Research is good, but too much research isn’t. Too much research can freeze your intended progress. How many times have you looked up information on what you were going to do and you never end up doing it? This happens to many people, but you must get into the habit of making moves.
When you become interested in something, you naturally began to seek out more information on it. Once you decide that you want to do it, your mind begins to explore new ideas and different things you can do. Then, you begin to read more, watch videos about it, and talk to people. Well, for a lot of people, that’s where it ends – it’s a comfortable zone to be in because it’s safe, but safe can be debilitating.
Information. It’s conveniently in our hands, in our cars, and all around us. Back in the day, if you wanted to find out more about something that interested you, you had to get up, drive to the library, and check out a book and use their reference materials. Today, you pull out your phone and type in what you want to know and boom – there it is. You can even speak out loud and ask your phone (or some smart device) for the information and it will tell you.
While technology is one of the most awesome-set things that’s ever happened, it can also hinder your progress. Too much information can give you too many options. When you have too many options, you can’t decide. Now, those ideas are competing in your mind and it becomes harder to make a choice. You begin to go through various scenarios, trying to figure out which one will give you the best outcome. Well, you really won’t know until you take action.
After you think about ten different ways it could or could not work, you do even more research to look for more answers. After a while, you become a professional researcher. You haven’t found that one answer that convinces you to act. Do you know why? Because you haven’t started. That’s the only way you will find out if your idea is worth it or not. Do your own personal research and stop reading about it.
Another sure way to make you stop in your tracks is by talking to other people. When you have a great idea, the first person you talk to is someone you see everyday – usually family or friends. Yes, your family is your family, but they can paralyze you, too. You ever tell someone close to you about what your goal is and they tell you a thousand ways why it won’t work? Unfortunately, there are people like that in the world and it might happen to be one of your friends or family. The best thing to do is to keep your goals to yourself (unless you positively know of someone who will encourage you), make your plan, and do the work. Talking to others about it can stop you before you even start. Everyone has an opinion, but opinions don’t spark action.
Do you see a pattern here? It’s easy to find comfort and security in doing research, but the part that’s ignored the most is taking action. Your ideas and goals should be 10% research and 90% action. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck on reading, watching videos, and talking to others who say it isn’t possible. It is very much possible, but you have to get up and get started. It’s like a maze – when you go through a maze, you don’t stop because you can’t find a way out. You may run into a dead end, but do you stop, sit, and cry about the dead end? No, you turn around and you keep moving until you find your way out. So stop doing research and find your way out.