Who would you be if there was nothing holding you back?
How many times have we been led by fear in our lives, be it personally, in work or business? I can put my hand up for this, I have so many strategies developed to support this fear through procrastination, denial, excuses and avoidance. We all do! And to think about all we are missing out on by saying no!
I had the pleasure of experiencing #beyondthetrees in Avondale, Co. Wicklow a couple of weeks ago while on my holiday to Wexford. The excitement was fierce when my children heard about the slide that goes from the 18th level to ground floor in 15ish seconds!! Not so much on my part as I normally run a mile from that sort of adrenaline stuff! I had to be taken off the kids merries a few years back as I was so scared!!
My automatic response was absolutely not a hope in hell were you getting me on that slide!! But this time I decided to take a different approach. I decided that I would join in rather than stand by and watch. I made a conscious decision that I would survive this slide, that even though it might be scary and that I would probably roar my head off going down (and feel foolish about that!), it was important that I tried it. I talked myself down from the fear, long enough to do the slide and be proud of myself afterwards! And yes, I roared all the way down!!
And I was so proud of myself and my children got such a laugh from it!
Perfectionism is another strategy we use to hold us back. “It all has to be finished perfectly before I will be able to share it with anyone”, fear is the power in perfectionism that is causing us to feel less than, not good enough.
But you are good enough. You have worked hard enough. You are enough.
One of the mantras I use when I am feeling the wobbles is “I am enough, I have enough, I know enough”. It settles me straight away and reminds me that I am working from my experience not from my false and insecure perception of what others expect.
Where are you holding yourself back in your life or your business? What excuses are you making for not having progressed to where you wanted?
What is stopping you from starting now? How about adopting a bold and daring strategy called “Start now, one step at a time” or “Done is better than perfect”? How about you start now and test the work you have completed and see how it is received? Others are not looking for perfection, they are looking for connection!
Yes it takes courage to show yourself as you are, but remember this- you are the only one out there who can do what you do the way you do it and that is pretty special.
When I started my business, I made a conscious decision that I would say yes to all the opportunities coming my way.
Was I terrified?
absolutely.
Did I learn from the experience?
I learned loads about myself and my abilities.
Did I regret it?
Absolutely not!
Did I have fun?
Lots of it!
Sometimes when an interesting opportunity comes our way, we become fearful and we forget the endless amazing possibilities and joy we can gain from this.
Have a little chat with yourself regularly to see where you are limiting yourself and your potential. You might be surprised with what you are telling yourself.
