that: pick one thing and focus on that for a week. Next week pick a new one… Before you know it, you’ll be outstanding at 52 different things that are all part of the whole… Follow this and you will get pretty good, pretty quickly.

More limitations of the conscious mind 7+-2

Here is another quirky difference between your conscious and your unconscious mind. At any given moment in time your conscious mind can only be aware of between 5 and 9 pieces of information. It’s also called the 7 plus / minus 2 rule. Anything more than that overwhelms your conscious mind. However, you always have a vast amount of information streaming in through your five senses.

If you were consciously aware of all that data you’d be in constant overwhelm. To stop that from happening you automatically block out certain bits of data. You do it unconsciously which is why you are not aware of it.

While you have been reading this... You may have completely forgotten to notice what your hand feels like…. Or you may have completely forgotten to notice what your feet feel like….

Now that I mentioned it, part of your conscious awareness switched. And you are now consciously aware of it again.

That information has always been available to you. It just wasn’t deemed to be important at this moment and hence you filtered iy out.

To make this super clear. Your unconscious mind is aware of everything that is happening around you. At any given moment in time.

Maybe you hadn’t noticed certain sounds around you…

And now once again your attention has switched to those and you are now aware of them…

Why is this important for you? Firstly, so called reality.... It’s always useful to know that we are very limited in our ability to perceive and interpret so called reality. Be aware that lots of information always gets filtered out. Hence what gets through into our conscious awareness is a tiny slither. What gets through depends on the values, beliefs and other unconscious rules of the individual.

When seven different people watch the same accident you get seven different explanations about what happened. Conversation along the lines of: “I was there, that is not at all what happened” are utterly pointless. Because as humans, the best we can do is try and create a big picture out of our 5 to 9 pieces of the puzzle.

Assume you have team meeting and someone doesn’t seem to be paying attention. It could well be that their conscious mind is overloaded with thoughts. On the inside they are too busy doing: “What if they ask me something and I don’t know the answer?” “If they ask this… I’ll say that… but what if they ask me that…? Oh, my heart is pounding…”. That person can not pay attention to you anymore. Because their conscious mind is already busy tracking 5 to 9 bits of data. You know those meetings where everyone has to stand up and introduce themselves and what they do? Newest research shows that up to 75% of the population have a fear of public speaking! This means: three quarters of the people are paying ZERO attention to what is being said by the others!

They are too busy trying to mange their internal state in the only way they know how to, at this moment in time. Obviously everyone can learn to be calm and at ease in those situations.

When I hear the neighbours dog barking its poor neglected little head off, I have a choice. For one I have already reframed it, because I am sorry for him.

And the rest is: 5-9 bits of data. As soon as I start to focus, really focus on 5 - 9 other bits of data I can no longer pay any attention to him. So I focus on my writing and what I am wanting to say. ..

There is always more to learn

It is what you learn after you know it all, that counts - Coach John Wooden

I remember that crystal clear sunny morning, about 10 years ago, as if it was yesterday. I hopped on my Vespa to attend my first ever Master course in Hypnosis and NLP. I was so excited because 'I knew' over the next days and weeks I was finally going to get the keys, the last missing pieces of the puzzle, and then I'd be ready.
Funny enough I never asked myself what I'd be ready for... Or what ready meant...

There were some new and some familiar faces amongst the intentionally small group. The room was buzzing with a cocktail of ten mental states, ranging from 'almost well hidden slightly terrified' to 'slightly over the top excited'. 

Without any introduction we were told a story:  
A few weeks after the young apprentice received his certificate he started pestering his Master to start his own Master training. "You're not ready yet, go back to work"
Over the following months the former apprentice applied himself to his work, observed and learned. The next year he asked his Master again, only to receive the same response: "You're not ready yet, go back to work" 
Again the former apprentice did as he was told and a year later he realised how much he yet again had learned. He had learned so much and now he knew he was ready. Surely the Master would now agree to start his training! 
This time he received a different answer: "You're not ready. Take your tools, travel, go and offer your services to the world." 

Begrudgingly the former apprentice did as he was told. He travelled. He met people. He used his tools and trade in unforeseen circumstances and often he didn't have what he needed so he improvised. When got stuck he though of his old master and wondered "what would the Master do now...?" Often he found an answer that way and sometimes it even worked. When it didn't, he asked the question again and did it in a different way.

After many years on the road he returned to his village to celebrate his sister wedding.
There he apologised to his old Master: "I am sorry for all the times I asked you to start making me a Master, for pestering you and thinking I knew it all. I now know that I have so much more to learn, there will always be more to learn for me and I don't think I will ever be ready to become a true Master"
The Master smiled and said: "That's right. True Mastery is knowing that there is always more to learn. Welcome to the start of your Mastery training."

Struggle & Progress

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. - Frederick Douglass

Mr Douglas, I disagree. It may have very much seemed so in the specific situation and in the times your quote comes from. But is it far to take it out of context and make it a universal truth? 

Action, yes action is needed for progress. But struggle...?
See struggle is a subjective label, isn't it? 

Have you ever met two people who go through a similar experience and one is upbeat, radiant and has a zest for life despite all that and the other one (who might objectively even be in the better position) is morose, desperate and glum? 

An athlete training for a dream... A mother... An Executive dashing in and out of meetings and planes... A landscape gardener... A fisherman... A surgeon in theatre for 9 hours straight... 
They all seem to have very different ideas what they consider routine, fun or a struggle... 

Occasionally things that used to be fun and exciting have turned into a struggle. Beware... Pay attention... 

The secret lies in the state of mind, the perception, the beliefs, values and in the resources the person can bring to the situation. 

How you perceive taking action, the breakthroughs and set backs is up to you. Let it be easy or let it be hard. That is just a state of mind and states of mind can change. Easily.
In actual fact easier and faster than you may have thought or given yourself credit for.

Sometimes you can even change your mind yourself. And if not, then it might just be a signal to let you know it's time to ask for assistance, so you can move forward with ease again. 

Procrastination or what stops you from taking action...?

There actually are only three (3!) things which stop people from taking action towards their goals. Yes, only three.... And guess...? I'll even tell you what those three things are. 

Identifying which of those three is the one that keeps you from taking action is important. Once you know which one it is, you also know what you need to do to move forward or take action again. 

  1. Not knowing what to do or how to do it

  2. The reasons for doing what you need to do are simply not important enough. Also know as there simply is not enough motivation, yet... 

  3. Fear of making a mistake or a 'wrong decision' or rejection or or or...Simply put it's: fear

Let's check everyone of these out in a bit more detail:


1. What to do or how to do it

I know this sound pretty obvious. Still not knowing what specifically we need to do, is one of the key reasons why we don't take action.
It can be due to being unsure what to do (next or first or now) or not knowing the exact steps we need to follow to get the job done. I know it sounds ridiculous but skill and knowledge are important factors in order to achieve anything.
It's difficult to drive when you get in a car and don't know how to release the brakes.... Or how to and what fuel to put in the tank, you'll only get that far before you  run out... You need knowledge and skill to release the brakes and put fuel in the tank...
It can be incredibly useful to ask yourself: "Do I actually know what specifically I need to do and how to do every step of this process?" I simply assume, all my readers are wiling to admit it to themselves should that be the case and are willing to find someone who has experience and competence in that area... 
Time to upgrade the data or software...

2. It's not important enough:

In order to produce any action we need motivation. Without motivation there is nothing...
Often it's obvious in the language we use: "I should do that..." or "I really should...". 
No movement, no action, no reason to release the brakes or put fuel in the tank... The easiest way to motivate ourselves is by one of two things: Pain or pleasure... Stick or carrot... Loaded gun to the head or millions of $$$... You name it, whatever motivates you... 
Depending on how you motivate yourself, you either take action when the possible pain of not doing it becomes too much... Which means the stick of not taking action has become big and real enough to really hurt...
Or you launch into action when the golden carrot associated with the results from your actions becomes golden and big enough.
If you find yourself not taking action towards your goal it can help to ask yourself:
"What will happen if I don't do this...?", "What will be the negative consequences of not taking action...?" => Find the stick!
"What will be the benefit from taking action?", "What am I most likely to get out of having done it...?", "How will getting this done get me closer to my goal, closer to what I actually want?" => Make the carrot golden and big... 
By doing this you find out one of two things. 
a) Is doing this really worth your time, money and/or energy...? Is there really any intrinsic motivation? 
If it still is just a "should" your best bet is to let it go / forget about it and come back to it when you "really want to", "have to"... When you worked out why and how doing this is important...
b) What type of carrot and stick do you personally need to propel you into action? Then you can use these for leverage and do what it takes.

3. Fear:

Fear is a natural, non-personal response of the brain to a real or perceived threat.
Given the distinct lack of sable tooth tigers these days, most situations we find ourselves in are actually not a life or death situation anymore.....perceived.... I know...! 
Fear mostly is a misuse of our creativity and imagination.... That probably means that you have more creativity and better imagination then you ever gave yourself credit for! No, no, no... Seriously... In my world that's a result Maybe not the one you were after but still it's a result!
With our creative minds we are very good at imagining worst case scenarios or terrible outcomes when in reality, those things would actually be very unlikely. One way to counteract that type of "catastrophic" thinking is by using realistic and common sense thinking. You have two options to deal with this:

A) Ask yourself three simple questions, or write these down: 

  • "Am I creating possibilities that are actually highly unrealistic and probably (a bit) too dramatic...?"
  • "Am I creating consequences  that are actually highly unrealistic and probably (a bit) too dramatic...?"
  • "What would someone who is absolutely logical and realistic say when asked: What is actually most likely to happen when I take this action...?"  

B) Create three columns. I prefer putting pen to paper for this but you might prefer electronics. Either way is fine.

  • First column: make a list of all the things that could potentially go wrong by doing what you want to do. Feel free to let your imagination run, if that makes you feel good... 
  • Second column: Come up with equally creative steps to take to mitigate the possibility of each of those possibilities or consequences from happening
  • Third column: Think forward till you have found the resolution, till you reached the point where you look back and realise: "yep, that wasn't great but hey, I survived". That may be 2 days or 5 years down the track, it doesn't matter. Then write down what steps you'd take to recover from each of the scenarios you imagined in the first column.

There you go. When you find yourself not taking action, find out which one of the three it is and you'll soon get yourself taking action again! 
Stay tuned for more....