The Only Thing That is Stopping You is You

First published on September 27, 2018

I shared a video with my dad, recently. It was of Rich Litvin, sharing clearly and efficiently experience learned over many years how to talk to someone about how he works as a coach.

One of the things my dad shared in response was that when he was working as a therapist in the 80s and early 90s, this kind of information just wasn't available to him. Perhaps this is because there hadn't been the thought done on this, but more, I think, the mechanism for recording and sharing this simply wasn't available. 

Now, at our finger tips, are instructional videos about almost anything you can imagine. You can take courses for free, online, on almost any subject. Books are becoming more detailed and more specialised. 

And books are becoming easier to publish, which means more people can create and share them, which means they are able to be even more specialised. This pattern - everything becoming easier to create and easier to share - means that things that were impossible or incredibly difficult to learn are now available to anyone with a mobile phone or computer. Which, in the UK, is pretty much everyone.

Count this blessing. It's important. Notice it. Be grateful for it. You can learn. To coach, to code, to run a business. 

It's important because of this: this availability of cheap technology and incredibly plentiful information and communication means that now, the only thing that is stopping you is you. 

It may be your excuses around not having the time. It may be that you are prioritising other things right now. It may be that you are scared. It may be you aren't confident, and are waiting until you are. Or you aren't ready, and are waiting until the day you finally are.

But all these things are you. That is what is stopping you, now. Just you. Only you. 

That doesn't mean it's easy. But it is simple. You get to choose each of these things. How you deal with time, priorities, fear, confidence, 'readiness'.

You might not be able to see how it's you, but it is. 

You might think that you don't know where to look, but you have Google. You can ask the questions. You can find the person who knows and ask them. 

You might think that it'll take too long, or it's too late, but that's just your choice. And I can tell you that humans usually underestimate what they can do in five years. 

It's easier to have an excuse. Because having ultimate responsibility for what happens in life is scary. And it's tough. Because it's all on you. But here's the thing. It's where the power lies. And the control. And the freedom.

The freedom to start, because you want to. Or the freedom to not start, because you don't want to. And only because of that. 

The freedom is yours if you want it.