Unleashing more Potential: A Journey of mental growth
Interview with Scott Allan, author of “do the hard things first”
Mastering the Critical Life Skills
In today’s fast-paced world, the ability to navigate life’s challenges and achieve our goals is paramount. Author and transformational coach Scott Allan has dedicated his career to unlocking the human potential, equipping individuals with the essential skills to thrive. According to Scott, the critical life skills that can propel us towards our dreams boil down to effective communication, writing, and a relentless pursuit of self-improvement.
Communication, as Scott explains, is a cornerstone of success, enabling us to connect with others, convey our ideas, and build meaningful relationships. As a prolific author, he has harnessed the power of writing to transform his own life and share his insights with the world. “Writing gave me the opportunity to take my thoughts and ideas and box them up into a book and then publish it into the world,” he says. “From there, people are able to discover you, whether that’s through a book or through videos or whatever it may be.”
Embracing the Journey of Transformation
Scott’s mission to transform the human potential is rooted in the belief that we are on a continuous journey of growth and evolution. “Transforming the human potential is just that it is a journey of transformation,” he explains. “Whether you’re measuring it in decades or you’re actually measuring it in experience, we’re on a constant path of transformation or also, I like to use the word manifestation, where it’s like I believe that I can manifest my life from one event to the next.”
This perspective encourages us to embrace the fluidity of life, recognizing that our purpose, passions, and even our character are not static, but rather evolve over time. “Your purpose for living is going to change,” Scott notes. “Whether you’re at age 20 or 30 or 40 or 60 or 100, your purpose for living is going to change.”
Taking Charge of Your Life
One of the key challenges many people face is the struggle to take charge of their lives, to move beyond the passive role of being “a ball that is kicked around” by the currents of life. Scott believes that this is a common issue, and he is passionate about inspiring others to take intentional action towards their goals and dreams.
Scott emphasizes the importance of clarity, stating, “Clarity is the key to life.” He encourages individuals to reflect on their aspirations, identify the skills they need to develop, and then take the first step towards manifesting their vision. “By that I mean, yeah, we all go to school, we get an education, and we learn some skills in school, but they’re not always the skills that we need to get to where we want to go,” he explains.
Overcoming Procrastination and Embracing Failure
One of Scott’s best-selling books, “Do the Hard Things First,” delves into the critical issue of procrastination and the importance of building trust with oneself. “The reason is because you’re going to develop a stronger relationship with yourself, you’re going to develop trust with yourself,” he explains. “One of the things that was always kind of missing in my life was that connection or that trust that I had with myself because I wasn’t showing up to do the things I needed to do.”
Closely related to overcoming procrastination is Scott’s belief in embracing failure as a learning experience. His book “Fail Big” explores the idea that failure is not something to be feared, but rather an opportunity for growth and transformation. “Failure is a learning experience, and the thing about this is that I always go into everything, I mean, yeah, we want to have expectations, let’s just say when we start a new job or we maybe you’re investing money or whatever it may be, you have the expectations that you’re going to succeed and everything’s going to go great,” he explains. “But I always look at something, everything, like, ‘Okay, I don’t know what I’m doing yet, so I’m just going to start from the bottom.'”
Embracing Fear and Taking Action
Another key theme in Scott’s work is the concept of overcoming fear and taking action, even in the face of uncertainty. His book “Nothing Scares Me” delves into this idea, challenging the notion of a “Fearless lifestyle” and instead advocating for the courage to “feel the fear and do it anyway.”
“A lot of people wait for the confidence to show up, and they want the fear to go away,” Scott explains. “It’s actually the reverse of that. It’s like, you’re going to feel afraid when you start to do something maybe it’s if you start to do something new, you know, and the fear is fine. That’s actually what the book’s about, is like, ‘Nothing scares me’ just means, ‘I’m scared, but I’m gonna do this anyway.'”
Harnessing the Power of Social Media
In today’s digital age, the influence of social media on our ability to step out of our comfort zones and tackle difficult challenges is a topic of interest. Scott acknowledges the potential pitfalls of social media, such as the allure of instant gratification and the risk of developing unhealthy addictions. However, he also recognizes the valuable opportunities it presents for reaching a wider audience and sharing one’s message with the world.
“I think it’s a great way to reach the world, you know, and for me, like, yeah, I spend a lot more time on social media doing those videos because I know, let’s just say if I have a message to put out there, it’s going to go a lot further if I can just, you know, channel it to, yeah, put it out there and potentially it could reach thousands and millions of people,” he explains.
Embracing the Journey and Celebrating Progress
Ultimately, Scott’s approach to personal growth and transformation emphasizes the importance of embracing the journey, celebrating progress, and continuously striving to become the best version of ourselves. “It’s who you become along the way that defines who you are ultimately,” he says, echoing the words of renowned motivational speaker Brian Tracy.
By cultivating critical life skills, fostering a growth mindset, and taking intentional action, individuals can unlock their full potential and create a life that they can look back on with a deep sense of fulfillment and purpose. As Scott eloquently states, “We’re on a constant path of transformation or also, I like to use the word manifestation, where it’s like I believe that I can manifest my life from one event to the next.”