5 Steps to Get Your Mind Right.

The key to moving forward in life is staying focused on what you can control, which for most people means not letting others' opinions get in your way. You'll find that when it's just a matter of contributing without seeking acceptance or approval, then the creative juices flow more readily, and opportunities present themselves naturally!

Here are five tips for getting your mind right before launching your next project or planning your next effort— stop getting in your head and overthinking your ideal. Use these tips to get moving.

1. Access your strengths

First things first, you have access to what you have to work with. What are your strengths, and what weapons are in your arsenal? Before you can form a plan of attack, you have to be clear on what tools are on the table. If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready.

2. Acknowledge the barriers

Many times not identifying barriers allows them to show up unexpectedly. But Barriers can be opportunities in disguise when we are clear on what and where they are. Barriers sometimes show up as challenges, but they can also be motivation. For instance, knowing you have limited resources allows you to do more with less or strategize on allocating capital. Simply put, the more you know, the better you can plan and execute.

3. Stop seeking approval or validation.

Not everyone celebrates your wins, and some folks will never see your vision. One thing is for sure 100% of shots not taken miss. Validation has to be gauged internally. Looking for approval from the outside is a sure-fire way to ground momentum. The only approval necessary to win is the approval of a well-executed plan. When an opportunity presents itself, you have to be ready to jump. In the words of Jack Canfield, "Ready, Fire, Aim! Your heart knows when to take the shot you can calibrate as you fire.

4. Progress, not perfection.