"There's no point" So, will you do it?

"There's no point. It won't work out. They won't get it." 

There are too many examples in my life and work where I've told myself that something won't work, so I might as well not do it. These thoughts don't happen in the face of something easy and straightforward. They sneak in when what needs to be done feels hard or uncomfortable. 

They're grounded in fear, and fuelled by mindreading and fortunetelling. I don't believe in either, but time and again I've chosen to allow those thoughts to take charge. Are they part of your day-to-day - at work or in life? How do they affect your leadership? Perhaps they masquerade as rational reasoning - they certainly did to me. 

There was a time when I didn't know how to do anything other than go along with the urge that comes with 'it won't work'. I hadn't discovered the tools for dealing with this kind of inertia. I hadn't found the joy of simply trying it out. 

Even now, something often needs to be overcome, even though I know how to notice and move past these thoughts and feelings. As I remind my clients: these thoughts will come back, but you'll get better at navigating around them. 

Sometimes the thoughts will win out, or even pass without you noticing, but often you'll take charge and instead choose to move towards what you know is right. For me, part of it comes from reminding myself that discomfort is what makes me learn and grow - and I love learning. It might not work out, but what if it does? And if it doesn't, what can I learn? Instead of being scary, "it" becomes exciting. 

Where do you notice the "there's no point" reaction? What makes you move past it?