Episode #175- Stop waiting... 4 Steps to Imperfect Action!

Episode Notes: 

Ever feel stuck in the cycle of never-ending preparation, unable to take that first step towards your dreams? 

When it comes to making a bold move, starting something new, have you spent months… even years, “fixing to get ready”?

This week on the MindWrench Podcast, we explore the unseen barriers of hesitation and fear that keep you from achieving your goals. Through my own personal examples of trial & errors and the success stories of giants like Jeff Bezos, Oprah, and Fred Smith, we reveal the transformative power of taking imperfect action. Learn why waiting until you're 100% ready might be your biggest mistake and discover a straightforward 4-step strategy to break free from the shackles of fear and hesitation.
 
 We’ll also examine how embracing imperfect action can lead to monumental success. From the accidental creations of industry changing products like WD-40 and bubble wrap to the critical role of doubling-down on ourselves, we highlight how initial failures can pave the way to great achievements. Hear personal tales of ventures that have both soared and flopped, underscoring the importance of learning from mistakes and gaining confidence to jump out of the plane & grow wings on the way down!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Taking Imperfect Action Towards Goals
• 8:13 Success Through Imperfect Action
• 18:20 Promoting Growth Through Action and Support

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

How many times have you ran into someone you knew that you haven't seen in a few months or a few years? And you remember the last time you spoke they were talking about starting something like finally opening their own shop, or going back to finish up their degree, or finishing an old project that they're working on, whatever. And when you ask if they ever got going on that thing, they reply with something like yeah, matter of fact, I'm fixing to get ready to blah, blah, blah. Sound familiar. I can almost guarantee you could run into them again in another 12 months and they would probably spit out the same reply, right, by the way, exactly what the hell does fixing to get ready to mean anyways? Does that mean getting ready to get ready?

Speaker 2: 1:05

Anyways, does that mean getting ready to get ready be every Monday where we make small improvements and take positive actions in our business and personal lives? That will make a major impact in our success, next-level growth and quality of life.

Speaker 1: 1:18

Hey, what's up everybody. Welcome to the MindWrench Podcast. I'm your host, rick Silover. Thanks so much for stopping in. If you're a returning listener and haven't done so already, please take a minute and click the follow or subscribe button and then rate and review the show. When you rate and review the show, the algorithms for Apple, spotify, google Podcasts, iheartradio, amazon Music and all the other platforms will see that it's valuable and show it to more people that have never seen it before, and hopefully it can help them too. I would really really really appreciate your help, sharing this word with your friends and family as well, and if you're a brand new listener, welcome. I hope you find something of value here that helps you in your personal or professional life as well. Please make sure to click the subscribe or follow button so you never miss another episode.

Speaker 1: 2:03

How many times have you ran into someone you knew that you haven't seen in a few months or a few years, and you remember the last time you spoke they were talking about starting something like finally opening their own shop, or going back to finish up their degree, or finishing an old project that they're working on, whatever, and when you ask if they ever got going on that thing. They reply with something like yeah, matter of fact, I'm fixing to get ready to blah, blah, blah Sound familiar. I can almost guarantee you could run into them again in another 12 months and they would probably spit out the same reply. Right, but it's not just them. I bet many of the people you know really most of the people we all know have similar dreams, goals and desires, but, when pressed, would probably answer the exact same way or at least something close to that.

Speaker 1: 2:53

By the way, exactly what the hell does fixing to get ready to mean anyways? Does that mean getting ready to get ready? So anyways? Why does this happen? Is it because they really don't want to do what they had planned? No, is it because they don't know what step to take next? No, I don't think so. Then what is?

Speaker 1: 3:12

it. Well, simply put, it's just a little four-letter word fear. Now, it's not really a fear of the action they would be taking, it's really a fear of the results of the action that makes most hesitate. There's a great fear of the unknown. What will happen if I start that new shop, that new career, that new relationship? Will I fail? Will I get hurt? Will I lose something? What will people think of me? And the list goes on and on and on. Now, if we let them, our fears of the unknown, our own limiting beliefs, will make us hesitate, sometimes forever, from taking action and preventing us from going after the things we really want in our lives. Again and again and again. It's happened to me many times and probably happened to you too, but it doesn't have to be that way. This week, I'm sharing some very interesting facts that I shared a few years ago that you may not have known, as well as how I overcame my own personal struggles, and provide a strategy on how we can all stop hesitating with these four simple steps and learn to start taking imperfect action towards our own goals.

Speaker 1: 4:23

Do you know what Jeff Bezos, oprah, henry Ford, sir James Dyson, thomas Edison and Fred Smith all have in common? You probably think you know the answer, but you're not 100% sure. Because, well, who the hell is Fred Smith, right? Well, fred Smith is the founder of FedEx. Think you know. Now. Well, if you guess that they're all famous entrepreneurs, that is true, but not the answer. If you guess that they're all famous entrepreneurs, that is true, but not the answer. If you guess that they're all extremely successful and achieved massive wealth, right again, but still not it. Now, if you're thinking they all had a major impact on our lives and the world we live in, you're absolutely correct, but you still haven't solved the mystery.

Speaker 1: 5:01

The one thing they all have in common, along with many other successful people some we recognize, some we don't is that they all took imperfect action towards their goals, towards their big ideas, towards their future. They took action, they started before they were 100% ready. They launched their product or service or concept before they had all the details figured out, ready go set. They did not wait until all the studies and data was complete. They did not wait until they had enough money or the right political climate or the perfect product name or company logo or slogan for their business, or when they had the right employees, or if it was the right timing or not, or the blessing and encouragement from their families and friends. They just took action, imperfect action, and they all had failures, setbacks, disappointments. Things didn't go the way they wanted it to, but they did not give up, they did not quit. They fell, they got up, tried again, fell again, got back up again, dusted themselves off and kept going like their gut or their heart told them to, and eventually found success. Jeff Bezos, obviously one of the richest men, told them to and eventually found success. Jeff Bezos, obviously one of the richest men in the world, failed miserably at his first attempt at an online auction site, which evolved into Zshops, a brand that ultimately failed. Still, ceo Jeff Bezos would repurpose that idea into what would eventually become Amazon Marketplace Oprah. Is there anybody that never heard of Oprah? I mean, not even a last name needed. Well, after graduating from college, she took a job at a TV station, but it didn't last long. She was fired shortly after and a producer dubbed her as unfit for TV.

Speaker 1: 6:38

Henry Ford had alienated his investors by taking too long and subsequently lost funding twice. After the second mishap, ford's reputation in the auto industry was dismal. Most people aren't willing to give somebody a third chance. But Mr Ford was persistent. He eventually found backing from a foreign investor that wasn't afraid of a little risk, and we all know how that worked out.

Speaker 1: 6:59

Sir James Dyson wasn't always a well-known name associated with vacuum cleaners. In fact, it took Sir James Dyson 15 years and all of his savings to develop a bagless prototype that worked. He developed 5,126 prototypes that failed. First, thomas Edison. Everybody knows about Edison's 10,000 attempts at the light bulb before he found success. But he also went on to invent several other modern conveniences. And what about old Fred Smith? Well, his story was quite interesting.

Speaker 1: 7:27

Fedex faced not one, but two major setbacks. Initially, the multi-billion dollar company was a term project at Yale University. His professor said the concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a C, the idea must be feasible. That didn't stop Smith, however. He got funding, planes, people and started operating. Two years in, the company faced high fuel charges and a bunch of debt. At one point, fedex had $5,000 left. Still believing in his capacity to succeed against all odds, smith took it to Las Vegas. Talk about imperfect action. And what do you know? He did succeed. He turned $5,000 into $27,000, enough to cover costs for another week. That's about how long it took for him to find another investor.

Speaker 1: 8:13

Here's a couple famous products that only exist due to imperfect action WD-40. If you've ever wondered where that useful lubricant got its name, the name comes from the fact that the formula represents the 40th attempt to create a degreaser and rust protective solvent. Although it was originally used in the aerospace industry, it became so popular among the employees that it was packaged into aerosol cans and introduced into retail in 1958. Can you imagine if the lab had given it up after 39 tries? Bubble wrap Two engineers created bubble wrap in 1960, trying to create a trendy new textured wallpaper. This was a total failure, as it was a later attempt to market it as a housing insulation. When the wrap was eventually used by IBM to package a newly launched computer during transport, it suddenly became an overnight success. Today, few people even realize that bubble wrap began as a complete failure. If you're looking for a competitive edge for your business or a more effective jumpstart to your personal development in 2024, I'll make your first step super simple.

Speaker 1: 9:15

It is a fact that an incredible number of the most successful business owners, nearly half of the Fortune 500 companies, top-earning professional athletes, entertainers and industry leaders like Microsoft's Bill Gates, former President Bill Clinton, richard Branson, amazon's Jeff Bezos and Salesforce's Mark Benioff all have one thing in common they all have at least one coach and some have several that they work with on a consistent basis. That they work with on a consistent basis Someone that helps guide, mentor and support them, challenge them, help them set and achieve goals that move them forward and then hold them accountable to follow through driving personal and professional growth. Working with a coach has many substantial benefits. Just for an example, 80% of coaching clients report improved self-esteem or self-confidence thanks to coaching. 99% of individuals and companies that hire a coach report being very satisfied and 96% would do it again.

Speaker 1: 10:08

If, deep down, you know it's time to make those improvements in your business, your personal life, that you've kicked down the road year after year. If you're tired of knowing there's a better version of you waiting to shine, but unsure of how to bring that version to light. If you're tired of wanting to enjoy a more successful business but not sure how to start. And if you don't want to go another 12 months without better results, but you don't want to go it alone, then take the first step. It's super simple. Sometimes talking to the right person can make all the difference. Go to wwwrixelovercom, slash contact and I'll set you up with a free consultation. Call with me to see if one-on-one coaching is right for you. While there are hundreds of other stories of first start failures, fumbles, frustrations by names, we know, and more that we don't people just like you that want to start a new service, add a new process or technology, start a marketing program, make a change in your employee mix, expand your existing or buy another shop that had the same fears or anxiety of not being 100% ready, but had the courage to take action, to take the leap, to jump out of the plane and grow wings on the way down, to just go and most stumbled and learned along the way, but at least they were moving forward. Failing forward sometimes, but it's always better than standing still afraid to move or, worse yet, accepting the status quo.

Speaker 1: 11:28

As you can tell, I'm very passionate about this subject and I'm a firm believer in the truth behind this mindset, although my personality by nature is to evaluate things out, to compare some data, to make good, informed decisions. I mean, I'm not an astrology nut, but being a Libra, I mean the astrological sign is a freaking balance scale, right. I guess I've always believed that that's how I was supposed to make choices right Balance things out, take a look at it, weigh them out right. When it comes to decisions, there are basically two types of people those that are more impulse buyers, that make quick, gut decisions, and those that are more analytical, that move a little slower and think things through. Gut versus thought. Well, I knew which side I was on, but as I look back through my life, that one or the other scenario hasn't really applied to my taking risks, having the courage to start something before I was ready. In my late teens, I got involved in a multi-level marketing program selling powdered milk products, you know, kind of like Amway or Avon, or more commonly referred to as a pyramid scheme. Needless to say, my imperfect action did not pay off, but I did learn a valuable lesson called if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Speaker 1: 12:40

When I was in my early 20s, I was a painter in an independent shop, was making okay money not great, but okay. I bought my first house and took on the responsibilities and bills that came with it. Not long after that, along with one of my buddies I worked with, I decided we should start our own business, not a body shop, a power washing company. It didn't take long. After that decision, I quit my full-time job that paid the bills for my first house and took imperfect action, filed a DBA and started a business. I had no idea what the hell I was doing, did not have a written business plan, but did it anyways. Wahoo, I was an entrepreneur Big deal. Long story short, I failed miserably, went broke, got way behind on all my bills and was living on soup and mac and cheese for several months. Yes, we did get some jobs, made some money, but not nearly enough to sustain one, let alone two, people. But I did learn a lot of lessons, like a good marketing strategy is not going door-to-door with flyers, don't go into business with a friend it never works out and don't start a business that you have no experience in, just to name a few.

Speaker 1: 13:49

Then, a little over 10 years ago, there was a local community college with an incredible auto body repair and custom car building program that was creating quite a buzz in the Detroit market, and I had a few friends that were tech assistants to the instructors there telling me how awesome it was to be part of the program. I mean, they were building custom cars for Autorama local sports celebrities. I mean it sounded freaking cool as shit and I wanted to be part of it. So I finangled a meeting with the director of the program and convinced him to hire me as a tech assistant, which he did to his paint intro class that he taught. And that's where I spent my first semester as a part-time tech, in evening class, and it was great. I loved it. But I wanted more and some of the students were telling me I should be an instructor.

Speaker 1: 14:32

So by the next semester I got the opportunity to teach my own paint intro class as a part-time instructor, keeping in mind I was working full-time during the day as a distributor salesman. My class was a full eight-hour class on Saturdays. I had no idea how to structure an eight-hour day teaching a room full of students as I had very little guidance. But I took imperfect action and just started and figured it out along the way. Sure, it was scary, nerve-wracking and filled me with anxiety, but I took imperfect action and just started and figured it out along the way. Sure, it was scary, nerve-wracking and filled me with anxiety, but I just kept moving and it became easier. Each week, by the end of the first semester, my students gave me great reviews and said it seemed as if I knew what I was doing all along. Well, I did that for three more semesters before the government-funded program that enabled many students to attend that college ended, enrollment dropped like a rock and that resulted in all the part-time instructors losing their employment, including me.

Speaker 1: 15:23

But it was at that point in my life that I really found my absolute passion for teaching and for mentoring others. It was an experience I will never forget, and it all started with me not waiting until I had everything figured out. I just jumped in and took action. And, lastly, the only reason you're hearing the sound of my voice right now is that, once again, I had a dream and a goal to create some platform to share my insights and knowledge that I've acquired over the last 40 plus years, a way to help inspire others to turn decades into days, to go faster, go farther, help others like like you, grow more than they think they can, and a podcast seemed like the perfect medium for that.

Speaker 1: 16:01

So once again, I decided to take imperfect action in something I knew little of. But this time I learned some basics about what podcasting is and how to put together a show. But I did not wait until I had everything figured out. I just started putting out episodes. Talk about scary. Putting my thoughts and my voice out to the world was extremely intimidating at first. I mean, your limiting beliefs kick in and can become overwhelming. But I just decided to give it my best and learn along the way. If you go back to my first couple episodes, you'll hear they were much different than what they are now. So my message today is simple, but I needed to show you in a few different ways how imperfect action shows itself, not only with famous people we know, but with ordinary people in our past, present and, most definitely, in our future.

Speaker 1: 16:46

Anyone that's ever wanted to try something new, step out of their comfort zone, take a chance on something as big as starting a new business or as minor as starting a weight loss program, needs to follow a couple simple steps. This works equally as well if you're launching a shipping company, a talk show, a high-tech vacuum cleaner, inventing a light bulb or maybe just starting your first online business, a detail department, beginning an exercise program, a marketing campaign or expanding your shop's production space? Just follow these four simple steps. Number one, and the most important, is adopt the right mindset. That's a positive mindset, a winning mindset. Expect to win, not. Oh, I hope this works out and I hope I don't fail. And what happens if this and what happens if that? Now screw all that shit. Okay, adopt the right mindset and that is positive. No doubts, no exceptions.

Speaker 1: 17:40

Number two have a clear vision of what your expected results are. Look at the big picture. What's your perfect future look like? Picture yourself 12 months down the road and everything went great. What does that look like for you? Number three you need to accept the fact that it'll be imperfect, that you'll stumble and you'll fail often, and know that failures are just learning opportunities and there'll be lots of them and everybody goes through those. You will only fail if you stop or give up. And number four go, just go. Don't hesitate, don't wait for everything to be perfect, just go. Have faith in yourself, jump out and grow wings on the way down, but just go.

Speaker 1: 18:20

Well, that's all I had for you today. I hope you found something helpful in today's message that you can take back to your business or back home and immediately put into action and start making a positive difference in your professional or personal life. If you liked this episode, please, please, please, go to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and rate it, share it and leave a review. When you share this podcast with others, that's how we grow and when the show grows, I can serve more people with my messages. I appreciate you and I hope you have an awesome and productive week. I can always be reached at wwwrickselovercom, where you can find all my social media links podcast episodes, blog posts and much more.