Tip of the Month- July 2019
“Take the Next Step”
By: Brooke Frederickson RD, CDE, LRD
Being an entrepreneur is scary. There are so many decisions to make and they can often be overwhelming. If you are anything like me, you fear the “what ifs” and the uncertainty of the future, so you just keep the status quo but still find yourself wanting more. I consider myself a recovering perfectionist, but I still fall into the “if I can’t do it perfectly, then I better not risk it” mindset on occasion. I am constantly reminding myself to just take that next step. If you find yourself stuck in the undecided right now, hopefully these tips can help you move forward.
- Do your homework. It is wise to prepare yourself before diving into something headfirst. There are so many resources available to entrepreneurs like you. If you haven’t already, visit nedpg.com for a ton of resources created by dietitians on a variety of business topics. Reach out to other entrepreneurs and bounce your ideas off them. Learn from other’s successes and failures.
- Analysis is paralysis. If you ever find yourself spending all your time on research and weighing the pros and cons, but never taking action, you are in “analysis paralysis”. When considering which direction to go with your business, set a limit on the amount of time you are going to allow yourself to do the research. If you give yourself two weeks to look into launching an online course, you should have plenty of time to decide if this is something you want to do and start making a plan to move forward. If you don’t give yourself a deadline, you will still be thinking about it a year from now.
- Take the next step. If you have done your homework and you want to move forward, but you are scared to do so – do it anyway! Now is the time to take that next step. If the project is big and seems overwhelming, then break it into smaller tasks and just do one at a time. The important thing is that your keep moving forward. You can always make adjustments along the way.
My Issue is comparing myself to others and thinking why does this seem so easy for certain dietitians to be so successful in social media and blogging and I feel so scared? Their message is similar to what I would say but it comes our so engaging and effortless for them and I think what I have to say is already been said. Why will people look at my stuff when people are already doing and saying it?! Also I see the steps but for some reason it feels weird to start a blog or channel with one thing posted. How or where do you go to learn how to build something from the start? Every site I see I don’t see it from the start so its hard to see how to get there.
I am glad you said this. I am going to share with you a quick tip: Comparison is the thief of joy. We here in NE seek to help and promote advancement in the profession. Whatever information you need be sure to check out the HUB. It is full of information and answers to your Q.
Great advice. I find myself overanalyzing a lot of the time! I love the idea of setting a deadline and just going for it!
Thank you! I’m getting back into the field after raising my girls. Will be starting a private practice where there are clients are requesting an RD but none are available!
Just joined this DPG and reeducating myself. Taking one step at a time and trying to enjoy the journey!
This is excellent information. I am in search of a speaking engagement template. I’ve had one that I use and I just want to see what is currently being used by other professionals. Thank you.
This is very helpful! I just took a leap of faith and resigned to my full time job after 4 years. It just hit me that I needed to do something else with my life and take my profession to the next level. But I feel like I’m in the analysis paralysis right now. I don’ t regret anything, I know this is the right step and I want to enjoy every minute of it. But yeah, I know I’m overthinking and I have to work on that.