Recently as more opportunities have come up and life has become more chaotic, I have been realizing more often that sometimes you have to send it. And I don’t necessarily mean like the millennial meme saying “send it” (although it does slightly apply).
I used to take a substantial amount of time to write emails, reach out to people, and act on future opportunities. This was mostly due to my over-analyzing of situations and what I was communicating. I learned recently that you have to trust your ability to effectively communicate and plan, but not overly so. The general lesson here is to stop over analyzing situations. Instead, proceed promptly with your best intentions and adequate planning. Don’t over think it. However, at the same time don’t underestimate situations.
For example, I have gotten such an efficient habit of responding to emails recently. Whenever I check my email, I start with the shortest response time emails and move up to the more extended response requirement emails. This establishes a habit that you can follow which will make your communication time faster in written forms. I also have a pattern for breaking down individual emails. For example, depending on the length of the email chain I will start with an opening greeting and from there attack topic by topic in order with any unrelated or new questions written last. Then I will sign off and provide a valediction. This strategy generally helps me send things faster and with more insurance.
Once I got over my sense of nervousness over sending things and being scared of imperfection, I soon realized I could execute on other things faster as well. I would dive into different subjects and projects with much less hesitation.
I now can ask for meetings with mentors and successful entrepreneurs with more confidence, talk to potential business connections (manufacturers, designers, etc.), and stop over worrying about how others are thinking of me. It is very transparent to me that what prevents most people from acting on their goals is what other people may think about them.
Send the email, reach out to the person you need to, accept your next potential opportunity, and start acting on your goals instead of being afraid of them.