“What are you doing about what you aren’t doing?” That is the question Scott Wittig poses in the first line of his book, “Holy IT! – A Guide to Finding and Doing Your Thing – Your IT.”
“Everyone has an ‘IT’ --- whether that is your purpose in life, a passion you have, or just a project that you have been putting off,” says Wittig, “The question is: What are you willing to do about it?”
Wittig offers his insight on how you not only identify that thing you know you should be doing in your life, but how to act on ‘IT’ as well. He should know - he managed to write a book and become a speaker without quitting his job and putting his family and finances at risk. It is possible!
1. Get quiet. Get away from the noise and think. It could be in the sauna, on your bike or in your car. Just be quiet.
2. Involve others. Those closest to you can probably tell you what your ‘IT’ is, and they will become your cheerleaders as you start acting on it. Don’t hoard your idea like a little kid hoards their toys.
3. Realize what it is that you keep coming back to. We have ideas and inspirations…then life gets in the way. Things calm down and that same idea bubbles back to the surface and the cycle continues. Identify what it is that you keep coming back to - that’s probably your ‘IT’.
4. Purpose, Passion or Project? Your product may just be a project, but you are treating it like it is your passion and life’s purpose. Getting perspective on your ‘IT’ using these three P’s is crucial.
5. Take baby steps. You don’t have to quit your job to start acting on your ‘IT’. If you’ve truly identified the right thing for you, dipping your toe in the water rather than jumping in with your clothes on is OK.
6. Get above the clouds. It may be dark and gloomy at takeoff (when you first start acting on ‘IT’), but it is not long before you are in bright sunshine (when you are actually doing this thing you’ve been putting off).
7. Write down tasks that can actually be done. If you don’t own a camera, don’t put “Start a photography business” on your calendar. Your to-do list should say, “Go to camera store.”
8. No U-Turns. It is scientifically proven that more squirrels get squashed when they change their mind and dart back in the other direction. Once you have your nut in your mouth, get all the way across the street without letting doubt creep in.
9. Rid yourself of the negativity virus. For some reason our wired default is to the negative. “I can’t do it. It will be too hard. People will think I’m crazy” are the first thoughts we may have when inspiration hits. Want people to be as stoked about your idea as you are? Be wildly positive about it. Your enthusiasm will be infectious and that is the kind of virus you want to spread.
10. Consider this your divorce from how it used to be. You have a new normal once you have decided to go after your ‘IT’. The past is cooked, put a fork in it. Now rocks. Do IT now!
Says Andy Beal, author of Radically Transparent, “There's no point in Getting Things Done or aspiring to a 4-Hour Workweek until you discover your IT! You need to know what IT drives you, compels you, fills you with passion. Holy IT! is a must read for anyone struggling to figure out their passion in life!”
Wittig, the owner of Achieve IT Media, is also the founder of ‘do IT groups’ which are mastermind groups that help people really get in action on their ‘IT’. Wittig can be reached directly at scott@scottwittig.com or 919-608-5316, or visit www.holyitbook.com.
