ready, fire, aim!
get off your fanny and do something!
by cheri britton and elizabeth tresize barbourYes, you read that correctly: we said Ready, Fire:and then Aim. But you're thinking,
"That’s backwards!" But is it really?
Why have we been led to believe that we have to know what we're doing before we act? Probably because it seems only logical and prudent to know what we want to do before we can take action. For many people this is true. But this paradigm has its pitfalls.
In our work, people come to us suffering from trying to apply the "Ready Aim Fire" concept to their business or passion. They are struggling to have all of the answers before they act. They waste time refining their plans yet are never able to follow through. Essentially they aim and aim and aim and never shoot.
Why don't we fire? What happens when you're not confident in your ability to shoot accurately or you aren’t clear about which target in which to aim? This reluctance (other wise known as fear) causes many of us to freeze and never act.
Well, think about the time that you first shot a gun. It might have been a bb gun, or a rifle, or maybe even a water gun aimed at your kid brother. What made you afraid to pull the trigger? Were you afraid of missing the target? Or of looking incompetent? What about fear of the recoil or kickback? Perhaps you were afraid of hurting yourself or someone else. All are valid concerns. (By the way, we the authors are not gun-totin' mamas but we think the metaphor works here…so don't take this as a plug for the NRA.)
But what about the flip side? What happened when you did take that first tentative shot? You may have felt exhilarated, confident, powerful or maybe even relieved. You took that risk and you overcame your fears. TOWANDA!
You may have missed the target but you tried. You may have looked awkward or silly or maybe even gotten a little bruised from the recoil but you survived. You were a 'gun shooter'! You took the risk to fire and you found it wasn't as hard as you thought.Women who are really good markswomen have one thing in common. They know the value of target practice. They know that to hit their target they have to refine their shooting skills and improve their aim through consistent, repeated efforts. This can be done only one way—by firing and firing and firing.
Ok, so enough talk about shooting guns. How can you apply the principles of "Ready, Fire, Aim" to your life? Here are 6 ½ steps to get you started if you have that fire in your belly for pursuing your ambitions.
1. Identify Your Deferred Dream. It might be the book you always wanted to write, the dance class you wanted to take, asking your boss for a raise, or starting your own business.
2. Do a Brain Dump. Get it all out of your head and onto paper. There is a big difference in thinking and doing. Writing things down is the first step toward doing.
3. Pick Three! Review your brain dump and choose the top three tasks that inspire and excite you.
3 ½. The Validating Question: DO THESE TASKS SUPPORT ME IN ACHIEVING MY DEFERRED DREAM? IF yes, move on to step 4. If no, go back to step 1 and start over.
4. Begin It Now! In the words of Goethe, "Whatever you can do or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now." Create a plan. Identify the project, the specific goals, the action steps to support the goals, and your desired outcomes.
5. Get Help! Accountability is crucial. Kind of like having a hunting buddy. Someone to watch your back and keep you focused. By the way, this is a great time to hire a coach or be a part of a coaching group.
6. FIRE! Just do it. If we wait for all of the risk to be eliminated before acting we will be waiting a very long time. So, git yer gun, git out there on the range, git your target in sight, and fire the dang thing. Then do it again. You can aim, improve, adjust your position, fire again, and then aim some more. The satisfaction you’ll experience will be much greater than the regret of staying stuck. So, Get Ready, Fire, Aim!
Cheri Britton and Elizabeth Trezise Barbour are peace-loving, non-violent business women. Cheri is a professional speaker, trainer & coach and Elizabeth is a life and business coach to inspired entrepreneurs. They are facilitating a coaching group for Solopreneur Women beginning in January. Visit their website at solopreneurwoman.com. For more details and to register call them at 225-8522 or 236-0910.
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