I always love spring and its precious gift of renewal. Budding trees, little flowers sprouting up, getting your hands dirty in flower pots or the garden. While my favorite season is summer, I do enjoy the beauty that I experience in the burst of warmer temperatures. This is also the time that clients really start to dig into some new goals. It often comes disguised as fitting into a new swimsuit or looking great in summer clothes. But is it really about that? Or is it about overcoming some limiting thoughts about something else?
I was visiting with a colleague recently who expressed a feeling of diminished confidence. They told me: “I don’t always speak up because, what if I am wrong?” I was a bit surprised, as this person is someone I respect and think highly of. The ideas that I get from this person are valuable and I gain a lot of insight from our conversations. Interesting. As we continued our conversation, it struck me that my friend was stuck in a replay loop that was not going to be overcome as long as the limiting belief was not addressed and overcome.
I remember back to when I had my first coaching session. I told my coach that I was unsure she was ever going to be able to help me. I knew myself well, I knew what I wanted and I knew how to get it. I was certain that since she did not know me personally and did not understand my profession, she would not be able to move the needle on my professional growth any more than I could without her. And I was wrong. On all counts.
I was so busy giving the excuses of why I could not grow to a million dollars, of why I could not lose any weight, etc., that I built huge roadblocks to protect myself from fear and failure. What would people think if I said something out loud and then I was wrong and it didn’t come to reality? I feared that people might think I was dumb, inadequate, not worthy…. All the things. And Coach Marla? She just sighed and told me it sounded like we had plenty of work to do. I can hear that sigh 20 years later. You see, 20 years ago, I was just like the colleague above. I let others tell me what was or, more often, wasn’t possible. I believed what they believed about all the things. And they were wrong. After coaching, coaching and some more coaching, I discovered that my capability did not rely on others’ thoughts. It didn’t come from actions on their part, only mine. And if I continued to believe what they believed, I’d always be playing smaller and not fulfilling my heart’s desire.
So what if you stopped believing the lie? What if you took a small step toward finding out what you really want? Those things you say – “I wish I could….”, “One day, I want to ….”, or “When I get ….” – ALL of them are possible when you change what you allow yourself to believe. We all have within us the power to create our future. It’s in how you think, how you talk to yourself, and what actions you are willing to take to break into your true self. The world is waiting for you to arrive. We’re waiting to see you show up for yourself and the greater good. There will always be risk of failure. But failure doesn’t win if you keep trying. The world needs us all to show up and bring our A game.
I am ready. Are you?