You know exactly what you need to do. You’re not confused, not short of ideas and not waiting for more information. You just haven’t done it. And you aren’t sure why. Time keeps passing and still no action. Your internal chatter is exhausting. Your lack of action feels like it could be a character flaw. But nothing gets you moving.

the gap.

The problem isn’t you. It isn’t a character flaw. You aren’t lazy and you don’t lack motivation. But the lack of action is real. The gap between knowing and doing isn’t in your imagination. Naming it as a gap creates the possibility of closing it. Already there is hope.

why it happens.

It can be lack of clarity. Not being clear enough on the detail of what you want. I’ve found the root cause is that the stakes are too high. The outcome is tied to your identity, which is why it feels personal, like a character flaw. Starting feels too high risk because you are scared to fail. Not starting is safer.

I am self-employed, that is who I am. I used to be a marketer, but that’s not who I am now. Part of my transition was shaking my old identity and embracing my new one. This was harder than I expected and I wasn’t always aware that this was the underlying issue.

making it worse.

When I worked my coaching business as a side hustle, it felt safer because I still had my identity as a marketer. However, looking back, not fully identifying as a coach was holding me back and was the reason for a lot of my inability to act. Not only was I trying to start a business, but my actions were ‘threatening’ the identity I had spent over 20 years developing.

But every day you don’t act becomes another point validating the story you are telling yourself. I’m not someone who gets things done. The gap compounds and the story gets louder in your head.

closing the gap.

Action before feeling. Small enough to start, specific enough to matter. Feeling ready won’t result in action. Big steps might feel significant and worthwhile, but they are usually overwhelming and too big to take. Small, almost imperceptible, builds.

Think about it. You want to create a website and nothing is happening. You are waiting until you feel ready to work on it. Until you know what you want to say. Have a logo and design. Your list of things to do is long and you haven’t started it. For months it’s been sitting there. I know, this was me.

If you wrote one sentence every day, after five days you would have five sentences. That’s five sentences that you haven’t written in the last five months. They may not be exactly right, but they exist. And, when they exist, you are a step closer to launching. No feeling required. It’s all action. The feeling follows the action, not the other way around.  

The only way to close the knowing-doing gap is to do. Take action. Stop waiting. What could you do today that you haven’t managed to do in the last five months?

I work with people who know what they want but aren’t doing it. If that’s you, book a call.