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Get Unstuck – Learn to Overcome the Paralysis of Analysis
Common scenario:You have dreamed about becoming a private health /patient advocate or care manager for a while. You know you can do it, you know you are a good advocate, your heart really WANTS to change careers to advocacy, you know people need help with their medical system challenges…Plus everyone you know thinks it’s a great idea! They all tell you – OMG – there is such a huge need!Maybe you have helped friends and family members over the years, or you have been a doctor or nurse for decades. (I often hear, “I’ve been an advocate all my life. Now I just want to get paid for it!”)But something, maybe not clearly defined, is holding you back. Mostly it’s because you know you would have to start your own business to be truly independent (there’s the Allegiance Factor, after all)… and you’re not sure you’ve got the chops to do that. You just can’t seem to make that leap from being a volunteer who steps in to help, to being a professional, privately-paid, patient advocate, navigator, or care manager in your own private patient advocacy practice.You’re just stuck. Your heart is THERE! But your brain won’t let you move forward. Sound familiar?Getting stuck in your own head when your heart wishes to make changes is called the paralysis of analysis – our tendency to over-think, to worry that we’re not doing something exactly right, to be concerned that we’ve missed some important detail…. to the point where it stops us in our tracks.The BAD news is double-edged: Paralysis of analysis keeps us from pursuing our dreams. Even worse, it means the patients who need us, who we would help, may not get the help they need!In other words – if you are among the paralyzed, there are people getting sicker or poorer because you haven’t thrown that switch. Ouch.There are several causes for the paralysis of analysis, and they are all about questioning one’s own capabilities:Some people are afraid to throw the switch because they are unsure that they are really prepared. So, in classic avoidance behavior, they decide…