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Hey Reader,

Have you ever felt like you know exactly what to do, but are scared to actually do it?

Even when something's good for you, change is scary.

The trick for overcoming that fear and doing the thing you want is this:

You can either make the thing less scary OR make the scary matter less.

Make it less scary

This is possible by priming our brain, and there's only two ways I know how to do that:

1. Take on little bits at a time. Have a public talk coming up? Make a short list on your phone of key phrases you want to say. Practice in the mirror or in front of a trusted friend. Make a short video on the topic and post it. Baby steps are your friend and it helps to start silly-small.
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2. Normalize the thing. Make the unfamiliar familiar. This sort of exposure therapy can look like interacting with people in the space you’re trying to break into, joining niche groups, and engaging with others who already do it. They have done countless studies on how we adapt to those who are around us in mindset, attitude––even income-level.

Make the scary matter less

This is when it's scarier not to do the thing. Here's how I approach it:

1. Find someone or something worth doing it for. ​
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   This is my go-to move. It's rare I grow any aspect of my business without a real, dedicated reason for doing so–and more money doesn’t cut it. Maybe I want to take 9 months off to write a book, or I’m inspired to take my niece to France, or I’m doing family planning. Maybe I see enough people in a particular market who are underserved and want to serve them. Maybe I want to give someone a job, so I create the conditions where that’s possible. Whatever it is, I need a reason.
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2. Make not doing it hurt. ​
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   I recently joined F45 to incorporate more strength training into my life, and whether I go or not, I’m paying $200 a month. I did something similar for the redesign of my book, Love is the business plan (which anyone whose already purchased will get an automatic update on!). I paid my friend Denton to push me on getting it done, and if I don’t do it, I’m out $3000. It’s a forcing function, and sometimes in a first-world full of comforts, we need that.

We all have different tendencies for what works with us, but if you’re feeling brave, do hit reply and tell me what’s freaking you out these days. Maybe I can help make it less scary.

Proud Partner of Squarespace​ ​ Helping us empower clients with award-winning support. This month we're showcasing templates designed for therapists moving from marketplace to independent practice. Try it free for 14 days

BEHIND THE BUSINESS

Creating a Hybrid App for Advisement Clients

One thing I'm excited about coming at the end of this month is a digitized version of the Strategic Path.

The Strategic Path is a game board I made that I haven't formally publicized, but instead use as a natural guiding path for my advisement clients.

The goal is to get you from No Client to New Client in 11 Steps, and in my 12 years of business, it's worked really well.

The hard part is there's nuance to each step, but I think that nuance can be clarified with specific actions, discussions, and exercises––all of which I've built into the app.

I'm not totally sure if it's going to work, but to give it the best chance, I'm thinking of creating a Hybrid model: The App + Live Office Hours. Because no matter how powerful AI, there are few things more powerful than someone looking you in the eye to analyze the fear, sparks, and everything in-between.

I've spoken to some of you about this already, but if you want to be notified when it's ready, click here. It will automatically add you to the launch list.

COFFEE THOUGHT God bless the people who create ADHD-specific playlists. This one felt like a high-powered massage for my brain.​

DAILY QUOTE "The first draft of anything is shit." –– Ernest Hemingway (that's a lovely reminder).

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Thanks for being here friend,

tanya moushi ("moo-shee") Say hello on Instagram or Linkedin​ ​ ​New here? Join the newsletter at moushi.co​

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