Which of the nine archetypes of inaction derail you?

Success depends on action. Your career won’t get anywhere unless you pursue opportunities. But a big barrier stands in the way: Fear.

David Nurse, a life and optimization coach for NBA players and nephew of former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse, experienced that fear when he realized he lacked the skills to play pro basketball after being rejected in a Spain tryout. He spent months moping about his parents’ living room until some jarring words from his mother prompted him to act.

That period of fear and inaction stayed with him and was illuminated by a study he conducted of 3,100 people from around the world, in which he explored the roadblocks to taking action in their lives. It resulted in the creation of nine non-action archetypes, which he shares in his book Do It: The Life-Changing Power of Taking Action:

• The Allodoxaphobia: This is the irrational fear of hearing other people’s opinions, being ridiculed by them or having them not agree with you. He recommends developing a personal mantra you repeat that reminds yourself of your strengths and, more generally, developing a tough hippo-like skin.
• The Burned: You trusted others in the past and worked hard, but it all came crashing down on you. The trauma of those incidents keeps you from trusting again. He urges you to flip the script: Instead of thinking “what if I miss?” when an opportunity arises ask, “what if I don’t take the shot?”
• The Inopportune: No time seems right. No proposed opportunity seems perfect. So these individuals procrastinate, waiting for a better time and option. His helpful suggestion is to set an alarm on your phone to flash daily at noon with the reminder “Now!”
• The Blamer: You view your situation as someone’s or something else’s fault. Again, flip the script and see if, as Alfred Adler’s compensation theory suggests, your weakness might prove the key to success. He notes that Olympic sprinter Wilma Rudolph overcame polio; Beethoven was deaf; and Albert Einstein was dyslexic.
• The Test Believer: You seek validation for who you are based on a personality test or the way the stars align. You are deemed an introvert so are limited by that tendency. But Mr. Nurse writes “there is always an opportunity to grow, to change, to learn, every single second of every single day.” You decide who you are.
• The Perfectionist: This can come from an irrational desire to be perfect or being weighted down by the excessive expectations of others. He notes that just as in fitness, you can’t keep up a 100-per-cent output but must aim for the 90-per-cent sweet spot, in life settle for being awfully good but less than perfect.
• The Scarciest: Self-doubt arises from an obsession with a lack of something – time, money or opportunities. “Let it go,” Mr. Nurse says. “The scarcity mindset will only guarantee you live a scarcity life.” His life improved when he began to tithe himself, initially donating 1 per cent of his income, then 2 and now 14. He urges an abundance mindset: There is more than enough to go around.
• The Distracted: Your attention keeps being drawn to other things, as did Isaac Newton’s until he made time for stillness and solitude (and watching an apple drop) after his grandfather advised, “Sometimes when you want to get somewhere quickly, you must first go slow.” Mr. Nurse recommends taking time each day to put your phone on airplane mode, ideally for a long imaginary flight to Hawaii.
• The Underestimater: Don’t underestimate yourself. Often, he says, that comes from believing what others think – limiting yourself to a box constructed from the feedback of others. Being underestimated, he says, gifts you the opportunity to surpass their wildest expectations.

Mr. Nurse says you are not just one of those archetypes but over time all of them. Now get over it. Do it.

Quick hits

• If each of us took 10 per cent of the time we devote to work and shifted it to relationship building – sincere, supportive connections – we would receive impressive financial and emotional rewards, argues entrepreneur Larry Thornton.
• Career coach Marlo Lyons advises before your vacation send e-mails to people who run the standing meetings in your workplace to tell them you won’t be attending and check if they need anything from you before you leave. As well, send an e-mail the week before departing to your manager, team members and cross-functional stakeholders letting them know when you’ll be on vacation and the date you’ll return.
• Former New York Times columnist Adam Bryant, now a consultant, tells the university graduating class of 2023 to be successful they will need to make their team better: Look for opportunities to help your peers and your bosses. He also notes that every job is a mix of things you like to do and things you don’t like to do. Try to learn something from every task or challenge.
• Everyone is a perfectionist when they care enough, observes Farnam Street blogger Shane Parrish.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article stated Bach was deaf. There is speculation of this, but no clear evidence.

Harvey Schachter is a Kingston-based writer specializing in management issues. He, along with Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, are the authors of When Harvey Didn’t Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership.