I am what you may call a classic thinker. Before I set out to do something, I think, re-think and think again. I take great joy in this process; thinking is something I revel in. I tell myself this cycle of thought that runs in and out of my mind allows me to see things from different perspectives and come up with new ideas. In the depths of my Google Drive, you will find an extensive list of business ideas, from bamboo toilet paper to hydroponic cut-flowers.

But these are all ideas I doubt will ever emerge from the depth of where I’ve stored them. I confess that I will ever execute my ‘brilliant’ ideas.

I am, however, elated to find out (going through the rabbit hole on the internet) that I am not the only one who prefers to be cushioned around their ideas than acting on them. There is even a term for it, coined by business psychology expert Peter Shallard— ‘idea orgasm’,. He says the mental process of visualising future success convinces your unconscious that it’s already happened. It doesn’t fill your body with pre-victory anxiety, it fills it with post-win celebration.

I cannot agree more; the act of simply thinking about doing something provides us with a false sense of achievement and productivity. We get the emotional high and validation without having to get our hands dirty. Consequently, our dreams remain confined to our thoughts and conversations.

The thing with ideas in our head is that they are untouched by reality. They are perfect. Perhaps the failure to execute comes from the desire for perfection, and perfectionism is marred by unrealistic expectations and fear. Fear of making mistakes, fear of disapproval, fear of unleashing control. Fear that the final product may not match the vision in our minds.

Perfectionism has also been linked to procrastination. Often the expectation of the result may be so high, they may choose to divert their attention to more enjoyable and easier tasks.

But regardless of how hefty these definitions may sound, they are just excuses after all. And in order to understand my deep affinity with thinking while never implementing them, I decided to unwrap my fears.

Fear does have its base in failure. And, like so many, I am guilty of waiting for the perfect time and perfect conditions, which in reality, do not exist. The factors will never fully be in my favour. So, rather than beginning by shifting my focus on improving and getting better, I expect the first thing I do to be amazing.

It is more difficult when I see success stories. I keep reminding myself that there may have been a number of failures before it was a success. But in the age of social media, where we are bombarded by people’s highlight reels, I am seduced more by the final product than the process behind it.

I shudder at the thought of learning to embrace the discomfort of the process, albeit I very well know they are an opportunity to learn and grow.

But as I start thinking about all these shortcomings, I devise a plan. I tell myself, I will be a new person. In the spirit of changing the way I do things, I jotted down a few points that I need to follow. I share these excerpts from one of the many Google Docs filling up my drive:

Set deadlines and stick to them

Deadlines are important because they give us a limited time frame to complete a task. It is essential that we see deadlines as dead-set (pardon the pun) as flexible deadlines further encourage procrastination. Ensure the deadlines are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound). It might also be useful to break down the main deadline into a set of mini-deadlines.

Reward yourself for the small victories

Celebrating small wins, such as meeting your mini-deadlines, will increase motivation. On a neurological level, achievements, no matter how big or small, release dopamine which makes us feel good and acts as incentive for us to take those actions that trigger those releases again.

Surround yourself with people that encourage a progress mindset

It is useful to have the right balance between thinking and doing it ourselves but also as part of a team. If you are surrounded by perfectionists who fear putting out an imperfect product, then you’re going to internalise that same mindset. Conversely, if you surround yourself with risk-takers and nimble problem solvers, that will be your mentality too.

After making this blueprint to change my attitude towards acting on my ideas and plans, I feel rather accomplished. I will not lie, I feel very proud of myself for being able to come up with this plan. But this has left me a little exhausted. I believe I will need to think about how I will pursue these ideas, maybe when I’m not tired of thinking. That will be ideal!