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Mindset, feels like I'm still action faking?

Anything related to matters of the mind

KeepGoin

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Over the past two weeks I've done some things to try to stop being a slowlane parasite. This includes spending about an hour a night reading, an hour working on my website for the service business I am starting, exercising every single day and cooking/no longer eating fast food.

I have a feeling that I'm not doing anything at night still. Like I'm not really changing, but this is the best path I've ever been on. Last night I felt sick to my stomach and it was a negative thing that I wasn't trying hard enough.

My question to the wiser people here is is this normal? I believe it's the feeling of all the half assed attempts I've made previously which were huge action fakes. Deep down this fear is simmering inside.

I called someone I plan to contract for to learn that service business, when I get a day off work we're going out together. But still, I feel that emotion of uncertainty and negativity. But working on the identity shift is all I care about. Making it real.
 
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G-Man

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hour working on my website for the service business I am starting,

If before you were doing nothing, and you're now consistently doing something, then.....see where I'm going with that?

Only question is "Am I doing the right thing?", which is something you'll never stop asking yourself. It's how you stay sharp.
 

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Antidote to action faking is simple. Stop being a perfectionist. Worry brings you down into negative thought patterns, and inaction. Action faking means you haven't take action. If you've set goals for the day, met your goals, and took action on your business then you have accomplished something.
If you're just educating yourself this can lead to action faking. If you're applying what you are learning and taking action, then you're not action faking.
 

KeepGoin

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If before you were doing nothing, and you're now consistently doing something, then.....see where I'm going with that?

Only question is "Am I doing the right thing?", which is something you'll never stop asking yourself. It's how you stay sharp.
Thank you. It's just really weird to me to be doing things now, it's been really hard lately to realize I could have been doing this my whole life every night instead of avoiding kaizen. I'm getting mad at night and trying to let it go. Anyways, I love the people of this forum and that book.
 
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Tobore

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Stop doing "pretty" things. Try and skip all the website tweaking.

Call or visit your intended customer, you'll get a taste what action feels like.

This bitter sweet taste is what gets you REAL result. It could be addictive or scary.
 

lowtek

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Exercising and eating better are not action fakes, they're great. Keep that up and be happy you're doing at least that right.

Hop on Upwork and apply for jobs related to what you will do in a service business. If what you're going to do isn't digital, then go out on the weekends and try to find your first paying customer.

Once you start generating income, you're less likely to action fake.
 

KeepGoin

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Whats the #1 most important thing to do, which will lead directly to a sale?
Right now it's
1. go out with the guy who is going to teach me thank god.
2. buy truck.(service is pool cleaning)
3. Next is mailing letters for direct response. I have the letters written and 200 initial addresses saved in a file ready to go.

as for sale #3 is #1.
 

Jonathan Boyd

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Over the past two weeks I've done some things to try to stop being a slowlane parasite. This includes spending about an hour a night reading, an hour working on my website for the service business I am starting, exercising every single day and cooking/no longer eating fast food.

I have a feeling that I'm not doing anything at night still. Like I'm not really changing, but this is the best path I've ever been on. Last night I felt sick to my stomach and it was a negative thing that I wasn't trying hard enough.

My question to the wiser people here is is this normal? I believe it's the feeling of all the half assed attempts I've made previously which were huge action fakes. Deep down this fear is simmering inside.

I called someone I plan to contract for to learn that service business, when I get a day off work we're going out together. But still, I feel that emotion of uncertainty and negativity. But working on the identity shift is all I care about. Making it real.

@KeepGoin, it sounds like you have made some changes for the better. But it's easy to get discouraged when you don't see "immediate results". Your activities lately will have a more longterm payoff. For short term payoff...

The question that @AndrewNC posed is a great one to ask yourself. Try it, follow your lead, and tell us what happens.
 

Ubermensch

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Over the past two weeks I've done some things to try to stop being a slowlane parasite. This includes spending about an hour a night reading, an hour working on my website for the service business I am starting, exercising every single day and cooking/no longer eating fast food.

Your dissatisfaction likely stems from the minuscule amount of action you have taken, relative to the amount required for success.

I have a feeling that I'm not doing anything at night still. Like I'm not really changing, but this is the best path I've ever been on. Last night I felt sick to my stomach and it was a negative thing that I wasn't trying hard enough.

My question to the wiser people here is is this normal? I believe it's the feeling of all the half assed attempts I've made previously which were huge action fakes. Deep down this fear is simmering inside.

This is good.

Keep listening to that inner voice as it guides you away from mundane mediocrity. Think of living a life of stress-free freedom, success and happiness as a way of making music of your existence here on earth. The still small voice you hear whispering cognitive dissonance into your mind should drown out the thousands of other voices in your head screaming self-limiting thoughts of self-doubt.

Focus on more meetings to "make it real." If I were you, I'd fill as many time slots with efficient conversations about your service business.

ABC = Always Be Closing. Going out is nice, yet I'm not sure if that's the most efficient way to go about things.

Either way, keep goin' in that direction. Grind hard, don't give up, put in the time and you'll make it.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Any action that brings you closer to your first customer is not an action-fake.

Any actions pertaining to your health are NEVER action fakes. You can't take ANY action (even action-fakes) if you don't have the energy or health for it.

May I ask why you start starting a pool service company? Its sounds like you are starting a job, not a business.
 

G-Man

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Current thread argument: Somebody that's actually doing something and thinks he's not.

Usual argument: Somebody doing nothing that thinks they're doing something.

Excuse me while I go celebrate alternate reality day. :rofl:
 
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KeepGoin

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Any action that brings you closer to your first customer is not an action-fake.

Any actions pertaining to your health are NEVER action fakes. You can't take ANY action (even action-fakes) if you don't have the energy or health for it.

May I ask why you start starting a pool service company? Its sounds like you are starting a job, not a business.

I've had reservations about it being another job. The reason was icecreamkid's thread on carpet cleaning. I found it inspiring and then when I was looking online for service industry jobs to get a feel. There was one for being a pool guy. I went in an applied and found out it had only been around for ten years started by one man.

This was in Scottsdale. So I figured it might be possible to replicate providing good value and scaling. But it could be a job, Im not sure at this point. I have no idea outside of hearing other people say that. I just need to act even if it becomes a job at the beginning. I could use contractors and eventually employees. That's what other companies seem to be doing.
 

MidwestLandlord

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So I figured it might be possible to replicate providing good value and scaling.

Number of homes in Phoenix Metro Area: 1,821,700 (1)
Percentage of homes with pools; Phoenix Metro Area: 33% (2)
Number of times a pool should be cleaned in a year: 52 (3)

That's roughly 601,161 pools that need serviced in that area. Multiplied by 52 cleanings per year, that's 31,260,372 potential cleaning services annually.

I have no idea if that equates to proper scale or not. But did you figure how many of these pools you'd have to get under contract, and at what rate of charge per weekly service above what your expenses would be, to make the kind of money you want to make?

10%?
20%?
25%?
75%?

Asking questions like these are always a good place to start.

(1) https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/USHMC/ahs//Phoenix_AZ_factsheet2011.pdf
(2) Top 10 Cities for Making a Splash in an Amazing Home Swimming Pool
(3) 10 Things Your Pool Guy Didn't Tell You
 

Ayanle Farah

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No matter how productive you are, there is always who gets more done, no matter how successful you are there is always someone who is more successful, no matter how bad you want it, there is always someone who wants it that much more, and if you're not breathing down the back of their F*cking neck, trying to take what they got, you better pack it up sunshine, cuz this F*cking shit ain't for you!
 
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Mr.Chaos

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I struggled with this as well.

It turned out to be purely my mindset. I believed I was capable and moving forward, yet my subconscious kept introducing negatives into my daily thought pattern.

Thoughts like:

I don't know what I'm doing.

I'm not doing enough to reach my goals fast enough.

Why am I worthy of cleaning someone's pool?

Why me?

Can I really achieve my goals, is this the business for me?

(note: these thoughts are so passive they are almost impossible to identify when they pop up)

------------------------------------------------------------------

So, I fought back and began probing around to discover that deep beneath the surface I had esteem issues that were hidden for the most part.

What helped was working on developing my thoughts/mindset and also getting that first paying customer. It all seemed to fade away.

Hope this helped in some way.
 

KeepGoin

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Number of homes in Phoenix Metro Area: 1,821,700 (1)
Percentage of homes with pools; Phoenix Metro Area: 33% (2)
Number of times a pool should be cleaned in a year: 52 (3)

That's roughly 601,161 pools that need serviced in that area. Multiplied by 52 cleanings per year, that's 31,260,372 potential cleaning services annually.

I have no idea if that equates to proper scale or not. But did you figure how many of these pools you'd have to get under contract, and at what rate of charge per weekly service above what your expenses would be, to make the kind of money you want to make?

10%?
20%?
25%?
75%?

Asking questions like these are always a good place to start.

(1) https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/USHMC/ahs//Phoenix_AZ_factsheet2011.pdf
(2) Top 10 Cities for Making a Splash in an Amazing Home Swimming Pool
(3) 10 Things Your Pool Guy Didn't Tell You
30 pools under weekly service contract at 25 per service is my goal to survive. My plan is to contract for the other pool guy while trying out marketing stuff and maybe go door to door with flyers. I'll be able to afford my costs of living roughly with 30 but I'm going to have to sit down tonight and see what I'd actually need. The 30 is just from doing it in my head.
I struggled with this as well.

It turned out to be purely my mindset. I believed I was capable and moving forward, yet my subconscious kept introducing negatives into my daily thought pattern.

Thoughts like:

I don't know what I'm doing.

I'm not doing enough to reach my goals fast enough.

Why am I worthy of cleaning someone's pool?

Why me?

Can I really achieve my goals, is this the business for me?

(note: these thoughts are so passive they are almost impossible to identify when they pop up)

------------------------------------------------------------------

So, I fought back and began probing around to discover that deep beneath the surface I had esteem issues that were hidden for the most part.

What helped was working on developing my thoughts/mindset and also getting that first paying customer. It all seemed to fade away.

Hope this helped in some way.
Felt like a reflection reading that.
 

Invictus

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Once you start generating income, you're less likely to action fake.

Yea. I think one of the biggest things that causes us to action fake is that we're so unsure in what direction to go in. Make a website? Form an LLC? Write a business plan? Offer up my firstborn to the entrepreneurship gods (ie: M.J., Vigilante, and Andy)?

So we think we have to do it all before we can make our first dollar, or help our first person.

But if you ignore all that, and focus on making the first tiny bit of money, you find the whole "what do I need to do" resolves itself. You get more clients for your service.

Then you think, "Well, I'd like to expand. A nice site that gives an idea of what I do and has my rates would save me some time and make pitching easier. I'll get that done."

And your income grows, then you think, "Forming a company may make the whole accounting thing easier, so I'll do that."

You action fake when you think you have to do a thousand things first. But all you really have to do is get that first bit income. And to do that, you just need to help someone out.

Find the first, simplest thing you can do. Then do that. Adjust accordingly.

*Obligatory link to Andy's perfect thread*
 
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domefs

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Yea. I think one of the biggest things that causes us to action fake is that we're so unsure in what direction to go in. Make a website? Form an LLC? Write a business plan? Offer up my firstborn to the entrepreneurship gods (ie: M.J., Vigilante, and Andy)?

So we think we have to do it all before we can make our first dollar, or help our first person.

But if you ignore all that, and focus on making the first tiny bit of money, you find the whole "what do I need to do" resolves itself. You get more clients for your service.

Then you think, "Well, I'd like to expand. A nice site that gives an idea of what I do and has my rates would save me some time and make pitching easier. I'll get that done."

And your income grows, then you think, "Forming a company may make the whole accounting thing easier, so I'll do that."

You action fake when you think you have to do a thousand things first. But all you really have to do is get that first bit income. And to do that, you just need to help someone out.

Find the first, simplest thing you can do. Then do that. Adjust accordingly.

*Obligatory link to Andy's perfect thread*

YES!

Don't be busy being busy.

:)
 

KeepGoin

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Hi guys, short update.

It's been a year and a month. After hearing the replies from people here I changed courses, but several months later after analysis paralysis. Put money on something and said it's okay if I fail if I try.

As of now, I have products sitting in my room and a website up. The website building process has been a learning experience, it's been kind of fun and frustrating figuring things out.

I'm working on content to drive organic sales(hopefully). About 12k words published so far on different topics, the goal is to get them to 40k and experiment with ads.

Mostly, shifting myself inward and catching this hidden ego has been my biggest obstacle. That part of me is a wall and a hindrance to progress. Happy year of the Dog and a sincere thank you to all the members here.

I will update when I get my first sale.
 

GMSI7D

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. Happy year of the Dog .

what ?

i think this is chinese astrology

so i just checked my chinese astrology sign

i am fire dragon ( 1976 )

looks like i will kick a$$ according to it. the dragon doesn't like stupidity and faking

what about yours ?
 
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KeepGoin

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what ?

i think this is chinese astrology

so i just checked my chinese astrology sign

i am fire dragon ( 1976 )

looks like i will kick a$$ according to it. the dragon doesn't like stupidity and faking

what about yours ?
The year of the dog started on Feb 16th! My sign is the snake.
 

luniac

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Over the past two weeks I've done some things to try to stop being a slowlane parasite. This includes spending about an hour a night reading, an hour working on my website for the service business I am starting, exercising every single day and cooking/no longer eating fast food.

I have a feeling that I'm not doing anything at night still. Like I'm not really changing, but this is the best path I've ever been on. Last night I felt sick to my stomach and it was a negative thing that I wasn't trying hard enough.

My question to the wiser people here is is this normal? I believe it's the feeling of all the half assed attempts I've made previously which were huge action fakes. Deep down this fear is simmering inside.

I called someone I plan to contract for to learn that service business, when I get a day off work we're going out together. But still, I feel that emotion of uncertainty and negativity. But working on the identity shift is all I care about. Making it real.

its a marathon, not a sprint.
Take it a day at a time, good luck.
 

RobD88

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Every step forward you take towards your goals is not action faking. I have very similar feelings and have to remind myself that I will get there. Keep learning. Keep working on your website. Keep tweaking your business.

As long as you write down your goals and each action can directly attribute towards achieving them then keep doing what you are doing. The finishline will be in sight before you know it.

It sounds like you've gotten over the hump from your original post. Best of luck to you.
 
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