[buzzsprout episode=”44592″ player=”true”]
Ugh… ever have one of those days where you just doubt everything you do? Where you wonder if you’ll ever make an impact upon the world? Ever make a difference? The only thing that goes through your mind is “I suck at this”? No? Hmm… I’ve gotta say, I don’t believe you. I think we all go through this sometimes. And I’ll tell you something, it’s happening because you’re getting too close.
“Too close?” you ask? “Too close to what?”
Too close to making a change in your life… too close to changing the tide. Too close to what you were meant to be doing. Too close to stepping into your most powerful, effective self. If your “resistance” or your “gremlin” or your “saboteur” didn’t keep you in line with this kind of negativity, you might get seriously out of control and actually DO something meaningful. So, every now and then, when you’re in the middle, or getting close to doing something meaningful, that nasty &*%^# voice will chime in and give it to you hard. That’s how it works. It’s classic torture… lots of time to envision a different reality interspersed with periodic pain to knock you down. But this time, you’re doing it to yourself.
This is important to remember… and I wrote about it in my post “The Blessings of the Saboteur”: whenever you’re beginning to feel the crappiest, watch closely. What have you been doing? Rocking your own world? Thinking about all the change you’re about to make? Contemplating those things that could bring you the most happiness? Envisioning a future that’s bright and filled with meaningful experiences? And then what? WHAM! It hits you in the knees. “Climb down off of that mountain, you could hurt yourself!” it says… “Take a risk? What? And fail? Who do you think you ARE?” and down the drain you go.
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION… this is a vicious circle designed to keep you small, keep you “safe”, keep you in the land of quiet mediocrity.
Changing your behavior, changing your approach to the world, changing your vision and then taking the steps to get there is often a constant uphill battle with that &*%^# internal voice. As Seth Godin says in his book Tribes “if leading was easy, everyone would be doing it.”
“Wait a minute?” you say, “When did “leading” come into the conversation?” When you are talking about changing your life, making a difference, moving towards something that matters to you, you are leading; you are boldly stepping out of “the status-quo” and you are breaking new ground. You are “leading” in your own life.
You are going to meet with resistance: first your own, and then the resistance of others. Get over it. It’s gonna happen… this is why it is SO important to understand “why”.
- Why are you doing this?
- Why do you want to change your life?
- What is the intended outcome?
- Why does it matter?
If you’re not sure, don’t even start. Don’t set yourself up to fail by not knowing where you’re going. Make a clear plan. Set a clear intention. Know why… and push through the resistance that will show up: guaranteed. Know it will show up, and be ready for when it does. Know it for what it IS. You are getting some where! Keep Going.
Credits:
Painting: The Doldrums by Michael Shapcott.
Music (in pod cast): “Believe”, ©Copyright 2008, Lenny Kravitz
Leave a Reply