Here in the United States, we celebrate our Independence Day on the 4th of July. So it seemed an appropriate day to ask you this question: What would you declare independence from in your life right now if you could? For me, the answer is simple. It’s fear and indecision. Together, fear and indecision are a one-two punch that slows me down more than any other emotion or activity.
How to Declare Independence
Earlier today, I tweaked the tag line of this blog. I deleted “human being” from the end and added “gadget lover.” Coincidentally, I looked back at my blog post from July 4, 2010, and I had just made a pretty significant change to my tag line one year ago. A year ago, I made a big deal about the change. I expressed concern that it had taken me so long to get it right. The truth is that it will never be 100 percent accurate. A blog tag line is either a reflection of past accomplishments or a promise of future deliverables. Seldom, if ever, will it accurately reflect the moment we are in.
I’ve given myself permission to change the tag line here whenever I think it needs to be changed. The reality is that after your first visit here you aren’t likely to notice the tag line anyway. It’s a marketing message of sorts for new arrivals. That’s why I added “gadget guy” this morning. A significant portion of my traffic each month arrives to read my posts about my htc EVO 4G phone and the battery life issues I’ve had with it. I want those folks to know I like gadgets and technology and write about those topics from time to time.
I’ve declared independence from fear and indecision by pushing through them enough times to know that on the other side is nothing scary or fatal to my existence. I’ve learned there is no need to fear making a decision because if God forbid you are wrong – guess what? Yes, you can make another decision to correct your course. The reality is that by not making decisions I was making decisions anyway. The decision is to not act and accept the status quo.
What’s Holding You Back?
I’m fairly sure as you look at your life there are one or two items you’d like to declare independence from just as I did from fear and indecision. Maybe it’s not enough money in the bank to escape cubicle nation? Perhaps it’s lack of business knowledge and skills necessary to back up your technical skills and make your launch successful. Who knows? Maybe it’s something as simple as finding more time to spend with your family.
Whatever your issue is, the first step is to write it down. For me, that looked like “I declare independence from fear and indecision.” Then, I thought through how I’ve done that and wrote this post. So write down how you’ve overcome the issue in the past. Then consider tactics and strategies to not let the issue be in your way 12 months from today.
Please do a me a favor: If it’s not too personal, share in the comments what you’re going to declare independence from today!