Latest / Inspirations for Your Life / PERFECT CONDITIONS Are Why You’re STILL STUCK (S5) S41:E4 Tuesday

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PERFECT CONDITIONS Are Why You’re STILL STUCK (S5) S41:E4 Tuesday · Inspirations for Your Life

0:24
Well there, hello everyone, and welcome to the
0:26
ever-popular Inspirations for Your Life show.
0:28
It's so great to have you here.
0:30
If this is your very first time joining
0:31
me, I want to take the opportunity to
0:33
say welcome and I want to say thank
0:35
you.
0:36
If you've been here, let's say, you know,
0:39
many times, that I want to say not
0:42
only thank you and welcome, but of course
0:44
I want to say those words, welcome back,
0:46
because you truly are welcome here with us
0:48
on the show.
0:50
All right, guys, don't forget to check out
0:52
BelieveMeAchieved.com for more of my amazing, of
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course, inspiring creations.
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And I've got a delicious arrow water here,
0:57
a fresh lemon, pretty delicious, pretty tasty, and
1:06
also healthy for you.
1:07
All right, guys, so let's get into the
1:10
show here in just a second.
1:12
Don't forget to check out BelieveMeAchieved.com, of
1:14
course, for more of my amazing, inspiring creations
1:16
that you can do after the show is
1:18
over.
1:19
So welcome, everyone, to the ever-popular Inspirations
1:22
for Your Life show.
1:24
I'm John C.
1:25
Morley.
1:25
I'm a serial entrepreneur.
1:26
I'm an engineer, marketing specialist, video producer, podcast
1:29
host, coach, keynote speaker, passionate lifelong learner, and
1:34
yes, a graduate student at Montgomery State University
1:36
and so grateful now to be a published
1:38
author.
1:39
It is great to be an author.
1:40
So our master topic this week is momentum
1:43
changes everything, and it really does.
1:45
And today, I'm talking about something that quietly
1:50
destroys momentum before it ever has a chance
1:53
to breathe and grow.
1:55
Perfect conditions are why you're still stuck today.
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How many times have you told yourself, I'll
2:01
start when things settle down.
2:03
I'll start when I have more time.
2:06
I'll start when I have more money.
2:09
I'll start when I have the right equipment.
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I'll start when I feel more confident.
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I'll start when everything finally lines up.
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But here's the problem with all that.
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Perfect conditions rarely arrive on schedule, unfortunately.
2:29
Life doesn't send you an invitation saying, hey,
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John, everything is finally perfect.
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You may begin your journey.
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That's not how it works.
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It doesn't work like that.
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Something will almost always be inconvenient, uncertain, unfinished,
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or outside of your control.
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That's life.
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That means progress has to coexist with imperfect
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circumstances, something a lot of people don't like.
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If your progress depends upon everything around you
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being perfect, you have handed control of your
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future to circumstances.
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Stop requiring everything to feel right before beginning.
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Sometimes you're going to be nervous.
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Sometimes you're going to be tired.
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Sometimes you won't know exactly what's happening next.
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Go ahead and begin anyway.
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Use what is available now.
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And the thing I think we need to
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understand with that is we spend enormous amounts
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of time thinking about what we don't have.
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The better question is, what do I have
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and what can I do with it right
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now?
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Because, you see, resourcefulness can matter more than
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ideal resources.
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Someone with every tool imaginable but no willingness
3:49
to act can accomplish less than somebody who
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takes limited resources and asks, how can I
3:57
make this work, okay?
3:59
Your environment doesn't have to be perfect, guys,
4:02
for you to improve.
4:03
Maybe your office isn't perfect.
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Maybe your schedule is crowded.
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Maybe people around you don't understand what you're
4:08
really building.
4:10
Build it anyway.
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You can still take a step.
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And remember this, a messy beginning can still
4:21
produce an excellent result, right?
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When we have a messy recipe, we start,
4:27
we still get a very delicious cake or
4:28
cupcake at the end if we make some
4:31
doctrine to the recipe, right?
4:33
People love seeing polished outcomes.
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They rarely see the awkward first draft, the
4:40
rough first recording, the first attempt that didn't
4:43
work, or the idea that had to go
4:46
through many refinements as it was changed several
4:49
times.
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Great outcomes can have very impressive beginnings.
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It can.
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Learn to operate before every variable is controlled.
5:01
As an engineer, I understand the desire to
5:04
know the variables.
5:06
We want predictability.
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We want systems to behave the way we
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expect them to.
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But life, guys, isn't controlled in a laboratory.
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At some point, you have to move with
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incomplete information.
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That's why adaptability keeps progress alive.
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The person who can adjust has enormous advantage
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over the person who requires everything to follow
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the original plan.
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For a moment, let's presume that we're replacing
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the perfect timing with useful timing.
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Ask yourself this question.
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Is this moment good enough for me to
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make meaningful progress?
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If the answer is yes, move forward and
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stop giving those minor obstacles major authority over
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your life to shut you down.
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A small inconvenience should not get the power
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to cancel an important goal or revert your
6:00
decision.
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But this happens to so many people every
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day.
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One frustrating morning does not need to destroy
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your day.
6:12
One delay does not need to destroy your
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week.
6:16
One setback does not need to destroy your
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entire plan.
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Identify what is truly necessary to begin.
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Maybe you need certain information.
6:32
Maybe you need a specific tool.
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Maybe you need someone's approval.
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Fine.
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But please be careful because we often confuse
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what we prefer with what we require.
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And that shuts down our productivity.
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Separate preferences from requirements.
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And I want to compare this to something
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we have in software engineering.
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You know, when we're doing what we call
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a requirement solicitation or a requirements gathering, that's
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the very first step when we figure out
7:02
what we need to do to do the
7:03
project so we can give them a proper
7:05
estimate and timeline.
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And I think what really comes clear with
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this is that a lot of times people
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will give you wants, but those aren't necessarily
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needs.
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What needs are are the things that are
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required to make the program work.
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Wants are nice, but they're not what's needed
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to get the program off the ground.
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So I would like this is very different
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from I cannot begin without this.
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Client tells us they want an e-commerce
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system.
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We write it.
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But then they tell us that, well, they
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want every item to be, let's say, 100
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levels deep.
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Do they need that now?
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No.
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They want it.
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They may not need it for 5 or
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10 years, and then they may never need
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it.
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So it's our job when we go through.
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We call the requirements analysis phase to get
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rid of ambiguities, to get rid of things
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that are not clear, make them clear, making
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sure everything just has one meaning, making sure
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there's terms that are not going to confuse
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things later.
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So that's a big distinction.
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And a distinction one can get from months
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of unnecessary waiting.
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Yeah, and of course, a lot of frustration.
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Make version one before demanding version 10.
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Can you do that for me?
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I know we want version 10.
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Let's start with version one.
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This is huge.
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You cannot improve something that exists only in
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your imagination.
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Create the rough draft.
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Record the first episode.
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Build the prototype.
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Start the project.
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Take the first step.
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Give improvements somewhere to start.
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Version one doesn't have to be pretty, OK?
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Doesn't have to prove how talented you are.
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Its job is to exist so versions two
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and beyond can become even better than version
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one.
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And something interesting happens when you begin.
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Conditions change after action begins.
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You meet somebody.
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You learn something.
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You discover a resource.
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You recognize an opportunity.
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You find a better approach.
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Things that were invisible while you were standing
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still become visible because you started moving again.
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Opportunities can appear because you move.
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We often imagine that opportunity arrives first, and
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then action follows right after.
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Sometimes it works in the opposite direction.
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You take action, and that action puts you
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in position to encounter the opportunity.
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And remember, guys, waiting also produces consequences.
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Doing nothing isn't neutral.
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I know you think, well, if I don't
10:09
do anything, I'll be fine.
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Not necessarily.
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And that's something a lot of people miss.
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They miss that whole concept, right?
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They miss that whole entire concept.
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So while you're waiting, time is moving.
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Opportunities are changing.
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Other people are learning.
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Technology is evolving.
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Your own enthusiasm can fade.
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So make progress with today's resources, not the
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resources you hope to have six months from
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now, not the schedule you wish you had,
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not the imaginary circumstances you're waiting for.
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What can you do today?
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You don't underestimate what limitations can do for
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you.
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Creativity grows when resources are limited.
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And I think that's a hard one for
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a lot of people to wrap their heads
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around, right?
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I think that's a very hard one to
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really understand.
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So when you can't solve something with unlimited
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money, unlimited time, or unlimited help, you're forced
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to think differently.
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You ask better questions.
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You improvise.
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You simplify things.
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You discover possibilities you might never have considered
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otherwise.
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I think that's a very important thing, guys,
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right?
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But I'm not going to tell you that
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it's simple because it's not.
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Imperfect action can reveal better solutions.
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That's another reason action beats endless speculation.
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You can sit right there imagining what might
11:56
work, or you can try something reasonable and
12:01
get actual feedback out.
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These are not hard things, but many people
12:06
don't get off the bench to even try
12:08
this.
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Good water.
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So real feedback gives you something useful to
12:17
improve.
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And please stop treating inconvenience as impossibilities.
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It's not.
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Something being harder than you hoped does not
12:28
mean it cannot be done ever.
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Something takes longer does not mean it cannot
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be done.
12:34
Something requiring a little adjustment does not mean
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it cannot be done.
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Learn how to move around obstacles.
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If one route is blocked, ask whether another
12:44
route exists.
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If your original method isn't working, well, go
12:49
ahead and change the method.
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Change the plan without abandoning the destination.
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When you're on a trip and you're trying
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to go somewhere and there's all this traffic,
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do you change where you're going to?
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No, you just change the route of how
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to get there.
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That's actually the plan.
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That distinction matters quite a bit.
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Changing your approach isn't necessarily quitting.
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Sometimes changing your approach is exactly what commitment
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requires.
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You remain committed to the outcome while staying
13:27
flexible about how you reach it.
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And progress does not require a flawless day.
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Maybe today didn't go perfectly.
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You woke up late.
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A meeting ran a little over.
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Something broke.
13:45
Somebody interrupted you.
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Fine.
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Can you still make one meaningful move?
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Sure you can.
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If you can, the day doesn't have to
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be lost.
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I think that's a very important thing to
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understand that the day does not have to
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be lost.
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But a lot of people don't get that
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because they get confused about what's going on
14:22
in their lives.
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And not that they can't change, but they
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feel they're never gonna change.
14:31
That can be hard for a lot of
14:33
people.
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And difficult circumstances can actually strengthen our adaptability.
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I'm not saying it's gonna be easy.
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Every time you learn to keep moving when
14:46
things aren't perfect, you become more capable of
14:49
handling the next challenge.
14:51
Now, how about when it relies on people?
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Sometimes I know people say, oh yeah, I'm
14:56
gonna do this.
14:57
I'm gonna stop by.
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I'm gonna do this or do that.
15:00
Then they fall through.
15:02
They don't do it.
15:06
And what do they usually do?
15:07
They hide.
15:08
Because they're embarrassed that they didn't keep their
15:12
end of the bargain.
15:14
You become someone who knows how to respond.
15:18
Work with reality instead of arguing with it.
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That's a real prize.
15:25
This one matters a lot, guys, because we
15:27
can waste incredible amounts of energy and money
15:30
wishing today were different.
15:32
I wish this hadn't happened.
15:34
I wish I had more time.
15:36
I wish that person had responded.
15:37
I wish circumstances were easier.
15:39
Maybe all of that is true.
15:43
But what is really going on right now?
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And I think we all have this tendency
15:48
to say, gee, you know what?
15:49
Let me go back and think about all
15:51
the things that are wrong.
15:52
That's not gonna help you guys.
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It's not gonna help you.
15:57
It's gonna frustrate you an awful lot, right?
16:01
Gonna frustrate you an awful lot.
16:03
So that's something I think a lot of
16:05
people just don't realize.
16:07
They don't realize what's going on or why
16:11
something's going on.
16:16
I think a lot of times, guys, people
16:19
out there just, they get annoyed because something
16:25
didn't work the right way.
16:31
It didn't work the right way.
16:35
Well, that's a problem, guys.
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That's a very, very big problem, a huge,
16:43
huge problem, but one that can still be
16:47
addressed.
17:01
I think this rubs people different ways, the
17:08
I wish mentality.
17:10
But what is really going on right now
17:12
in your head?
17:14
What's concrete?
17:15
Why don't we start there instead of trying
17:17
to do all this wish around?
17:19
Your next move matters more than the ideal
17:21
circumstances.
17:21
So it's not your imagery.
17:25
Move next month.
17:27
Not what you would do if everything were
17:29
perfect today.
17:31
What is the next useful thing you can
17:33
do with the reality you have now?
17:36
Because that's how you create momentum where you
17:39
are presently.
17:42
Not when you wish you were here now.
17:46
Not where somebody else is.
17:49
Right where you are now, presently.
17:53
And that brings us to another idea.
17:59
I want you to carry with you today
18:01
this concept.
18:04
Build with what you have and improve as
18:08
you go.
18:10
Maybe you're starting to build something a certain
18:12
way, but then suddenly it changes.
18:17
It changes because of how we are, our
18:21
perceptions.
18:23
And that's a huge, huge thing.
18:33
I think sometimes people just don't really, they
18:36
don't really get it.
18:39
And the reason they don't get it is
18:44
because of a slight judgment shift.
18:50
A perception that changes, not just where they
18:55
are right now, but where they're gonna go
18:57
in the next 30, 60 or 90 days.
19:02
Build with what you have and improve as
19:05
you go.
19:06
You may not have the perfect tools.
19:09
You may not have the perfect venue.
19:14
You may not have the perfect attendance, but
19:20
know where you are right now.
19:22
You don't need to see the finished masterpiece
19:25
before you place the first piece.
19:30
It's nice, but you can still build without
19:35
seeing it completed.
19:38
I think that's an important piece for all
19:40
of us right here.
19:44
All of us right at this very, very
19:47
moment.
19:49
Meaning something that a lot of us don't
19:52
really understand.
19:54
And I'm gonna say to you guys this
19:56
really importantly.
20:00
You don't need perfect confidence.
20:04
You don't need unlimited resources.
20:07
You don't need every answer in your head.
20:10
You need enough to make the next move.
20:13
Enough information so you could make the decision
20:16
to make the next choice.
20:17
Then another, then another, right?
20:19
You just kind of hop around, but you
20:21
don't need to get to the end right
20:22
away.
20:23
There's hops.
20:24
Think of it like this.
20:26
When you go to a website, okay?
20:29
You never get there just directly.
20:31
It usually has five, 10, 15, 20 or
20:33
more hops.
20:34
And it goes to different servers without getting
20:36
all the technical jargon on it.
20:39
But it has to go from one to
20:41
one to one before it gets to the
20:42
end.
20:43
We need to go through a bunch of
20:46
steps too.
20:48
It's nice to get right to the end,
20:50
but we don't have a direct flight because
20:54
we're learning along the way.
20:56
This, ladies and gentlemen, is how we actually
20:59
start to build momentum.
21:02
It's not fast.
21:06
And once momentum starts to catch fire, something
21:13
happens, a change results.
21:17
Now, ladies and gentlemen, you're no longer waiting
21:18
for conditions to give you permissions.
21:21
I hope not.
21:22
You're actively shaping the conditions around you right
21:26
now.
21:27
So today, identify one thing you've been postponing
21:31
because circumstances aren't perfect in your life.
21:34
Then ask yourself this question.
21:37
What do I truly need to begin?
21:39
What am I merely wishing I had?
21:42
And what useful action can I take today
21:45
in the present?
21:48
I didn't say tomorrow.
21:49
I said today.
21:51
Take that action.
21:54
Take it.
21:55
It might be scary.
21:56
Take it.
21:59
Go ahead and create version one.
22:04
Work around the obstacles that you have.
22:07
Adjust the plan the best you can and
22:10
use what you have now, resources, people, right?
22:15
Because you see, perfect conditions may never arrive
22:19
in your life, but your opportunity to create
22:22
momentum, it's here right now.
22:27
You know, a wise person once said, you
22:29
know, we have to wait until the iron
22:32
is hot until we can strike it.
22:37
Then someone else said, no, let's strike to
22:41
get the iron hot.
22:44
Someone else said, you know, wait till your
22:47
ship comes in to get on it.
22:50
Another wise person said, don't wait, swim out
22:53
to your ship.
22:54
It's out there.
22:55
Go get it.
22:58
People can be lazy.
23:00
Work around the obstacles.
23:03
Your opportunity, your invitation to create momentum, it's
23:06
here right now today.
23:08
Remember guys, momentum changes everything, but you might
23:13
get frustrated.
23:13
She was like, oh, John, I did this
23:15
and nothing happened.
23:16
My question is, how long have you been
23:17
doing?
23:18
Oh, 30 minutes.
23:21
But you've been focusing on the wrong path
23:24
for years.
23:26
It's not gonna change overnight, guys.
23:29
Not gonna change overnight.
23:32
I think that still hurts a lot of
23:34
people because they're like, I don't understand like
23:36
how that even works.
23:38
Baby step, consistency.
23:41
That's how it works, guys.
23:42
Baby steps, consistency.
23:49
Baby steps, consistency.
23:54
That's key, guys.
23:56
That is really key.
23:58
That's not some magic.
24:05
It's an invitation, inviting you to take the
24:09
step.
24:10
The step that you can go onto a
24:14
journey and become successful.
24:16
Remember, success is never finished.
24:19
You keep refining.
24:20
I wrote a book.
24:21
As you guys know, I wrote Drain the
24:23
Driven.
24:23
All right, this book here.
24:25
I'm working on another book.
24:28
It wasn't perfect when I started writing it.
24:30
There were many times I had to go
24:32
back and refine it and review it before
24:34
we could publish it.
24:38
Don't be afraid to start because you're worried
24:41
it won't be perfect right away.
24:42
It won't be perfect.
24:43
It'll be messy.
24:44
It'll be a mess, but keep doing it
24:45
anyway.
24:48
Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't know who
24:50
I am by now, allow me to reintroduce
24:52
myself.
24:53
I am John C.
24:55
Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
24:58
podcast host, coach, so much more.
25:00
Keynote speaker, graduate student at Montclair University, passionate
25:03
lifelong learner, and an author.
25:06
And I can tell you, life is fascinating.
25:12
The fact that you can get up every
25:13
morning and be a creator and do whatever
25:17
you wanna do.
25:19
I know that scares a lot of people
25:20
like, oh my gosh, John, I don't know
25:22
what I'm gonna say.
25:22
I don't know what I'm gonna do.
25:24
Don't get scared, okay?
25:26
Don't get scared.
25:28
Do it anyway.
25:30
Do it anyway.
25:31
Because when you do, you're like, wait a
25:33
minute, I actually get this now.
25:34
This makes sense in my life, right?
25:39
You actually get it.
25:42
That's important, guys.
25:47
That's really, really important.
25:51
So what am I inviting you to do
25:53
today?
25:56
Well, I want you to realize that you
25:58
gotta begin, right?
25:59
You gotta begin.
26:01
And if you're worried about being imperfect, don't
26:04
be, because you're gonna be imperfect when you
26:06
start.
26:10
That's important, guys.
26:11
I have to encourage you all to keep
26:14
moving.
26:16
Why?
26:18
Because nothing ever gets accomplished when you're just
26:21
standing still.
26:22
I'm gonna give you a perfect example, atrophy.
26:26
You guys know I broke my tip and
26:28
fib a while ago.
26:28
So what causes atrophy when you, let's say,
26:36
break a leg?
26:38
What causes atrophy?
26:45
It's loss of mechanical load.
26:48
Muscles need regular movement to keep working.
26:51
When they stop, it's like you forget how
26:54
to lift.
26:55
The muscles forget.
26:57
Without active muscle contractions to act as a
26:59
pump, circulation through the immobilized limb decreases, which
27:05
adds to stiffness, and unfortunately, guys, swelling.
27:08
Unfortunately.
27:11
Keep adapting like a chameleon, like the army
27:16
that wears these uniforms, or even these animals
27:19
that can blend into the environment with their
27:21
skin.
27:23
Keep improving.
27:24
I know it's not easy, but you guys
27:26
can do it.
27:27
And most importantly, all right, please don't wait
27:32
for perfect conditions to become the person you
27:37
already know you can be.
27:40
See, I think what that really does is
27:43
it gives an excuse to procrastinate every day.
27:46
You're not procrastinators, but why are you doing
27:50
it?
27:50
Well, because you're like, I gotta wait, I
27:52
gotta wait, I gotta wait, I gotta wait.
27:54
You remember when something's moving and you're trying
27:55
to jump on or jump off of it?
27:57
You're like, you gotta wait, but there's never
27:59
a perfect moment because it always happens the
28:01
same way.
28:01
Have yourself a great one, everyone, and I'll
28:03
see you in the next episode.
28:04
Check out Believe Me Achieve.com, and be
28:06
well, everyone.
28:30
♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey ♪ ♪ Hey,
28:34
hey, hey, hey, hey ♪ ♪ Hey, hey,
28:38
hey, hey, hey, hey ♪