What fun, exciting, or great thing are you missing out on because you are afraid of failing? Stop missing out!
Fear serves a great purpose for us…it is our mind telling our body to pay attention and it kept us alive for many generations! But when you accept fear for what it is, and why it exists, overcoming it gets easier.
All fear is rooted in uncertainty and serves to help us avoid pain. The only way to reduce or remove fear is by reducing uncertainty by 1) studying the situation or 2) just do it.
I was talking with a coaching client yesterday who kept adding tasks in between now and THE critical task in his journey to success. He was avoiding the fear!
There’s at least one other tactic you can use right away to reduce fear…but you’re going to have to check out the podcast for that one (link in bio)!
Just remember, regardless of what you’re afraid of, it is impossible to demonstrate courage in the absence of fear! If you’re afraid, be courageous and be a winner!
Do you have what you want or settle for what you can get?
As a life and business coach, almost every day I have a conversation with an aspiring business owner that starts out something like, “Yeah, I have a great idea for a widget! I have a solid design and I’m ready to quit my job to work on it, BUT {insert excuse here}!”
You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect, you know, patients given sugar pills experience the same benefits as those that get the real thing? Why is that? Simple, because they believed!
And you don’t have to know how it works to use it to reach your goals! You still fly on an airplane without understanding how to fly it yourself, don’t you? Your understanding has very little to do with it.
You may want to write this date down in your journal because I’m about to give you a pass on something (that NEVER happens!). It’s not your fault! You’ve been duped!
All your life you’ve been told that you can’t buck the system, follow the rules and you’ll get your reward, focus and work hard, etc, etc, etc. Well, I’m here to tell you YOU CAN and YOU SHOULD! Don’t wait! Live your legacy every day…starting today!
You already have the ability to create ANY outcome you want if you will just make the choices that lead to that outcome! All you have to do is BELIEVE!
I want you to find your why and do work that matters! So, leave a comment and let me know what outcome YOU want and what you’re going to do TODAY to take at least one step toward making it a reality!
transformation for the week: From afraid to confident / courageous For Today: Finding the will to win
Do you have what it takes to win? Are you willing to do whatever it takes?
I had a terrible boss once. No, I mean REALLY bad! Combine that with my stubborn streak and what do you get? I became determined to stay at the company longer than he did. That vision, that mission, gave me the will to put up with a LOT of crap!
For many people, the ‘will to win’ is something soldiers or athletes need but you don’t need it in your role, right? Well, maybe! I hate to break this to you but every day won’t be a great day, in fact, some days will be downright terrible. But even those aren’t the days when you need the will to win.
When you’ve been working on that big pitch, trying to land that game-changing client, or working diligently to open a new store…then you lose! The pitch get’s accidentally deleted, the game-changing client goes with someone else. The new store has a new neighbor…your biggest competitor!
Is there something you’re not doing because it’s ‘risky’? Let’s talk about that…
We deal with risk every day. Driving a car, or for that matter just riding in a car, is risky! According to the CDC more than 32,000 people are killed and another 2 million are injured every year in car crashes! Okay…so it’s not risk you’re afraid of…
Maybe instead of saying you are avoiding risk, you could say you’re ‘playing it safe’ or ‘pursuing that safe career instead of the risky business or job opportunity with that startup. I say it has NOTHING TO DO WITH SAFETY!
Nope, you’re not looking for safety… you’re looking for predictability!
We’ve misused the word safety for so long, we don’t even realize it anymore. That job is no more safe than driving…in fact, IT’S MORE RISKY! In 2016, almost 20 million people were laid off or fired! 10x more than the number killed in car crashes!
So be honest, stop saying you want safety and acknowledge that you’re just comfortable with the predictable. THEN you can embrace the risk and start the change!
Perfection (can be) the enemy of execution… Execution yields progress… Progress yields happiness, therefore… (The need for) Perfection is the enemy of Happiness!
Do you know where the road you’re on will take you?
I ask this question a lot and most of the time the answer resembles, “Um, yeah…I guess.” You have probably heard most of your life that if you study hard, get good grades, get a good job and work hard that you can finish happy. The problem is, what about the journey?
See, the reality is that you can do all those things, just like the checklist tells you to, and still have a miserable trip only to arrive at an empty destination. Kind of like that Chevy Chase movie Vacation. After ALL THAT…the park is closed.
So if following the checklist is not what you’re supposed to do…what SHOULD you do? Well, I have good news and bad news… First, the bad news, you’ll have to wait till next week to find out! What and how to change your trajectory is our topic next week on 7 Minutes In the Morning (be sure to watch and listen).
Now for the GOOD News…there is something you can do right now to start the change. Over the weekend I want you to think for yourself, not what anyone else says…what YOU say success looks like to you. Big vacation every year? Maybe three or four mini-vaca’s every year? Private jet or just a nice car. Sky’s the limit here…just take some time this weekend to do this exercise…
Grab a piece of paper, at the top write, “I envision a time when…” then spend the next few days writing out some bullet points to describe what success looks, feels, tastes, sounds and smells like to you.
Bring that with you next week, and we’ll start working on making that plan a reality for you!
There’s a fine line between committed and crazy, have you crossed it?
I once coached a business owner who was frustrated by their lack of progress in bringing their product to market. When I dug into the details, he told me he didn’t really have the time to work on that product because he was so busy answering customer calls for another product.
He was so focused on one product that he was blind to the success that was right in front of him!
Knowing when to stay the course and when to pivot is hard, no doubt about it. We have to have a tenacious spirit and a willingness to do the hard work, but there is also something to be said for taking the outcome that is right in front of you and living to fight another day.
Every situation and circumstance is different and ultimately you have to make these kinds of decisions on your own. But a great place to start is by asking, “which option moves me closer to my goal today?”
The answer may not be the sexy one, but it will very likely be the right one.
If you need help finding your why or setting meaningful goals for your business or you life, send me a message, I can help!
Would you answer your phone the next time it rings if you KNEW the call would change your life for the better? What if it MIGHT change things for the better?
Many people, maybe even you, look at an opportunity as a single big-thing delivered with a bow on top and a card with instructions. The outcome is guaranteed, just plug it in and the world is yours!
But just like many a birthday or Christmas present, the reality of that present is much different than what you’ve built it up to be. Oh yeah, it’s awesome to rip open the paper and see the gift you’ve been hoping for. Then you open the package and the dreaded “Some Assembly Required” or “Batteries Not Included” annotation that you overlooked on the outside of the box becomes painfully real.
So now that gift that you wanted more than anything else just lost a bit of its luster, work is required and now, maybe, you want it just a little bit less.
It’s hard to turn on the television, scan through the YouTube feed, or read through entrepreneur forums without finding a title similar to, “Looking for the next opportunity.” You’ve even seen it on LinkedIn “Between Opportunities.”
The problem is too many people are saying opportunity when they really mean gift. They want a plug-and-play solution when the reality is…it’s not that simple!
You are uniquely gifted, talented, and placed to do work that matters, and that work will call to you. Ever had an idea that just wouldn’t go away? Maybe it was a product idea. Maybe it was an open-ended offer to join a startup. You may find a career and income, maybe even prosperity without it, but you’ll never find fulfillment and the joy of knowing you are answering the call!
Whatever yours is, it is calling to you because THAT is YOUR work that matters. If you’re not answering the call, it’s not too late (remember yesterday! You’re not a tree!) If you’re not sure what that nagging emptiness is, I can help! Just ask.
Have you ever had a request from a customer that was just completely ridiculous? Did you do it anyway?
The only thing that makes any request ridiculous is our perception of the request. If you run an ice cream food truck and someone comes up looking for coffee…you might think that’s ridiculous. For whatever reason, that lost customer didn’t think it was ridiculous… hhmmm. So adding a coffee pot, that’s pretty simple. Adding an espresso machine, not so simple.
Since our job is to solve problems for other people, it stands to reason that the more problems we can solve the more customers we will have. Now, we have to balance cost/benefit for sure, but the more times you say YES, the more happy customers you create…and the more happy customers you create, the better your bottom line will be.
Don’t get hung up on “that’s not what we do here, man” kind of thinking. Make your business about solving problems rather than ___. And if that scares you, good! Real growth only occurs outside your comfort zone! So get out there, say yes, and enjoy the benefits!
Do you ever feel like your business, or maybe your life, are out of your control? You know, it’s more like they are happening TO you rather than FOR you? Then this post is for you!
I know I’ve definitely felt this way from time to time and for me it feels like I’m in a western, riding on the run-away stagecoach. The team is barreling ahead at full gallop and the reins are no where to be found! I’m just holding on trying to keep from being thrown from the wagon to what would surely be my death on the rocky ground below.
Maybe the visualization is different for you but chances are pretty good that you’ve felt this way too. So whom do you hold accountable for this situation? Yourself or someone else? (stick with me here…)
I choose to hold myself responsible…here’s why.
If you blame someone else for your circumstances then you must accept that you are equally dependent upon them for any good circumstances that may come along or for rescuing you from your present funk.
On the other hand, if YOU accept responsibility for where you are, you can now take steps to CHANGE where you are! YOU can…you are in control just by making one simple change.
So the next time you catch yourself pining for better times, take these steps:
1) Get really clear on the outcome you are pursuing. Be able to speak it out loud anytime you’re asked what you do. This needs to become your guidestone, the point that you are always trying to get to, because, when you have this in place, all the other decisions in your business or life become much easier to make!
2) What is the one thing you need to do today to get back on track? Don’t over-think this. The great news is you don’t have to go all the way back to the beginning to get back on course, you just have to make a turn toward the outcome from where you are today! Figure this out before you do anything else, then do ‘the thing’ right away! Now, speaking of going back to the beginning…
3) Step back through your decision making to find the pivotal decision that led you here. The goal here is to recognize the decision so if it appears again, you can make a better one. Don’t spend time trying to justify it or blame someone else for it. It’s kind of like making a wrong turn on a trip. We’re not looking to blame, find fault or justification…we just don’t want to make it again.
If you could use help with any of these steps or you’re interested in helping your whole company find their alignment toward your guidestone, I’d love to help. I’d be happy to have a no-cost, no-obligation chat to see if we are a good fit to work together. Follow the link in my profile or call right now! 844-234-8466
