A.D.A.C.
I used to be a master pipe dreamer. I was one of those people who said, “One of these days I’m gonna…”
What stopped me was fear. Every time I had a dream, “What if…” rang in my head like an hourly alarm. Didn’t matter what the occasion—writing, having a dinner party, giving a presentation.
What if ‘they’ don’t like it? What if no one comes? What if he/she gets mad? What if I fall/fail?
It took me a bit of time (don’t ask how long) to realize it was a whole bunch of irrational fears that stopped me. Although I did spend some time investigating where and how the seeds of these fears were planted, that wasn’t quite enough to get me moving out of “one of these days.”
“So what’s stopping you from writing that story?” a very direct friend asked, looking me straight the eye.
Because I trusted her and I guess I was tired of hearing myself say, “One of these days…” I sat back and let if fly. “I’m afraid.”
“Well, everyone’s afraid,” she replied in a matter of fact tone. “That doesn’t have to be a stopping point.”
And this is where ADAC came in. Yes, it’s another one of those process solutions.
A–Awareness
D–Decision
A–Action
C–Change
I let myself become aware that fear was a major roadblock. Okay, a lot of fears.
I made a decision to banish them. Now lots of times I had said, “I’ve decided I’m going to write that book.” But then… nothing. I remember my brother-in-law saying, “All talk, no action.” That’s it. Action.
I made a starter list of actions I had to take in order to write the book. No, that’s too hard. In order to get started writing.
- Call a professional who was skilled in objective thinking (aka therapist). Go see her and talk these fears out.
- Make a list of what I wanted to write about.
- Choose a date when I would start to write.
- Read The Artist’s Way.
I wrote this list out and posted it on the refrigerator so I would see it every day. I did #1, 2, 3, and 4 over a period of time. And a whole new way of looking at life gradually evolved.
“Ah,” said my very direct friend looking at the list on my refrigerator, “You have started writing. You’ve changed!”
