It can be one of the hardest things to convince ourselves to do when the voices of doubt, self-judgment, and perfectionism are up to their old tricks, but it really is important to take action, not just think about it. I’ll tell you why—and how—in this short episode.
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Transcript: Take Action
Please note: This is an unedited transcript, provided as a courtesy, and reflects the actual conversation as closely as possible. Please forgive any typographical or grammatical errors.
Nancy Norbeck [00:00:06]:
Welcome to Follow Your Curiosity. Ordinary people, extraordinary creativity. Here’s how to get unstuck. I’m your host, creativity coach, Nancy Norbeck. Let’s go. Hey listeners. This is Nancy Norbeck and we’re here for this week’s Creative Pep Talk. But first, I want to make sure that you know that my anti perfectionism course, Make Bad Art is coming back starting October 14. I would love to see you there because most of us have at least a little bit of perfectionism these days.
Nancy Norbeck [00:00:38]:
It doesn’t have to look like an obsession with getting everything right. It can look like wanting all of the things that you need to be correct before you get started. It can look like not starting at all because you don’t think that you will do a good enough job. It can also just look like a heck of a lot of self judgment. You know, those nasty voices in your head. So if you are really tired of your inner critic running amok in your head and you are ready to confine it to quarters, Make Bad Art is the course for you. And if you sign up at the link that is in the show notes or below this video and use the code PODCAST, all in caps, you’ll get a $100 off. I hope to see you there.
Nancy Norbeck [00:01:18]:
If you have any questions at all, get in touch and I will do my best to answer and give you an honest answer on whether or not this course is right for you. So with that, here’s our podcast. Remember when you were a little kid and you sat in somebody’s car, possibly on somebody’s lap, depending on how big you were and sat in a parking lot or a driveway playing with the steering wheel. I’m driving to California. I’m driving to New York. Maybe if you were especially ambitious, I’m driving to Australia. Anything like that. You remember how that was, that person that you were with was a trusted adult and they let you sit there and play with the car because they knew you couldn’t reach the gas and they knew the car was properly parked and the ignition was not on.
Nancy Norbeck [00:02:10]:
I think almost every kid has done this in some way, shape or form, even if it’s just pretending that they’re in a car. Here’s the thing you ever notice? How far did you get in that car? You didn’t get very far. And the reason for that on top of the fact that you were a small child is that you cannot steer a parked car. You can’t steer a car that has no ignition, where you can’t reach the gas pedal, and that’s in park. It doesn’t work. That’s one of my friends, Sandy Parker Martinez’s favorite sayings. And she’s so correct. You can’t steer a parked car.
Nancy Norbeck [00:02:50]:
You can’t go anywhere that way. But a lot of us love to get in the car like we’re little kids and pretend that we are doing things to make progress. But we don’t have any gas. We don’t have any ignition. And we don’t really have the confidence to steer that car when it’s not in park. Now, the key to this is not only to have those three things, but also, you know, taking action can be hard. It can be really rough when you haven’t done it for a while or when it’s your first time with a big project. And a lot of the time we think that we have to do it all at once.
Nancy Norbeck [00:03:37]:
We have to take this enormous step out. You know, we have to do all of the things all the time. What happens in your brain when you think that way is that you completely freak yourself out, which turns off the ignition, makes sure you can’t reach the gas and, you know, leaves you in park forever. So I want to encourage you today to take some kind of small action in whatever way it is that feels doable to you. Not that feels enormous. Not that feels like I’m going to be super ambitious and do everything. No, no, something small, something you can do in just a couple of minutes. Cause here’s the thing, shorter rungs on the ladder, smaller steps, get us farther faster than trying to take that giant leap.
Nancy Norbeck [00:04:34]:
They always have, they always will because it’s easier to feel the progress or to put it in more of a modern parlance. You get a little dopamine rush for every small step you take. And so you want to keep doing them. Whereas that big step is scary and intimidating and probably more than you can chew at one time. So I would encourage you to find a small step and do it. If you’re really clever, you could map out two or three, but only plan to do one of them at a time. Two and three will, will happen on their own. The only reason that I suggest that you plan them out is if you’re the kind of person who’s gonna get to the end of that first step and go now what? Right.
Nancy Norbeck [00:05:20]:
But probably if you have a big thing that you wanna work on, you, you know what those steps are. So take the chance on a tiny step as counterintuitive as it sounds. And I can pretty much guarantee you you’re gonna get a whole lot further because that tiny step will be enough to get your foot on the gas, to turn on the ignition and to take the car out of park. Not necessarily in that order, but you get what I’m saying. It’s enough to start the process. And as the cliche goes, once the ball starts rolling, it’s harder to stop it. So what’s the smallest step you’re going to take today this week. What’s that tiny step.
Nancy Norbeck [00:06:03]:
What would make you feel better? Feel like you got started and get that ball and that car in motion. Give it a try. Let me know how it goes. And I really hope that I’ll see you and make bad art. If this episode resonated with you, or if you’re feeling a little bit less than confident in your creative process right now, join me at the spark on Substack as we form a community that supports and celebrates each other’s creative courage. It’s free, and it’s also where I’ll be adding programs for subscribers and listeners. The link is in your podcast app, so sign up today. See you there, and see you next week.
Nancy Norbeck [00:06:42]:
Follow Your Curiosity is produced by me, Nancy Norbeck, with music by Joseph McDade. If you like Follow Your Curiosity, please subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And don’t forget to tell your friends. It really helps me reach new listeners.