#37: Overthinking Your Dreams? Here’s What Other Dreamers Are Doing Instead

While you're stuck in your head, someone else is taking the next step toward your dream— or a version of it.

I've been there — stuck in my head, overthinking every move, waiting for the perfect moment to start.

But this week, I looked around and realized... while I was overthinking my dreams, other dreamers were out there doing the the thing. Planting gardens. Writing books. Starting messy.

In this episode, I'm calling out the fear that keeps us stuck and sharing how real people (just like you and me) are making bold moves, imperfectly.

You'll see what's possible when you stop waiting and start — even scared, even unsure. You'll hear why the real risk isn't failing — it's never starting at all. 

This isn't a 3-step plan or a productivity hack. It's real talk about what happens when we get out of our head  — and what changes when we finally move. 

If you've been waiting for clarity, permission, or a sign... this is it. Let's get you unstuck.

HERE ARE  3 KEY TAKE AWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

1️⃣ Why overthinking feels productive but keeps you stuck — and how to break the loop.

2️⃣ Why you don't need confidence to start — you build it through action.

3️⃣ Real-life examples of dreamers doing the thing —in tiny pockets of time, without a perfect plan.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Anne Averill - Annie the Brave: A Food Allergy Adventure, Coloring and Activity Book 

Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com

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Transcript

Speaker 3: 0:01

You're never too busy, too tired, too old, or too anything to pursue your dreams. Welcome to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast, where you'll learn how to move all those never ending distractions aside and chase your dreams with confidence.

0:21

Well, hello. Hello my friend. Welcome to the Distracted Dreamer podcast. I'm your host Carlene, and I am ready to dive into a conversation that's more like a loving kick in the pants for you. And I have to tell you, there are times that I really struggle with what to talk about here on the podcast, figuring out what you might need, what your challenges are, and keeping it interesting all at the same time. Some weeks I come up with, well, nothing, and this was one of those weeks and when I stopped trying so hard to find the thing to talk about this week, I noticed things in the people that are smack dab in front of me. People that are struggling and overthinking, and others who are in it. They're doing the thing, one tiny thing to move forward on their dreams. And I thought, wouldn't it be interesting to put those two camps of people together in this episode? So that's what I did, and here we are and there aren't three steps to anything right now. It's just some truth and some inspiration and permission. So if you've been stuck in the overthinking spiral, you're gonna wanna hear this because while you are a very busy overthinking your dreams, other dreamers. Are stacking up winds like Lego blocks. And here's the truth, most of us do get stuck in our heads and we are waiting for the perfect time to start. And we do make excuses and say, Hmm, someday. And we're waiting for permission to chip away at our dreams. And we all know overthinking is the least productive thing that we can do. But these other dreamers, they decided to get out of their head and do something instead. And when they did that, here's what happened next. My good friend Alicia, who you met in episode 35, she talked about her love of flowers. She planted a beautiful flower garden. That's her dream. Niecy, a recent client. She actually pitched her coaching to three small businesses. That was huge. And Chris, who has been a long time client of mine, she started writing four days a week in the seven 50 Word app to build up her writing muscle. And then one of my college friends actually published his website. It was so exciting to see him do this. And then Lisa, who is another longtime client of mine, she finally stopped undercharging for her landscaping services and she is finally. Charging what she is worth. And then there's my good friend Becky, who you also met back in episode 33, and she was talking about her counseling practice. Yeah, she started advertising for that now. And then there's my daughter, Emily, who she is such a talented artist, although if she heard me talking about this, she would be rolling her eyes right now. But she started painting again and when her sister, who recently had a baby asked her to paint something for the nursery, I. That's when it began. And what I wanna tell you is it doesn't matter how you start or how you start again, because sometimes that is what our dreams demand of us to pause and start again. And if it's the birth of your niece, that gets you to start again. How beautiful is that? And then there's my friend Christina, who's always cared for everyone else first. And she finally started putting money away from every paycheck into a savings account for traveling. She's always wanted to travel, but she always told herself, I can't get away because people need me. And then this is my most favorite of all, is my niece Annie. She published her first book at the age of 16. It's called Annie the Brave, a Food Allergy Adventure, coloring and Activity Book. And let me tell you, this girl has been through it all, but she has come out the other side because she has suffered through all the intense food allergy testing, the micro testing, everything that she put in her mouth. It's a long road to discovering what you can and cannot eat. You know, finding out when your body will tolerate. If you've ever experienced anything, even on a small scale, you know what that's like. And at the ripe age of 16. She decided to help other kids like her who are going through the long process. And next she's hoping to connect with the University of Iowa Hospital and sew some bags and make activity kits for kids undergoing food challenge tests because those appointments, they can take up to like five hours or so. And of course I'm gonna tell you to go grab her book on Amazon for yourself or for someone you know, who's suffering with food allergies or simply to support Annie and her mission to help other kids. So I've put a link to her book in the show notes and, okay, I, I have to tell you what my husband said to me when he heard about Annie's book. He said, did you see Annie published a book? When are you gonna publish a book? Oh my gosh. Talk about being called out. I mean, he didn't do it in a mean way, but it was just like, oof. That was hard. My point is that sometimes we need to be called out and I just see Annie as such a sweet inspiration for me, and she really is for all of us. And so I give you all of these examples. Of people who are doing, they're doing something. Maybe it's just one pre-step. It's the precursor to their dreams. Like writing in the seven 50 Word app that is still working towards your dreams. So my point is just do the thing because I'm telling you someone, lots of someone's actually, they're chipping away at your dream or a version of it. Use that as motivation to start. I remember back when I started my coaching business, something wildly outside of my comfort zone. I wasn't fearless. I was totally freaked out. I had no roadmap. I had no entrepreneurs in my family. I had no plan B and truth be told, an A DHD Life coach wasn't a popular career, especially for a girl who never even heard a coaching until, well, I did, but I knew it was supposed to be my next move. I had a feeling, just a quiet gut feeling and a whispered, what if that wouldn't stop tugging at me. So I waited and waited and waited some more to feel ready and waiting. To feel ready is what keeps you stuck. And I thought I'd be ready if I took one more coaching class. Got just one more certification and my love of learning and consuming information and working on my coaching skills, it became my greatest adversary. It kept me. In a never ending learning loop, I was building competence but not confidence. I wanted to minimize the risk of failure, of disappointing my clients, my family, and myself. But here's the thing that I didn't know yet. I was not the risk. The real risk is not trying, not growing, not seeing what's possible on the other side of that discomfort. So somewhere along the line, maybe you were told, maybe not with words, but with the looks, the doubts, the rejections, or even silence, that your big dream was too much. That playing it safe was the smart thing To do that you had to prove yourself before you were allowed to go all in. But I need you to hear me. You don't have to prove your worth before you start. The act of starting is the proof. The act of starting is the proof. Every successful person that you admire has messed up, I promise you. They have messed up. They have stumbled, they've doubted themselves, but they made a decision anyway to start. And what sets them apart isn't their perfection that you think that you're seeing. It's their willingness to move forward Imperfectly. And Yeah, I know that's a mindset thing. Ugh. I used to hate hearing that too. Like thanks for the vibes, but you know, what about my bank account? Well, what about paying my mortgage? What about my friend from college and her judgments? But now I get it. Because when I finally stopped seeing failure as punishment and started seeing it as proof that I was showing up, things really changed and I stopped calling it a risk and started calling it what it really was. It's a commitment to my growth. It's a commitment to my dreams. It's a commitment to the kinda life I wanna live, and I want that for you too. So here's your action step today. Just write down one move you've been too scared to make. Just one. That's, it doesn't have to be big, just one. And then I want you to ask yourself, what's one tiny doable step that I can take toward it today? What's one tiny doable step I can take toward it today? Not next week. Not when you're ready today, maybe it's emailing that client or finally hitting publish or signing up for the thing that you know could help give you what you need to move forward. I mean, heck, maybe it's just talking with your girlfriend over coffee, just to help you verbally process that next move. So just make the move and I want you to know. Be messy. Messy is okay. Messy is so much better than going in perfect. Expect it to be messy, and I know how scary it can be. I've lived the fear and I know how scary it can be. I've lived the fear, I've cried into my pillow about it, but I've also lived the joy on the other side of it. So you are not a risk. You are a sure thing if you're willing to bet on yourself long enough to see it through. So here's what I want you to know as we wrap up. I don't record these episodes from a place of having it all figured out. I record them. From right in the middle where the doubt and the bravery lives side by side and you don't need another podcast episode, you don't need another list of tips or tools or books to read. You just need one moment of courage. The kind that whispers. Let's go. And if you're looking around and seeing others move while you feel stuck, let that be the nudge, the reminder that it's possible that it's not too late because your dream is still waiting for you. And if you do the thing, would you please text me at the link in the show notes because I want to celebrate all your wins, big or small with you. You know that list I gave you at the beginning of the episode where I told you who was doing the thing? Yeah. I want to mention you in one of my upcoming episodes, so please, first name only, but I wanna be able to share your wins, and I want you to know that I'm right here rooting for you always.

Carlene: 11:38

Alright, my sweet friend Thank you so much for being here with me today. And remember your dreams. They are waiting for you and your time. It's now and I'll be back next week. Ready to welcome you to our next conversation. Oh, and one more thing. This is the legal language. You know, the stuff that the lawyers put together, and they say that I need to read this to you. So here we go. This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. I'm just your friend. I'm not a licensed therapist. This podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professionals. Got it? Good. I will see you in the next episode.