Dr. David Schwartz shares the 3 Failure Diseases in "The Magic of Thinking Big" that hold masses of people back from their dreams. These failure diseases are Excusitis, Detailitis, and Procrastination. I have addressed these failure diseases in various episodes of the Smart Cleaning School. One such topic is perfectionism. This is a form of Detailitis that causes people to spin their wheels. You see it most in writers who can never quite get that chapter to sound the way they want it. This is why over 97% of writers NEVER finish a book! It happens with cleaners too. They scrub and scrub and brush and brush, hoping to make an area look perfect to them. They can NEVER get there and it ultimately kills their business. Do you relate? Go back to part 3 of the perfectionism series entitled, "Perfection is the Enemy". This will help you overcome this failure disease.

In this episode, I want to address another form of Detailitis known as overthinking. I've done multiple episodes on this topic as it has plagued me my whole life. However, like many who are failing with this disease they don't know their overthinking is causing them to fail. What is overthinking? Simple. You analyze and process and think on everything. You don't make decisions easily or quickly. Why? They don't want to make the wrong decision. Contrast this to the entrepreneurs with courage who makes mistakes on a regular basis while in the action mode. The overthinker is constantly starting and stopping, making it near impossible to build the momentum of success.  Meanwhile, the action-taker who trusts their business instincts and makes quick decisions is constantly in motion. They are building the momentum for success as they steer through the failures toward success. Do you see the difference? Which do you do? I am an overthinker and I know it has held me back in my life. I've also learned that all 3 Failure Diseases are masking fear. We are afraid of failing or possibly succeeding. Over the years, I have learned to overcome my overthinking. It's not a total healing of this failure disease, but a definite work in progress. I have recently used a different term to help me make mental shifts and breakthroughs. I say this. "I just need some clarity around this." Here's the implication. I need clarity, so I can take action.

I went to St. Augustine, Florida in February for the Total Life Freedom Retreat to meet up with 20 other amazing entrepreneurs. We are all building businesses around the country and help each other with mindset, ideas, and accountability. I came to this retreat with a need for clarity around this podcast. I wasn't sure of the direction I was taking it as well as the direction of the groups I run associated with the Smart Cleaning School. I was searching in St. Augustine for clarity and I got it with a 10-minute conversation with Sha Sparks. She is a Jedi Master in the force ability to extract emotions and deliver coaching breakthroughs in 10 minutes or under. She does this for other entrepreneurs through her podcast, "The Power of Investing in People". In fact, Sha recently interviewed me for her podcast to share my breakthrough and tell my entrepreneur's story. It was a privilege to share. Thank you Sha for trusting me with your audience. Thank you for the breakthrough you gave me. Here's how the conversation went.  It was the end of the retreat.

Read the rest of this article at the Smart Cleaning School website