When you have a big vision for your life and business, it is easy to let the sheer scale of your dreams overwhelm you. You might look at your current circumstances and wonder if your plans are too big, or if you will fail in front of others. But true impact requires us to step out of our comfort zones and move forward in absolute faith.
On the latest episode of the Wholehearted Impact Podcast, I sat down with a steady, foundational voice in my own journey: my longtime real estate coach and dear friend, Don Jacks. Don has spent over thirty years in the real estate industry and the last two decades coaching high-achieving business owners to help them reach their highest potential.
Our conversation pulled back the curtain on the real, unpolished side of business growth, offering a gentle roadmap for anyone ready to move from a solo doer to an impactful leader.
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or watch on YouTube.
The Power of Action
When looking at the patterns of business owners who grow versus those who stay stuck, Don points to one distinct characteristic: immediate execution. Top producers do not sit in endless contemplation or wait for the perfect moment to begin. They act.
Don shares a simple rule for pushing through the fear of making mistakes: if a decision can be undone quickly and the financial risk is minimal, stop overthinking it. We have to be willing to get a messy first iteration out into the world to ever reach the refined, final product we want.
If things do not work out exactly as planned, you can always pivot and make a new decision. Failure is not the opposite of growth; it is the very path we walk to get there.
Moving from Solo Doer to Scaled Leader
One of the greatest hurdles for any growing entrepreneur is learning how to stop doing everything yourself. It is easy to fall into the quiet trap of perfectionism, believing that no one else can do the job quite as well as you can.
To truly scale a business, a leader must be willing to let go of control and trust the people around them. Don explains that scaling requires taking the systems out of your head and putting them into clear, defined job descriptions. It means slowing down your pace just enough to bring your team along beside you.
When you stop trying to be the transaction coordinator, the marketer, and the janitor all at once, you finally create the space for true magic to happen in your organization.
Defining Overwhelm and Closing the Loops
When a leader feels completely overwhelmed, Don notes that it usually means they are underplanned. The mind gets crowded with an internal dialogue of worry and unseen tasks.
To quiet that anxiety, Don recommends a simple practical process:
- Do a physical brain dump: Get every single worry and task out of your head and onto paper so it becomes tangible.
- Filter the noise: Look at the list and decide what can be deleted, what can be delegated, and what can be delayed.
- Prioritize the “now” column: Bring just two or three activities to the front of your focus so you do not get distracted by the rest.
Don also warns against leaving too many “open loops” in our daily lives. Constantly agonizing over unfinished, half-started projects drains our emotional energy. By implementing focused, uninterrupted jam sessions, we give ourselves permission to shut out the world and bring a single project to completion.
The Courage to Set God-Sized Goals
As we wrapped up our conversation, Don left us with a powerful challenge: check in on the size of your goals. It is comfortable to set goals that are safe and manageable. But what changes when you choose to set an unreasonable, God-sized goal?
A God-sized goal is a vision so large that there is absolutely no way it can be accomplished without divine intervention and deep personal growth. It forces you to step into the next chapter of yourself.
As the beautiful Marianne Williamson poem reminds us, playing small does not serve anyone. When you find the courage to let your own light shine, you unconsciously give the people around you permission to do the exact same thing.
Listen to Episode 31 of the Wholehearted Impact Podcast, with Don Jacks on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.
Thank you for holding space for these honest, human conversations.
Sending you so much grace and peace. 🤍
With all my love and purpose,
Jen Majors
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