I always had this nagging feeling inside me when I thought about other people I saw doing big things. I wondered how they did it and came to understand that I was really wondering what I was capable of. I was just scared to admit it because then I would have to answer it. And, to be completely transparent, it was frightening because I had to come face to face with my fear. Yes, the F word. And this F word is far more crippling than the profane one because it keeps us from pursuing the exact things that will move us toward our true potential.
When I was training for the Ironman World Championships, I learned a method that unlocked this door for me. Here it is:
Spending my time thinking about how I could do it instead of how I couldn’t.
Ask yourself these questions:
1. What will it look and feel like when I do this? This is mentally traveling into the future and visualizing yourself doing it. This opens your mind to the possibilities, which sparks passion and excitement that then lead your brain to figure out how you can do it through ideas that “bubble up” when you least expect them. Pay attention to those ideas (or people that show up in your life with them) and write them down! Also write down the feelings that come up when you see yourself doing it.
2. What are the positives and benefits that will come from doing this? When we are gripped in fear, we spend time thinking about all of the negatives and obstacles of doing something. Reverse this and spend that time writing down all of the positive outcomes that are possible.
3. What are the reasons you CAN do this? Make a list of all of the reasons you can come up with of why you can’t do it. Then, next to each one, write its opposite, and choose to focus on that list and X-out the other one. Set that list at your bedside so you see it each morning and night. When you choose to focus on that, your brain and heart pick up on it, and carry you through. Before you know it, you will look back and see how your thinking has changed and you are progressing toward your goal, having put Fear in the background.
I challenge and support your work in this. What are your capabilities? What do you want to pursue to bring them out? Unlock the door that leads to your infinite potential. You CAN do it.
About the Author:
Karen Brown, Founder and CEO of Velocity Leadership Consulting
Drawing on 30 years of success as a corporate executive, more than 30,000 hours of senior executive coaching experience, and certification as a Master Neurolinguistics Programming Practitioner, Karen Brown understands the complex challenges CEOs and their senior teams face. A thought leader in leadership and professional performance, Karen leads expert coaches who use the scientific Velocity Power PathwaysTM process to elevate the performance and impact of senior executives.