Episode #386 – What your planning addiction is costing you

This is episode 386 of the Brilliant Balance podcast: What Your Planning Addiction is Costing You. Welcome back to the show! I’m so glad you’re tuning in today because we’re going to be talking about success.

The kind of success that we sit back and admire from afar—maybe the kind we aspire to deep in our hearts—and what it truly takes to get there.

I have a feeling that what you believe it takes to achieve success may not actually be the key ingredient. So today, I want to shift your perspective on success and see if we can get you some freedom to move forward with momentum.

As we kick this off, ask yourself: Have you ever watched someone step into an incredible level of success? Maybe it’s someone you follow on social media, someone whose documentary you’ve seen, or whose book you’ve read. Maybe it’s a colleague at work who has ascended to an impressive position. Or perhaps it’s someone in your community doing remarkable work. Think of someone you’ve watched achieve extraordinary success by your definition.

Now ask yourself: What do you believe was the key ingredient to their success? Let your first thought come to mind.

I’m willing to bet that one of the first things you thought about was: They got lucky. Maybe you think they were in the right place at the right time, with the right people, and everything just fell into place.

Sometimes we connect that luck to connections—believing that they must have known someone who helped them reach that level. This line of thinking often leads to the belief that if we don’t have those connections, we won’t be able to achieve similar success.

Another common belief is: They had a brilliant plan. I remember hearing about Sarah Blakely’s success with Spanx early on. You might imagine she had a flawless business plan, secured investors, and executed everything perfectly. But in reality, her journey was much more gradual and full of unexpected turns—self-led and self-guided.

We often look at successful people and assume they either got lucky, had the right connections, or had a genius plan. But if you talk to these individuals, they’ll often say, I had no idea how this was going to turn out. They took chances, hedged their bets, and made adjustments along the way.

The truth is, our beliefs about what leads to success often don’t align with what actually creates success. There are a few paradigms that shape our behavior as we climb toward our next level—beliefs that might actually be holding us back. That’s what I want to unpack today.

Paradigm Shift #1: Action Ignites Momentum

The first belief we need to break is: I need to figure everything out before I get started.

How often do we sit down with our color-coded pens, laptops, and whiteboards, convinced that crafting the perfect plan is the key to success? We tell ourselves we need absolute clarity before taking the first step.

The problem is that all this overthinking and planning leads to analysis paralysis. We consider too many options, and they start to compete with one another. We believe that more planning will bring clarity when, in reality, clarity comes from movement.

This ties into decision fatigue—the more choices we analyze, the harder it is to take action. The women who take messy first steps—who launch the business before perfecting the website, the logo, or the business card—often find success faster than those who keep revising their plans.

Instead of believing we need a perfect plan before acting, we need to embrace a new belief: Action ignites momentum.

Rather than waiting until everything is perfectly aligned, we need to take imperfect action and trust that movement will create clarity.

There’s even a scientific principle supporting this: An object in motion stays in motion. If we start moving, we’ll keep moving. But if we stay stuck, we remain stuck.

I once had a client preparing for her first 5K. She wasn’t a runner, so she researched Couch to 5K programs, compared different training methods, bought running shoes after multiple store visits, and selected the perfect running gear. But guess what? She hadn’t gone for a run.

Her next step wasn’t more planning—it was to start running. This illustrates the shift we need to make: rather than figuring everything out first, we need to take action and let that momentum carry us forward.

Paradigm Shift #2: Support Fuels Success

The second belief we need to break is: I have to come up with my plan on my own.

Many of us take pride in having original ideas and figuring everything out by ourselves. We believe that if we ask for help or accept input, we are either burdening others or admitting weakness.

As a result, we end up in self-imposed isolation chambers, trying to Google or ChatGPT our way through problems instead of seeking guidance from others.

In reality, the best way to accelerate success is to surround ourselves with action-takers. Social contagion theory tells us that we become like the people we spend the most time with. If you’re surrounded by people who take action, you’re more likely to take action too.

Instead of believing we must figure everything out alone, we need to adopt the belief: Support fuels success.

The most successful people have strong networks. They exchange ideas, challenge each other, and provide encouragement.

This ties into the Pygmalion Effect, which states that the expectations of those around us shape our performance. When we surround ourselves with people who believe in us and expect great things, we rise to the occasion.

Success is rarely a solo act. The right people accelerate our progress, and being in an environment where we are encouraged, challenged, and inspired makes all the difference.

Paradigm Shift #3: Execution Over Perfection

The third belief we need to break is: More strategy equals more success.

We assume that if we craft the perfect, most sophisticated plan, we’ll be more successful. But the truth is, execution—not strategy—drives success.

Overplanning gives us a false sense of productivity. We feel busy and productive while rewriting to-do lists, color-coding plans, and organizing timelines. But in reality, we’re just rearranging the furniture.

Entrepreneurs who launch before they have everything figured out iterate faster and build stronger businesses. This follows the lean startup model: start with a minimum viable product or service, test it, and refine it based on real feedback.

One of the biggest mistakes I see—especially among women transitioning from corporate careers to entrepreneurship—is the obsession with writing a business plan. Instead of getting stuck in strategy, I encourage them to focus on small experiments and rapid iterations.

Because here’s the reality: Your numbers will never be exactly right. Your plan will not unfold exactly as expected. The real skill isn’t perfect forecasting—it’s agility.

Instead of waiting for perfection, we need to embrace the mindset of Ready, Fire, Steer. We were all taught Ready, Aim, Fire, but in reality, we need to take action first and adjust as we go.

The Magic of Imperfect Action

If you’re standing at the starting line, waiting for the perfect moment, this is your sign: It’s time to move.

Success doesn’t come from a flawless plan. It comes from a series of bold steps taken before you feel fully ready.

Think back to a moment when you took a leap before feeling fully prepared. Chances are, it created something special. The adrenaline kicked in, and you figured things out along the way.

That’s how real success is built—one imperfect, courageous step at a time.

I’m here to support you in taking that next step, whether from afar or up close. If you need guidance, visit Brilliant Balance to explore the ways this community of women can help you move forward.

That’s all for today. Until next time, let’s be brilliant.