If you’ve ever found yourself procrastinating because you just don’t know where to begin, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Really. I’m sharing the secret of the universe with you. And it’s easy. Here it is:
Stop, breathe and focus.
 
first-step
This little guy certainly wasn’t stressing. He was taking his time to stop, breathe and focus!
 Can it be that simple? Yes, because if you try to take action before you do these three things, you can actually hinder your progress. By taking a moment to stop, breathe and focus, you can ignite your creative genius!
1. Stop. Push the pause button. Getting all worked up, or staying in an anxious state about the situation, does not help. When you push the pause button, you create the space for new ideas to show up!
2. Breathe. Take in a slow, deep breath. While you’re doing that, relax your neck, your shoulders, and your whole body. Let go of any emotional and physical tension. You can do this even if you’re in a room full of people. It’s particularly helpful right before you speak. Emotional and physical tension cause us to contract instead of expand. We want to be in the “expand” mode so we can access all of our intelligence and creativity.
3. Focus. Bring your attention to the present moment. Notice what you hear, smell, taste, touch and feel. This is what’s real, not all the anxious thoughts going on in your head.
Once you’ve taken a moment to stop, breathe and focus, you’re primed to get the information you need to move forward because now you are open to receiving it. You no longer have tunnel vision. You have expanded your scope of awareness. It’s amazing what this can do. Sometimes you get a new insight. Other times, you see a solution that’s been there, right in front of you.
Perhaps you need to make room in your schedule to focus on your presentation, enlist some personal or professional support, or ask for a raincheck. Whatever your next move is, now is the time to take action, not before.
With my clients, once we’ve done this process, our first step is most often to get clear about the message and the content. This takes away the guesswork and, depending on the length of your presentation and its priority, can be completed in a relatively short amount of time.
What’s your first step when you don’t know where to begin? Stop, breathe and focus. I’d love to support you. You can reach me at Andrea@AndreaBeaulieu.com.