Welcome to the Elevated Edit podcast.

I'm your host, Blakely Ramsey, and the goal of this podcast is to discuss all things personal, development, wellness, and the art of editing your life in an elevated way.

From mastering morning routines to mastering your mindset, we're going to sift through the noise and empower you to take elevated action.

Make sure you catch the show notes for all the details.

Enjoy the show.

This might surprise you coming from me, but I'm going to say it anyway.

You don't need more planning, you need more action.

And if that feels a little counterintuitive to what you think I stand for, I want you to stay with me.

Because this right here, this is the difference between chaos and momentum.

Now, today we are going to talk about over planning.

And I think for women especially, over planning can be extremely seductive.

You've got your whiteboards, you've got your post it notes, you have your highlighters, you've got ChatGPT pulled up, you have your espresso, you're like, I'm gonna sit down and I'm gonna plan this thing and I'm so excited.

And you, you have the best intentions and you plan all the things out and you got the next six months of your life planned out in wicked detail.

And then the next week you're still planning, and then the next week you're still planning, and then the next week you're still planning.

And if you are reworking the same launch plan, the same to do, list the same Monday priorities over and over and over and over again, you are just delaying the very outcome that you claim to want.

Like at some point we have to realize that another planner isn't going to fix it, another plan isn't going to fix it.

Another session with ChatGPT, which can be so fun is not going to fix it.

Action is what is necessary.

And I do want to point out here that I am not anti structure.

You all know I love, I do love to plan and I do love to have systems in place.

But the problem with over planning and the problem with relying too much on like systems and okay, we've got to make the system so perfect and everything has to look amazing is that it can really lead to stagnation.

And the whole point, at least what I am hoping to get across is that structure, if done well, can actually create faster action, not more delay.

So if you create a solid system and a solid structure, it actually gives you something to come back to.

It gives you something to when everything fails, when you take the action and you Try.

You go, okay, that didn't work, or, okay, maybe this part of it worked, and I need to adapt this.

And it can also give you a sounding board of like, okay, what was the actual goal?

What was the true outcome?

You know, we might have gotten results, but is it the results that we actually wanted?

Is it the results that are going to move us towards the goal we actually are trying to achieve?

Like, what was the actual result from the actual action that we took?

And I do not want you to feel guilty here at all, because I have fallen into this trap before, and I definitely still fall into this trap now.

When I look back on launching the Digital Planner, the Archive, I was definitely in this mode where I planned for way too long.

And don't get me wrong, I'm so proud of it.

And the feedback that I've gotten from it has been amazing.

And for me personally, it has been the best, best digital Planner that I've ever had.

But I spent way too much time on it.

The time that I actually needed to execute was about one fifth of what I spent.

I spent so y' all.

I spent so much time planning out this planner and the launch, and I learned a lot through the process.

But what I really learned was when I finally launched it, when I was finally getting feedback, when people were finally using it, like, when I put the thing out and I didn't get, you know, just rave reviews, and I had some people that had some, you know, constructive criticism.

That was when I actually learned.

And I think it's so important, especially if you are, like, a solopreneur or an entrepreneur, we can hold on to our baby creation so much.

Like, we hold it so close to our heart because we're so passionate about it, and we know exactly the intention behind it, and we know exactly what we want it to do.

And you can just get so stuck in your own world that you forget that other people are actually going to be the customers and other people are actually going to be the clients.

And if you're constantly stuck in that planning mode, you're not getting that feedback that you need.

And it can be so damaging because then you have this, like, build up of, okay, this is.

I have planned this so well.

This is the perfect thing.

This is exactly what I know it's supposed to do.

I know every portion of this is perfect, Perfect.

I'm going to sell out.

This is going to be the most amazing thing that I've ever done.

And then you put the thing out there, and it's like, oh, okay, I Actually need to adjust some things, actually need to fix some things, actually need to work on some things.

And if you stay stuck in planning mode so long and you launch something or you put something out in the world and you don't get the feedback that you instantly wanted, you're going to miss that critical.

That critical time of learning and adapting and adjusting for versus.

If you spend a little time planning, there's always a time and a place for planning.

You spend a little time planning and a lot of time executing, and then you take action.

Get it in front of people.

If you're even if that means putting it in front of people for free or asking for feedback from a, you know, a group of business friends, I would caution you, you can do what you want.

I am not here to tell anybody exactly what they need to do.

But be really careful about getting feedback from your friends, because your friends are going to, hopefully, if they're good friends, they're going to tell you that you're so talented and you did an amazing job and you're crushing it and you're just the best thing since sliced bread.

But if you actually want to grow and you actually want to get better, sometimes you have to put yourself or your product or your business or whatever it is, you have to put it in front of people who are, whether they're paid or, you know, you're just in a collaboration group together, you have to put your thing in front of people who are going to be honest with you.

And sometimes that really is the only way to grow.

And trust me when I say I know, it's terrifying.

I have put myself in rooms this year and I have heard feedback that literally has just, like, twisted my stomach.

It's made me sad, it's made me cry, it's made me mad.

And I have found that that is when I do my best work, is like when someone says, well, what is your credibility?

Or what?

Why should I believe you?

I'm like, oh, let me show you, actually.

And so just keep that in mind that if you are working on something and you haven't put it out into the world, or you're like, you know what?

I'm gonna wait until it's absolutely perfect.

I'm gonna wait until I've got all the graphics just right.

I'm gonna wait until, you know, X, Y and Z is just perfect.

You might in fact be working on the wrong things.

Like, that is what I realized with the archive, is I put it out and I made some pieces of it.

So amazing.

And they were just so.

At least I thought, just so eloquent.

And they flowed together so well.

And when I actually put it in front of people, they were like, you know what?

I really just need this one feature.

Well, I actually just need these two features.

I'm like, man, how much time could I have saved myself if I had gone 100% on the things that people actually wanted?

Instead of living in, like, my bubble and living in my dream world over here and making all these things so elaborate?

Instead, I could have just put the item in front of real customers, in front of real people, and gotten real feedback, and I could have saved so much time.

It is so easy to waste time in your own head and in your own space when you were just spinning a loop and working on something that you think is right.

When you could be getting that feedback, you could be getting that constructive criticism.

You could actually be molding something that is.

Is truly valuable and truly wonderful.

I heard a quote, and I can't remember who said it.

I think it was Alex Hormozi.

But he said, you can be right or you can be rich.

And that is something I've really had to lean into in this season because it can be so enticing to be like, you know what?

This is the best product.

Like, I don't care what anybody says.

I know it's great.

I know it's the best.

I know my messaging is amazing.

I know my graphics look great.

And it's like, okay, yeah, you can be right.

But if it's not converting, like, what are you actually doing it for?

And if you're just doing it as a fun hobby, that's totally cool.

I work to make money.

And so what I have learned this year is that I have got to really take bold action and be strong enough to take action so that I can get the feedback and I can edit and adapt and adjust and then put something out that is actually going to convert, that is actually going to get sales, that is actually going to get clients, that is actually going to do the thing that I'm trying to do instead of just, oh, well, this is how I think it needs to be, or this is how I want it to look.

And I totally get.

Taking action is really terrifying because you have to put yourself out there.

You have to put yourself in front of people.

You have to, you know, possibly hear that criticism and that feedback and, you know, somebody saying, well, why are you doing that?

Or, why'd you try that?

Or, why are you trying this new thing?

It really is.

It's so terrifying and it's so scary.

But I will say this.

If you can set in that discomfort and you can hear, you know, the people maybe not understanding, or if you can hear from, you know, a trusted colleague or a trusted mentor, hey, you did really good right here.

But these three things, you've got to sharpen up.

You know, you're.

I got some feedback last week on a coaching call, and she, if y' all know me, y' all know this is true.

But she was like, blakely, you're so wordy.

Like, get to the point already.

And at first it really hurt my feelings, but I'm like, man, you know what?

And she's talking about a reel.

So she said, you know, you are very, like, long form.

Like, you are podcast, you are YouTube.

You were in person speaking.

She said, you're great at that.

But when it comes to short form, you've got to get to the point.

Like, you're over here talking a monologue and people are tapped out in the first three seconds.

And it hurt to hear that.

But I just reminded myself, like, Blakely, do you want to be right or do you want to be rich?

And, like, well, obviously I want to be rich.

And so I have to adjust and adapt because I do want my content to convert.

You know, I spend a lot of time on my content, and I don't do it for fun.

Like, I don't get me wrong, I love it.

But at the end of the day, like, I do have goals, and I do want my content to move me closer to those goals.

And sometimes you do need to hear that feedback.

And I would not have heard that feedback if I hadn't taken the action to get in the coaching programs, to get in the right rooms, to get in front of people that are not going to always tell me what I want to hear, but actually tell me what I need to hear.

And it's just.

I just want to extend that to you.

If you are in a place where you're like, I know that I am capable of so much more.

I know, like, the highest level version of me.

She executes like, she doesn't wait for perfection, as she's not someone who is, like, waiting to get an A plus in strategy.

Like, I am someone who is meant to win by doing work that matters and doing it on time and with confidence.

Like, if that is where you are and you just feel that tug inside of you, I, like, want to invite you this week to just take action on something.

It's going to be scary.

It's not going to feel good.

But once you get over that, that initial just putting your foot out there, it's going to be easier to take the next step, and then it's going to be easier to take the next step.

And then before you know it, you're running and you're, like, looking for ways to fail.

You're like, how can I put out more and get more feedback and get even better.

And once you start to see real results from the improvements and the feedback that you're getting, it's going to start becoming addictive to you.

Like, I promise, at this point, I almost crave feedback a little bit.

Like, I am very fortunate that I have the opportunity to put myself in situations often where I am extremely uncomfortable and I am not the smartest person in the room.

I am far from the talent, the most talented person in the room, and I have to get up and give a replacement.

And I am not met with like, wow, you did so great.

It's like, okay, you did these two things well, but, like, these 10 things you need to work on.

And that all goes back to just taking action, getting in front of people, making the post, launching the product, doing the thing that you've been saying that you're going to do.

There's always going to be something else you can plan.

There's always going to be something else that you can prepare.

But until you just take action, you're never going to know exactly what it is you need to be working on.

And just like me, you might be working on the wrong things.

You might have been wasting the last month, the last couple of weeks, the last few years, working on something that actually doesn't need to be worked on.

It might be this one little thing over here that needs to be tweaked, but you're not going to know until you put yourself in front of people and you actually do the thing and put it out there.

And it just really is so freeing, especially if you are like me and you have been stuck in the cycle for a long time of.

I just.

I know I'm capable of more.

I know that there is more than I'm supposed to be doing.

And I know that the world needs to hear my message.

I know it.

But I'm just gonna plan a little bit longer.

I'm just gonna make sure it's a little bit more perfect.

I think back even with the podcast, I would have started the podcast two years earlier, but I was stuck in planning mode and I would have, you know, joined coaching programs three years earlier.

But I was stuck in planning mode.

I was like, I have to be in the perfect program, has to be the perfect time.

I have to have started my company and blah blah, blah blah blah.

And I'll tell you one thing, I joined the two coaching programs that I'm in right now before I had a really solid business plan.

And it's funny because a lot of the girls in there now are like, you're so great.

Like when did what made you join the programs?

I'm like, actually I joined the program so I could build a business.

They're like, oh wow, you really just dove in.

But taking that action has expedited my life more in the last six months than I can even imagine possible and even put into words.

And I just want to extend that to you.

If you are stuck in that season where you're just stuck in planning mode.

You've got notebooks full of ideas, you've got post its full of ideas.

You've got a notes app like section in your notes app just full of ideas.

You got all, all these ideas.

Just start taking action.

90% of what you do is going to be really terrible.

It is.

I'm just being totally transparent.

I'm saying that from someone who 90% of what I put out is pretty terrible.

I'm like, oh gosh, I can't believe I posted that.

Or I can't believe I launched that or I can't believe I said that.

It's just so embarrassing.

But every single time that I mess up, I get better.

I'm like, you know what?

That hook could have been better.

Or you know what, I actually didn't spend as much time editing that as I should have.

Or you know what?

Yeah, my messaging was off.

I was talking about myself more than I was talking about the client.

Or yeah, you know what, I did just post because I hadn't posted in a couple of days and I felt like I needed to throw something up.

I wasn't actually being intentional with my content.

And yeah, you know what, I'm actually not doing X, Y and Z.

Like once you start to take action, you really start start to notice.

Okay, this is exactly what I need to be working on.

Because when you are just stuck in planning mode, there's a thousand things you feel like you need to be working on.

It's like, okay, well maybe I need to work on this or maybe I need to do this.

And then you go down a TikTok rabbit hole of like, okay, I need to do these 20 things.

Take action.

Make a list of three things that you can do today and take action on those three things.

They're not going to be perfect.

They don't have to be.

This has been the mindset that I've had all year.

If I put out something that's not good and that is not like a banger and isn't going to go viral, that's totally fine.

That means nobody's going to see it.

So it doesn't even matter.

Just post it.

I've literally had to have that mindset so much this year of, like, Blakely, just post it.

Just put it out there.

The worst thing that's going to happen is nobody sees it.

And if nobody sees it, what does it matter?

And vice versa, if everybody sees it, how cool is that?

Like, that would be so cool.

And so just keep that in mind.

If you feel like you are, like, trying to plan your way into confidence, please just try to act on it.

Like, do a couple things this week and take action instead of just planning, instead of sitting around with all the ideas and all of those ideas in your big, beautiful brain.

I know you have the best ideas in the world.

I know if you had the platform, you could change the world.

And the thing is, is that you do have a platform.

All of us at this moment in history have.

Like, the playing field is becoming more and more level every day.

With AI and with technology, we are all being given truly the same options.

And it's going to be the people that take action and the people that really just put themselves out there that end up getting ahead.

And I want that to be you.

I want that for you.

And just remember that every single breakthrough that you have is going to come after you take action, not before it.

So if you have been asking for a sign, this is it.

Stop planning.

Start moving.

I want you to write down three things that you're going to take action on this week, and I want you to take action on them, period.

Whether you're scared, if they're not perfect, if they're not done, if they're not finished, I'm going to do the same.

I've got three things I'm going to do with you, and I'm probably going to embarrass myself.

You'll probably embarrass yourself, too, and it's okay.

Think of everything that we're going to learn from this.

It's going to be so good.

But this time next week, we're going to have messed up three times, and we're probably going to have learned like 12 lessons from it.

That is so cool to me.

And instead of spinning our wheels, we are going to know exactly what we need to be working on.

We're going to have direct feedback.

We're going to have direct, like, okay, that flopped.

Okay, a thousand people saw that and I had three likes.

I've got to work on my hook or whatever it is.

Like, we are going to know exactly what we need to be working on.

We're going to get out of our heads, we're going to stop spinning our wheel, and we're actually going to start feeling that momentum.

So go execute the thing that you already wrote down.

I know you've got a list somewhere, because I do too.

We're going to pick three things and we're going to take action.

Okay.

I hope that you got some value out of this episode.

I hope that you have an amazing rest of your day and I will see you in the next episode.

Thank you for tuning in to the Elevated Edit podcast.

I hope you found today's episode inspiring and full of actionable tips.

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Until next time, keep growing, glowing and elevating your life.

See you soon.