http://www.buzzsprout.com/3089/40707-on-your-marks.js?player=small Get Set… Many of today’s thought-leaders tout the importance of living meaningful lives. They provide profound and deeply meaningful offerings to get us moving: step-by-step solutions, workbooks, and inspirational videos, transformational prose, pod casts, workshops, seminars… and nearly all of the information can be powerful, and holds true wisdom. They incite us to:
play a Bigger Game by daring yourself to go after your vision
I could not agree more! Thought-leaders… we stand united!
And… Why are so few racing towards the “finish line” while so many of us remain “on our marks”?
As the Lion from The Wizard of Oz said, “Whatta they got that I ain’t got?” “Courage!”
And that, my dear friends is part of the problem. We the waiting, believe that we’ve got to have “courage” to start to run, and that the proof of having courage is feeling courageous.
Bull-twaddle.
Being courageous feels T-E-R-R-I-F-Y-I-N-G.
If you’re waiting to feel courageous, you’re going to be waiting for a very… long… time.
So, knowing that, do you want to take your first strides away from the starting line? Here are some things to know to get started:
Answer this question: Who are you? In order to have an impact on the world, you need to know what you offer, and what you bring. And in order to do that you’ve got to start to get to know your Self. (If you can’t answer this question, it may be a lack of self-knowledge that holds you “on your marks”. Watch for my upcoming book for more.)
What do you want? If it doesn’t scare the “twaddle” out of you to say it out loud, it’s probably not important enough to you. Have the guts to say what you want even if just to yourself, for starters… You will have to tell others eventually, so practice in the mirror.
As you get started you will likely continue to feel terrified every day. Fear is just a feeling; it is highly improbable that it is going to kill you. What you do (or not) with that fear is where you can get into trouble.
The bigger the moves you make the more terrified you are going to feel.
It will get easier. As you become better at what you’re doing, you will start to feel less terrified. (Until you decide to do the next “big thing”.)
85% of your fears are in your head. 10% are things that you can improve upon to support you, and the remaining 5% are people or circumstances that just don’t get you… that’s to be expected. (These figures may vary, but the point is that the vast majority of your fears are all made up).
See the finish line in your mind’s eye every day. Visualize it at breakfast, lunch, dinner and before you go to bed. (If you can get an actual picture of your goal, all the better. Either way, you’ve got to “see it”.)
Look around you. You are not alone. Anyone who has ever accomplished something of importance did so by going through their fears and overcoming them… and then overcoming them again.
Always infinite possibilities… always your choice.
This blog reminds me of my first trip overseas. I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to go to Greece, so I went solo. Things went very well and things went very wrong.
At the end of the trip, I was stuck on an island due to inclement weather and an airline strike (when my flight from Athens to NYC left without me). The airline which had sworn to me it wasn’t going on strike didn’t want to put me on another plane without payment of another large fare (plus fees, for missing the first flight).I didn’t have enough money to buy a new ticket and I was scared to death. What I did was mobilize myself and everyone I knew, including friends, family, and the lovely proprietor of the place I was staying, to protest the airlines “policy.” I got my flight back without paying an additional fare. When I got to the airport and told them who I was, I noticed that everyone behind the ticket desk was buzzing my name. They had heard of my efforts and I had become a cause célèbre! ;-DWhenever I feel afraid about taking on a new project (especially something I’ve never done before), I remember that trip and do it anyway.
I learned that we have “options” when it comes to being afraid. We sometimes treat our fear as though it were a broken leg, but it’s an emotion, not a physical obstacle to taking action. It can’t paralyze us if we don’t let it. (And it feels so GOOD when we confront what we are afraid of and succeed!)
My solo trip to Greece was a watershed moment. I had a great time, met some super people, learned a lot about ancient Greece, and improved my self-esteem… all in one fell swoop!
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Anonymous
Terrific! Great learning!
It also sounds as though you learned that you are a courageous person, and that *you* get to decide how you are going to move forward; not your saboteur.
Thanks for sharing that!
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