Myo Life

Transcript

Hey, I'm Carmen and welcome to Myo Life. That's short for my Outrageous Life, which is exactly the kind of life I get to live since I found the courage to ditch dental hygiene and build a life I'm bonkers about as a myofunctional therapist and entrepreneur. Here you will find all the things myo business and how to build a life that you, too, are bonkers about. I'm very happy you're here. Shall we dive in?
Well, hey there, my friend, and welcome back to the Myo Life podcast.
If you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like you have so many things to do and you just don't even know where to start, this episode is for you. Let's be real. Overwhelm isn't a sign to stop. It's a sign that you need to simplify and take action. The longer you sit in indecision, the harder it is to move forward. But guess what? You don't have to stay stuck. Today, I'm giving you the fastest way to move past overwhelm and actually start making progress.
Something I say to my students—you've probably heard me say it before—is that I can't help them steer a parked car. They have to get it in drive and take the foot off the brake before they can make any meaningful adjustments, and the same is going to go for you.
So let's talk about why overwhelm happens. Overwhelm happens when we're overcomplicating things. Our brains love to spin in circles, come up with all the reasons that we're not ready to do whatever it is. We tell ourselves we need more training, we need more research, we need a better website, we need a perfect social media plan—when really, we just need to do the damn thing. Overwhelm equals too many inputs. Too many inputs and not enough output, not enough action. It's a sneaky form of self-sabotage. It's your reptile brain keeping you safe by keeping you in your comfort zone.
Does this sound familiar? I will start my business when I have the perfect business plan. Or a favorite one of my students: I'll start having conversations with people when I know more. I will cut back on hygiene when I feel 100% ready. You're never going to be 100% ready. I will start posting online after I take another course. I have had students who literally are not even done with their training with me, and they're already thinking that they need to take another course to get ready. That's not because my course is incomplete or lacking. That is them making excuses so that they don't have to do the uncomfortable work.
You don't need more stuff. You need a simple plan and the guts to take messy action. And I'm your gal because taking messy action is one of the principles that I teach in all of my courses. So let's dive into what I like to call a three-step formula to move past overwhelm. This is where things are going to change for you. I have three simple steps to get you out of your own head and into action mode. Are you ready?
Step one: Power block. You've heard me talk about this. A power block is a two-hour block on your calendar every day so that you have time set aside to make progress. During this two-hour block, you're going to be working on tasks that move your business forward.
Inside the Ditch Hygiene Academy, I teach you the difference between massive action and passive action. Massive action produces revenue for your business. This is a revenue-generating activity. It's something that can be measured. It might be something like writing content for your website or for your marketing materials. It might be sending emails to your email list, creating lead magnets to build that email list, or making offers to people and telling them that you can help them.
Massive action is basically anything that your reptile brain is going to resist doing because it's uncomfortable, because it's scary, because if you don't do it, then you don't have to be disappointed, and you don't have to feel bad about yourself, and you don't have to be embarrassed, and you don't have to feel shame—all of those things. That is your reptile brain trying to keep you safe. Anything that you're resisting is probably massive action.
Now, passive action feels really good, and it tricks your brain into thinking that you are moving the needle, but nothing is being produced. It doesn't make you any money. You can't evaluate it. Passive action is like doing research, which is really just procrastination. It's getting ready to get ready. It's taking another course, reading more books or podcasts, job shadowing—all of those things. You need to be doing massive action, and then you can do passive action as a reward.
Going back to your two-hour power block, you're going to be focused on massive action tasks. Inside the Ditch Hygiene Academy, I help you learn how to plan your essential priorities. It essentially comes down to marketing, selling, and delivering—not organizing your office. My personal problem is when I don't want to do something, I find myself rearranging my office. No bueno. That's the first step: Have your power blocks. Do this every single day while you're building your business. I don't do it on the weekends, but I am past starting my business.
Step two: Set a stupidly small first step. I want you to grab a notebook or open your phone and get the notes app out. You're going to brain dump everything that is swirling around in your head about all the things that you need to do. Next, ask yourself what really moves the needle. Be ruthless. Remember the massive action tasks. Circle one. This is where you're going to start. Your two-hour block—that's where you're going to start. Your brain wants to keep things big and vague because it's easier to avoid. Instead, break it down to the smallest possible action.
Step three: Rinse and repeat. Until you've earned some money in your business, you need to keep getting better at what you're doing—having conversations, telling people you can help them, booking consults, booking exams. This is where your cash flow comes from. Making contact with referral partners so that you can deliver to your clients by sending them to the best professionals, especially ones that know and understand OMT. If you have really excellent professionals where you're referring your clients to and they are shocked about how well your clients are prepared, they’re going to remember and refer to you. Nothing makes me happier than when I have a client who has a frenectomy done and the doctor brings in the staff and says, "Now, this is what preparedness looks like." That makes me feel like I'm actually doing my job. I'm making a difference.
Now you have to ditch the excuses. I don't have time. That’s an excuse. You will make time for what you prioritize. I don’t know enough. My friend, you learn by doing, not by waiting. Stay in the material. Quit stopping and starting your business quest. If you start today’s power block, you’re just picking up from yesterday. What if I fail? Well, what if you do? You learn and you pivot. Every successful person has failed first. Overwhelm is just fear dressed up as logic. Don't fall for it.
Here’s your challenge: Identify one thing that you’ve been stuck on. Pick the smallest action that you can take and do it right away. No overthinking. No waiting until Monday. Just start. I want to hear about it. Find me on social media and tell me what was the little thing that you did.
That is a wrap, my friend. If you found this helpful, share it with a friend who needs a kick in the butt too. Make sure you’re following so that you never miss an episode. Until I talk to you next time, go out there, make some massive moves, and work on building a life that you are bonkers about. I will be back soon with more myofunctional therapy goodness. Until then, bye-bye.