WITH ANDREA CRISP
“Sometimes it’s not the big decisions that are the hardest to act upon, sometimes it is the small ones. ”
The reason you are in confusion has nothing to do with the lack of clarity you have in your life and business. It is simply a bi-product of doing nothing and yet hoping that things magically fall into place.
Your blocks (limiting beliefs) may be telling you that you need more clarity but that is really your old narrative trying to keep you from moving forward.
The truth is you need to take action. Your confidence and clarity will increase exponentially when you take one step. And then another, and then another. The key it to act!
In this episode I am letting you in on what I have learned through action and inaction.
Connect on IG: @andreacrispcoach + @the.couragecast
Join Weekly Community Call: Mindset Mentor Circle
Book a DISCOVERY CALL: www.andreacrisp.ca/schedule
Listen Here:
Your mindset is your greatest asset! But it is also what may be holding you back from taking that next step in your life. Are you ready to reframe your mindset so that you can step more confidently into your purpose?
The reason you are in confusion has nothing to do with the lack of clarity you have in your life or in your business. It's simply a byproduct of doing nothing. And yet hoping that things magically fall into place. Your blocks, or your limiting beliefs may be telling you that you need more clarity.
But that is really your old narrative trying to keep you from moving forward. The truth is, you need to take action, your confidence, and clarity will increase exponentially when you take that one step. And then take another and another. The key is to act. In this episode, I'm letting you in on what I've learned by taking action. And when I never took any at all. Are you ready to take courageous steps to create a life and business you love?
Welcome to the courage cast. I'm Andrea Crisp, and empowerment coach, author, and a multi passionate entrepreneur. For years, I was afraid to allow myself to shine. That was until I discovered that I could step into my own power, shift my mindset and take ownership of my destiny. Now I coach women across the globe, who are ready to own their life and make a massive impact. With a blend of practical and spiritual advice. My hope is that the courage cast empowers you to take brave steps in your own life and business.
Hello, friend, welcome to the Courage Cast. I don't know about you. But this past week has felt a bit like a whirlwind. And we're just literally getting into the holiday season. Today is Black Friday. And honestly, it was intense. And looking back at the day, I almost wish that I would have just turned my phone completely off and went into isolation for a few days. So notice off, maybe that is exactly what I need to do next year. So when I was thinking about what I wanted to share with you for this week's podcast episode, something came up for me, and it feels a bit personal. So I hope that's okay, because we're just gonna get down and dirty today.
But I want to share with you what I have been learning about who I am, and what I'm capable of when it comes to taking courageous steps in my own life. So I titled this episode, Courage comes through action. And it's been literally about five plus years since I started the podcast. And when I decided to start it, I call it the courage cast. Because there was a need in my own life to be courageous, I needed to remind myself that it was okay to take baby steps. And that things did not have to be perfect for me to take action. And as a recovering perfectionist, that is a pretty big deal. So I knew that I wanted to live a bigger life.
And I knew that I was playing small, I was not taking action on things. I was not really living into my full potential. And I knew that there was more for me. So courage was something that I needed. It was something that was really important for me, in order for me to create that momentum in my life. And if I needed it, I know that there are other people who also need it as well. And maybe you are one of those people. And so here we are many years later, many episodes later. This is episode 241.
And I find that I am still learning this lesson, still trying to take brave steps in my life. And there have been many times when I have let the overwhelm keep me from moving forward. Keep me from doing what I truly believe is necessary for me and the growth of my business. So I want to start this episode by sharing a story with you. And for those of you who don't know, I am a huge ice skating fan, especially when it comes to ice dance. It probably in past episodes. You've heard me talk about my love for ice dance. The Olympics has virtue Scott Moyer. All the things. I'm literally obsessed. So I go to every single skating show possible. And I love going I get front row tickets. My mom and I by the backstage meet and greets. We go and meet all of the skaters.
It's like literally, like the best thing, and I love everything about it. And every day, my mom and I go to see the stars on a show in Toronto. It's basically our Mother's Day tradition. So when I found out that they were having a holiday show, I was so excited. The only problem was that I didn't have anyone to go with, my mom was already gonna be in Florida, she leaves very soon. And I don't really have any friends here that love ice skating, or interested in going to sea ice skating. So I was like, Okay, I guess I'm going to be on my own. And I thought, Oh, I don't know, do I really want to go on myself. But deep down, I really wanted to go. So I decided to take a look at the website and see how much the ticket prices were. And I know that they're pretty expensive.
And just as I expected they were and I kind of was like thinking okay, maybe I'll go maybe I won't, maybe I'll buy you know, maybe I'll get Senator ice tickets, maybe I'll find tickets are just a little less expensive. So I was in a bit of a quandary. And I was thinking about it, thinking about thinking about it to the point that I was driving myself crazy. So I decided I'm gonna just go ahead and buy myself a ticket, which is what I thought I did. However, as I was preparing this podcast, I was looking through some white emails, I was looking through the website to find the ticket that I bought. And I realized that I made a huge mistake. And I have thought that I bought the ticket to go see stars a nice holiday show. And upon investigation, I did not buy the ticket. So just trying to tell you, I'm actually feeling my blood pressure, just increase right now. I was so mad, like, I was like livid. And for several reasons.
Firstly, I thought that had bought and paid for this front row ticket that was very expensive. And I was excited to go. And it was only like a few short weeks away from the show. And now I don't have the ticket. And secondly, I have waited, I had waited so long to take action on buying the ticket going back and forth in my decision making that I ended up not even buying the ticket, which is crazy to me. So my indecision had cost me it was basically my lack of action, in full effect, which I have been finding lately, is the exact reason why I am not creating momentum in my life. And I'm not creating what it is that I truly desire. So when I titled this podcast episode, Courage comes through action, I'll tell you what comes through inaction. Indecision comes before inaction.
Okay, so here's the thing, I can still get the tickets, right, I can still go on the website. And there are still tickets available. And I can purchase one and especially because it's just me, there is a possibility of me being able to find a ticket and go. But the problem is, is that a I've got to come up with the money again. And I wasn't prepared to do it now. So not only is this showing up in my life, in this regard, but it's also showing up in other places as well. This is just one small example of how this has manifested in my life and will continue to manifest in my life. If I continue to stay in indecision. And, friend, if you are finding yourself in the same place, where you are being indecisive about things when you are not taking action, for whatever reason, that is, you will also stay exactly where you are. Let me ask you, where is inaction or indecision showing up in your life?
Are you sitting on something in your business right now? Maybe not taking action? Because you think Well, I just need a little bit more clarity. If I had more clarity on this, then I would know exactly what to do. And I would make the decision or are you finding yourself indecisive about joining a particular Coaching Program, or being in a mastermind. And every day that you sit on this particular decision, the price goes up, or the seats fill up, or all of a sudden, you won't be able to get in because it's not available anymore? Or are you going back and forth between which coach you want to work with, and you're just getting more and more confused? Because you keep thinking, Well, what if this one can offer this? Or that one can offer that? Or perhaps you're, you know, not only feeling this in your business, but you're also feeling it in your life? And it's showing up?
Like, when you think about, you know, what do I want to do for the holidays? Do I want to, you know, go see my family? Do I want to stay where I am? Do I want to be with friends? How much time do I really want to take off, and you're just all over the place. When you lack the courage to make decisions, you will stay stuck, you will stay in the exact same spot you are in, when I think about the fact that I was sitting on this decision to buy the tickets or not. And then here I am with no ticket. Even after months of thinking I had one. It is a reminder to me that when decisions present themselves, it is important to take action right away. And here's the thing, oftentimes, we're intuitively guided, and we know that we are but we still don't take action, which was exactly where I found myself. And when you lack the courage to take action, it actually keeps you in overwhelm. It keeps you in that confused state. And it keeps you like searching and searching and trying to find the next best thing.
Because you feel as though you're always missing out on something. And when this shows up in my life as a pattern, it becomes something that I know that I need to pay attention to. And that is exactly why it was like, it is so important for me to record this podcast episode, because it's something that I'm currently going through. And even like when I take a look at how this is, you know, reflecting in my business, I'm putting off decisions when it comes to my schedule, I'm putting off decisions when it comes to the direction of my business. And because of those indecisions. And because of those lack of action and intentional action, I have felt internally confused, there has been a lot of chaos. And even some days, I feel like I'm just so overwhelmed that I don't want to do anything at all. So I'm going back into the story. So as I sat there was looking for the tickets and of scouring these emails. I thought to myself, You know what, I need to learn how to make decisions, no matter how big or how small right away, no matter the consequences, it is time to show up courageously in every area of my life. And I challenge you to do the same.
I challenge you to start showing up courageously and take action, the moment the moment you feel like the decision has been made. So here are maybe some of the reasons why you are not taking action. The first one is no surprise, it is our need for approval. So whether that is showing up in your business or in your personal life, if you find that you are in constant need for someone else's approval, whether it be your partner, your family members, your coach, your mentor, or even your biz bestie if you are looking for someone's approval, you are either going to make a decision that does not feel aligned with you. Or you may sit on making a decision because you feel like you don't know what that person would really approve of. And would they approve of that decision? Would they approve of you taking that action?
And that will keep you from moving forward? Or maybe you're afraid of how things turn out or that they won't turn out the way you expect them to turn out. You know so often when we are are trying to make decisions, we are not in control of the outcome. So when we are making a decision, we're basically rolling the dice anyways, because we don't know we're not guaranteed any results. But the first step is always making the decision. And the second step is taking action. And the last part is releasing the outcome, which means that we don't really know what's going to happen. So there's a little bit of surrender involved. Okay, there's a lot of surrender involved. The next one is maybe you just have this fear of disappointing someone in your life, maybe you've, you know, really been trying for a long time to make someone happy. Maybe you're in a relationship where, you know, you've spent a lot of money and you're just trying to think, Oh, I just don't want to disappoint them.
Again, I don't want to fail again. And so you have this pressure on yourself to perform a certain way to act a certain way. Because you are in fear of disappointing someone that you care about. Or the fact that maybe it's all going to go wrong, and then what, maybe you're going to have to start over again, maybe you'll have to, you know, do 10 more steps to get back on track. I mean, there is really no guarantee to anything in life. But you're not going to find out what's on the other side of your decision, until you make that decision. And until you take action. And the last one, which is really scary for a lot of people, myself included, is what if I lose out on money? What if I lose out on the time? What if I lose out in relationships? Because I've made this decision? There are so many times where I've hesitated to do things, for fear that I wouldn't have the money, that I wouldn't make the money that I would lose a bunch of time or that I would lose time freedom in my life? Or what if I, you know, don't have that friend anymore? What if that person doesn't like me? What if they reject me, all of these things play into our fears and our hesitations around making decisions and around taking action.
And I know that you have probably bumped up against all of those things, probably multiple times in your life. So I propose that we learn to start taking decisions in a way that really allows us to create momentum, to create freedom, and to create exactly what we desire in our lives. So instead of focusing on what we might miss out on, I want us to take a look at the possibilities of what could happen when things go right. Like perhaps we just learned to discern our own internal guidance. And we know that no matter what, when we're following our intuition, we're always being led in the right direction. So whether or not things turn out or not, we know that we took the step we needed to take, and whatever we're going to learn from the outcome was meant for us. And, hey, no matter what happens, it is for our good versus looking for the approval of someone else. And we really don't know if whether or not we were supposed to gone down that road or not. But we did because we were looking for the approval of someone else. And we had to take three steps back and completely go around the mountain to get right back to where we started. The next one is realize that sometimes things go sideways, no matter how hard we try, and that's just life. And that's okay. Like I said before, there is no guarantee. But when you start to live, like there is no guarantee, then it becomes okay, like, oh, well, this might fail. And then I get up and try again. And then I pivot and then I grow and expand and learn something about myself.
The next one is letting go of other people's expectations for us or of us. We're never going to be able to really live up to them anyways. So what's the point of trying to live up to someone's expectations of us us or for us, then we just need to surrender to the outcome. It's okay. Whatever happens, happens, whatever happens was meant to happen is for our good is for our growth and expansion is going to lead to the next thing that we need. Almost like saying, this is actually how we're meant to live life is by trying, finding out something didn't work exactly as intended. And moving forward anyways. I mean, I don't know about you. But yeah, that sounds like someone who has success in their life. And then the last one is nothing lost, nothing gained.
If we're not willing to try, we will never know the possibilities we will never receive what could be on the other side of our actions. On the other side of just being brave, and taking those courageous steps. And this was a big lesson that I needed to learn when it came to finances. So a few months ago, I was trying to decide whether or not I should invest in a program that would help me with my business finances, even though I knew that it would be beneficial. There was a part of me that was in fear. A part of me, wasn't really sure if I was ready, there was a part of me that wanted to say yes, but I literally hesitated for over a month before I took that step.
And it wasn't because I didn't know what I wanted. Because I actually didn't know what I wanted. It was because I was acting out of an old paradigm, or an old identity, the identity of someone who lacks the confidence to make decisions. So this past week, we were on a call. And spoiler alert, I did sign up. And my money mentor, Vanessa calls us out on her hesitations. And she says, the reason why you're not taking action is not because you don't have clarity. It's because you're operating out of a version of yourself. That as a lack mindset, and that lives in scarcity. And honestly, I just sat there in complete shock, because I was like, You're right. I had to really take that in, in that ask myself, what am I really afraid of? What is the limiting belief that is keeping me from taking action, and even when I know what action I should be taking. And it can come down to all sorts of reasons, all of the forementioned reasons.
And for you, you might be hesitating on doing something taking action, because you're living out of an old identity. You're living out of scarcity out of fear. And for me, it was just needing the approval of the people in my life to take those steps. Even when I know that there is something for me, I have found myself hesitating. And so I was asked myself, well, why? Well, because deep down subconsciously, I have a fear that my decision, the one I'm making is going to be the wrong one. And that is an old paradigm, an old narrative that shows up in my life over and over and over. And it is revealing itself to me so that I can do the work to change it. Now for you, it may look different, it doesn't necessarily have to be approval, it doesn't have to be, you know that you're in fear of scarcity, it could be many different things.
But what I do know is that if you don't identify where that limiting belief is coming from, and then shift the belief, you will continue to operate out of it. You will make decisions out of that belief. And then you will take actions that are in alignment with that belief, or in my case, not take any action at all, which can be the same result. So sometimes it's not just the big decisions that are the hardest Act One. Sometimes it's the small ones, like the example I gave you of buying the ticket or enrolling in a program. It doesn't matter how big or how small the decision is that you make.
It's about being courageous and taking those brave steps and being in intentional about the action you take. So I want to challenge you. I want to challenge you for the next seven days to take action on all the small things in your life. Every little decision that comes your way to make an immediate decision and take action right away and I want to do the same thing. We're going to be courageous decision makers. And in order for me to hold you accountable, and support you in this journey, then I want you to find me on Instagram at at Andrea Chrisp Coach and DM me and let me know that you are committing to taking the next seven days, and being courageous and taking those courageous steps in your life.
And you might be listening to this podcast many, many, many months after I recorded it, it may not be near the time that I have recorded this podcast episode. But that does not matter. Because you are hearing this podcast episode when you need to hear it. So I encourage you to still follow through. DM me, and let me know so that I can support you to take these brave steps in your life. Friend, I know that there is so much more for you. And courage comes through action. So it's time for you to take those brave steps. Until next time, remember, you have everything you need to live bravely.
If you like this episode of The Courage cast, we'd love to hear from you. Leave us a rating and review. And while you're there, hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. Original music and production by Steven Crelly
