This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Do you ever feel like you're holding yourself back from greatness? Are you struggling to complete something you've started? Well, if so, you just need to sign up for my premium greatness coaching program. Just kidding, I don't have anything like that. I only have a standard greatness coaching program.
Or now that I think about it, I don't even have that. I need to work on getting my greatness coaching programs in order. But in the meantime, some real talk, a listener has a question about how every time they start to make progress, they find themselves holding back. Maybe even sabotaging themselves. I don't think they actually use the word self-sabotage, but it's kind of what it sounds like.
And I can relate. Because even though I joke about my premium greatness coaching program, I too sometimes feel like this. In fact, I think everyone does, at least in some form or fashion. So what can be done in this situation? Let's see if we can help Jennifer.
Jennifer is our caller. And just maybe not only Jennifer, but somebody else out there. Let's find out after this quick message from our sponsor. [Music]
This is Jennifer and I'm calling in from Boston. My question is a lot like the ones you've featured on imposter syndrome or otherwise getting in your own way.
But it also feels a little different. I've been trying to start a side hustle for years. And every time I start to make progress, I hold back. It's like, I don't allow myself to succeed or even to fully try. I've thought about this a lot and even asked my therapist why I keep returning to this pattern.
Part of it is fear of change, or at least that's what the therapist said. But I really do want to move past it. Whatever the origin is, how can I push through this wall? Thanks for any advice you have. [Music]
Jennifer, I hear you.
Thank you for the question. First of all, there are seasons to these things. Sometimes I have felt stuck on something for years and then I ended up having a breakthrough that couldn't have occurred until then, or at least it didn't occur for whatever reason. So I'm not telling you to wait, of course, like you want to fix this now. And I totally respect that.
I'm just saying, don't beat yourself up over the past. So let's focus on the present and perhaps the future. For now, since you know this about yourself, and maybe anybody else out there, as I said, I'm wondering if there's a way you can future-proof part of your life to foster higher odds of success. Okay, there's a lot in that sentence. Let's break it down.
Future-proof part of your life. What can you do to, as I said, foster higher odds of success, be more successful in the future? Just a couple of examples. One of the things I love about public events, for example, just like producing an event or agreeing to speak at an event or whatever it is, is that there is this built-in deadline. And I often find myself feeling stuck or holding myself back, something else that may or may not be like what Jennifer was mentioning.
But when I've got this built-in deadline, I can't run from it, you know? Like long ago, I did a book tour to all 50 states, and I had no idea how I was gonna do it logistically, and I was also a little bit afraid of public speaking, and I don't know, just so many things. I was like, how does this even work? But I just said I'm gonna do it, and then I had to. So future-proofing can be done in lots of ways.
Doesn't have to involve necessarily a 50-state book tour. It really just starts with the design process of any project or side hustle or business idea, whatever it is you're trying to do, and then looking ahead as much as possible and saying, or asking rather, where might I get stuck this time? I know I've gotten stuck before. I know I have found myself holding myself back. Perhaps that self-sabotage phrase I used earlier, what can I do to perhaps give myself some help in advance?
How can I maybe steer that off or at least foresee, okay, here's where I'm gonna have that difficulty. I know I've had it before. This time, I want to move forward. I want to get hopefully all the way to actually having the side hustle or the project out there, but if not that, I want to get further than I did last time. So that the next time, I'll have even higher odds of success.
So future-proof your life, future-proof your plans, as much as possible, wherever you can't help yourself out in advance, your future self is going to appreciate it. So those are my words of advice for whatever they're worth. And listeners, if you have a question, something you're working on or struggling with, sidehustleschool.com/questions. Love to know what you're up to. We'll continue to feature them each week, along with updates from listeners as they launch their projects.
Take care of yourself out there. Do one thing to get closer to a goal you believe in. And of course, we've got a new episode coming out tomorrow. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the "Onward Project."
