Stop Over-Thinking and Take Action

Episode #115

This episode will challenge you to take action with what you already know. God often reveals just enough for us to take a next step and He will unfold more of what is to come as we move forward. Listen to this episode and be encouraged to get into action and watch what God will do next.

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

DISCLAIMER: The below transcript was automatically generated and has not been reviewed to ensure complete accuracy. Any references or quotes should be taken directly from the audio recording and not the below transcript.

(00:00): Introduction

Well on this episode, I’m going to talk to you about something. God has really spoken to me here lately, and that is taking action with what you already know. So you already got the punchline, but we’re going to get into some details that can help unlock some stuff for you. So let’s get into it right now. Hey, this

(00:17): Podcast Preview

I’m Ryan S. Howard. Thanks for tuning into my podcast. I call it your faith at work, because we want to get your faith out of the church and into the world. We want our faith to be active, and I’m here to help you get unstuck and fulfill all the God-given potential that you were created with. I’m going to help you find your God-given assignment so that you can advance the kingdom every single day. We’re going to do that and work in the culture and in life, visit Ryan S howard.com to learn more.

Episode

I don’t know if you’re like me. You tend to do a lot of research. You want to analyze, you want to do all kinds of stuff, make sure you make that right decision. And yes, I’m a recovering perfectionist and well that sounds great. But actually perfectionism can lead

(01:03):

You to be just be inactive and not do anything because it’s not going to be perfect. You know, and I also have this kind of achievement need where it’s like, I want to, everything done right now and I want it done. Right. And the thing is, that’s wonderful, except when it leads you to not begin, not start because you’re not sure if it’s going to be perfect and you’re not sure if you know, not everything’s going to get done right now. And you can’t just, you can’t decide where to start. And those that’s just absurd. Those are her crazy reasons to not be moving forward. And so I found myself here lately, just thinking about, okay, what, what content do I want to put out? What do I want to talk about? What do I want to do? And I’m, I’m really thinking a lot about this. I’m researching, you know, what’s the best way to develop a strategy.

(01:53):

What’s the, all these kinds of things. And I’m in this I’ve got a couple of different coaches and mentors in different programs. I’m in just to help build platform and help, you know, podcasts and publish and writing and all these sorts of things. And one of the trainings I started going through, I was like, okay, great. So I’m starting to watch this. It’s about content and I’m taking notes and I’m about quarter or a way through this thing. And I realized like, it already says, you know, you know, when you’re going through online training, it says, mark complete what it says it’s already completed. And I thought, man, that’s odd. Why would that be completed? Well we’re getting through it. I’m taking notes, getting through it, taking notes. And it’s kind of sounding a little bit familiar and I thought, wow, this is interesting.

(02:40):

And so, but why would it be completed? So I download a file. I see that I had already downloaded the file. The computer shows me it was duplicate. So I go and find out I did some search, find this, I found my notes. I had already taken this training two years ago, two years ago, I had taken this same class, the same section of this class. And here’s, what’s even more interesting. I found my notes and the notes that I took here now it was the same notes. The, the exact same points were highlighted to me, the exact same thing, stuck out the exact same things. I noted, I bolded, I hot. It was, it was incredible. It was, I mean, I just was kind of shocked. And so what does that tell me? It’s time to stop researching. It’s time to stop analyzing it’s time to stop.

(03:37):

It’s time to take action. It’s time to take action. It’s time to use what you know. And so that’s my question for you is where are you? Where are you overthinking things? Where are you? You’ve got enough information to take a next step. You’ve got enough information to take an action. You know, if, if we’ve got a boat and it’s sitting at the dock and we’re trying to steer it and have the perfect navigation, it’s not going to happen at the dock, you got to leave, you got to leave the dock and then you can steer a navigate based on what comes up. Now, of course, there’s planning that we need to do, and we need to get that out there, but there’s only, so there’s a, there’s an upper limit to what you can do before you leave the dock. And once you reach that, you’re not making improvements.

(04:21):

You’re just delaying and not taking action. And without a lot more detail, this is just something that God has really spoken to me to where, you know, I love researching. I love getting information. I love getting more knowledge. I love just learning and I can, but there’s a purpose behind it. And I need to be taking action with what I already know. And so my question for you is what area of your life, what is it in your work? Is it in your marriage? Is it with your kids? Is it with your money? Is it with your, you know, you’re trying to get this perfect system trying to get his perfect thing, figured out even like a morning routine, I’m sitting here trying to come up with this perfect morning routine for weeks. And, and then it’s like, just do it, pick something, do it, anything will work.

(05:08):

It’s fine. And then you adjust as you go. And it just sounds so silly, but what are you putting off? What are, where are you not taking action, where you just need to take a fast action, some small thing to get it moving and get into action, and then you can get into momentum and then it can unfold from there, what you need to do and course correct and adjust. So a pretty simple message this week, but one that is profound because it literally, I mean, even just that one thing that came up with me for that class and I took, and I took again it, it, I kind of made me take a look at some other areas where it’s just like, man, I’ve got a kind of indecision or inaction in all these different areas where I’ve got plenty of information to make a decision and to take an action, or maybe I’ve made the decision.

(06:03):

I just haven’t taken the action, whatever it is, all of these different areas. And you’ve got the information you need. And so just take the action and trust God to move forward and to reveal what’s next for you. And that’s a lot of the way, if you just think about this, walk with Christ that we’re doing is God gives us enough to take a step. His word is a light to our, a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. You know, it doesn’t mean we see the end of the path. We see where it’s going. Now we may know what God has for us on the other side, but we don’t know a lot of what’s in between. And honestly, if you’re honest with yourself that there may be some things that, that we might say no to, if we knew what was in between there, but it’s the holy spirit that’s guiding us.

(06:49):

That gets us to take that step so that we can step out and just trust him. That’s what faith is. It’s trusting and relying on God. That’s what the Greek word pistis means. And it’s trusting and relying on God. And that’s what we do, but we gotta take a step. And that’s what we mean by take a step of faith. And we’re not talking about a leap of faith, like a blind faith. Like this is just doesn’t make sense why you would have this. No, we have a faith, a God who is faithful. And, and he has revealed himself to us through his word. And so in hand the way, his ways, and we want to try and help you understand his ways with this podcast. And so what is it? What is it today? What’s on your mind, what’s on your heart that you need to take an action, commit to do that today.

(07:35): OUTRO

Set a deadline and think about the areas of your life, where you’ve got enough information. You just need to take the action and course correct as you go. So let me know what’s on your mind. What’s going to be that action that you’re going to take and make sure you jump on it while the iron’s hot. Well, that will do it for this episode. If you got your phone, get it out, create a new text message and send a text to 3, 3, 7, 7, 7, just text the words, faith at work. I’m going to send you a free resource in ebook, free, download through email. That’s going to help you get more intentional about your faith. All right, God bless you. And we’ll see you in the next episode.

(08:15):

If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to subscribe and you can help spread the word by giving us a five-star review and sharing it with your friends. Visit Ryan S howard.com to learn more about how you can advance God’s kingdom every day.

 

Are You Led By the Spirit?

Episode 114 – There is one thing that you need to manage if you want to be led by the Spirit – your relationship with God. How are you doing? This episode will challenge you to take your fellowship with the Holy Spirit to the next level.

 

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View the episode transcript at ryanshoward.com/episode114

7 Keys to Get You Unstuck Today

Episode #113

This episode reviews 7 keys to help you get unstuck today. There are many keys that will help you get unstuck, but these are ones that have been critical to Ryan’s journey.

Rest assured that the enemy wants you to remain stuck and God wants you unstuck, so you can pursue His call on your life. Today is the day. Listen to this episode and get unstuck. Click here to read more about the 7 keys to getting unstuck today.

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7 Keys to Get You Unstuck Today

Do you feel stuck?

Like you just keep trying to get where you want to go but nothing seems to stick? You find yourself moving onto the next thing to see if that will work instead? You’re not alone. I’ve been there and I want to share how I got unstuck, so you can do the same.

There are many reasons we can get stuck, but I want to highlight just a few core ones that you can use right away to evaluate where you’re at and what you can do to get UNSTUCK.

Rest assured that the enemy wants you to remain stuck and God wants you unstuck, so you can pursue His call on your life. Today is the day.

For any of what you read next to make a difference that lasts, you must first know Jesus Christ. If you don’t have a real personal relationship with Him as your Savior and Lord, email me or schedule some time and let’s talk (Ryan@yourfaithatwork.org).

1. Get full and stay full

You can’t pour anything out of an empty cup. You need to have your cup overflowing if you want to be the best version of you and of value to anyone else. I unconsciously thought this was selfish, but finally realized that the best thing I can do is to stay full so I can be at my best.

So, what fills you up? What makes a great day for you? What makes you excited? Podcasts? Reading? Writing? Slow starts to the day? Talking with friends? Prayer? Whatever it is, do it and do it more consistently. Make it a priority to stay full.

You need to make time for it. You have to prioritize investing in yourself. There’s a reason the airlines tell you to put your own oxygen mask on first: you can’t help anyone else if you pass out. You can’t be at your best if you’re not full.

2. Manage your state

I learned I must take responsibility for how I feel, my attitude, and my mindset. How you show up is up to you. You want to always be the best version of yourself, so how do you accomplish that?

You are responsible for how you feel and the mindset you adopt. Take notice: are you generally in a good mood or a bad mood? Do you have a positive outlook or a negative outlook? How did you interpret what happened to you yesterday? How did you respond on the inside?

Do you let the attitudes of others have an undesired impact on you? Stop making excuses and don’t give them that kind of power. Learn to manage your state and rise above what’s happening around you – Jesus didn’t always respond the same to people and circumstances, but it was always measured and in control.

I have found that with just a little focused effort, we can make a massive difference. If you notice you’re in a bad mood, don’t wait until the end of the day to deal with it. Take control of your attitude, your mindset and your state. Every moment of every day.

3. Take a hard look at yourself

Evaluate important areas of your life; what’s working well and what’s not? Take steps to put things in the right order. Do you have alignment between what you value and what you spend your time on?

Get clear on what’s working and do more of it. Get clear on what’s not working and take steps to fix it or remove it. Focus on becoming a leader you would want to follow. Do this in every area God has assigned to you.

4. Make a decision, then take fast action

The first step is to make a decision. Once you have made up your mind, I mean really made up your mind, it’s time to take action. If you’re not motivated to act, you haven’t made a real decision.

Start with small steps. Make smaller commitments so you can keep them. I have found that I was often frustrated because I couldn’t even keep commitments I made to myself. Once I recognized it, I made smaller commitments that I could easily keep with no mental resistance. If it’s too big, I ended up doing nothing.

Take small steps and focus on consistency, not doing everything at once. Achievement and perfection are great attributes but not if they become roadblocks to progress.

5. Fix the energy leaks

Do you have any small things that constantly pester you? An ever-increasing to do list? The mess of papers or piles of mail? Half-done tasks? Nagging thoughts about the past? Worries about the future or decisions you’re putting off?

Whatever it is it, is stealing your energy, joy and peace. What can you do today to start fixing an energy leak? Do you need to forgive yourself or someone else? Maybe you need to finally resolve to deal with something – today is the day.

If it’s something physical like a messy desk, set a timer and work on it for just 10 minutes before you sleep tonight. You will feel the difference.

6. Stop trying to change others or please others

Making a change for yourself is already a full time job. Don’t try to add changing others. You are responsible to God for what you do and how you act. God can change others when it’s time.

Make sure the change you’re making is not only because you want it to lead to a change in others. If that’s your reason, you will eventually grow weary and give up if they don’t change. Make your reason because you want to be obedient to God and glorify Him by being the best version of you, just like you were created to become.

If you have been prioritizing pleasing others at the expense of what you really want and your own convictions, start to learn how to express what you really want. People may not always respond positively, but at least they will be getting the real version of you.

It’s a process and you will make mistakes – just keep on the path.

7. Master your thinking

Lastly, and certainly not least, pay attention to what you think about. In a way, this one overshadows all the others.

We have 60,000-80,000 thoughts per day and research shows that for most people 80% of them are negative. You can’t always choose what comes into your mind but you can choose what stays there and what you dwell on.

Continually renewing your mind brings you into agreement with the truth of God’s Word (Rom 12:2).

Take the next step

All of these must be done with the Holy Spirit’s guidance and as a means to deepen your fellowship with Jesus. You can’t do it on your own. You must be in God’s Word and in regular time of prayer and worship.

Which one of these impacted you the most? Did you get some sense of relief or freedom?

Want a jump start? I can help

If you want help, send me an email (Ryan@yourfaithatwork.org) or set up a FREE video call for us to chat about getting you UNSTUCK and on the path God laid out for you before you were even born.