How many times have you had a great idea, an awesome opportunity or simply the ability to try something out of your ‘norm’ and you passed it by? We all like normalcy, familiarity and safety, new and ‘foreign’ options challenge our sense of balance and safety. I bet you just thought back and can name at least one thing or, if you’re like most, several things that you coulda, shoulda, woulda done differently.
You know the thing that most commonly stops all of us…now we can all make lots of excuses…but the real scientific reason, is between our ears.
Your brain…your subconscious actually…is like a little regulator on your shoulder either pushing you forward or slamming on your internal brakes. It can be the source of your personal power of the cause of dream crushing self-doubt.
EVERY successful person that you or I know or could name…yep that actress, business person or athlete has exactly the same fears, anxieties and doubts that you and I do. The difference is that they know how to channel the energy, calm the internal fears, look for alternatives, overcome the obstacles, and take a chance and ask for help.
“There is nothing good or bad, but thinking has made it so.” – William Shakespeare
A good friend and co-author of mine, Lee Milteer, wrote a book entitled Reclaim the Magic, The Real Secrets to Manifesting Anything You Want. It’s a great read, great advice…get a copy.
She writes; “The brain functions with precision, receiving, processing, storing and then acting on the information it has stored.”… “Many of your old self-limiting beliefs have no foundation of truth but they grow like weeds! Instead of empowering your authentic self and purpose, they hold you back from success.”
If you are going to grow as a person or as a leader, it is imperative that you do everything you possibly can to learn new something new every day. It is critical that you limit the negativity that you are inevitably exposed to. As the saying goes in the computer world, garbage in, garbage out.
I’m not immune to this any more than you are. However, being aware of it, I have developed some personal strategies that might be helpful to you:
- Get up in the morning and look for something to be thankful for, the sight of a family member, a quick hug, a sloppy dog kiss or just a perfectly made cup of coffee. [Being grateful, and actively recognizing the gratitude, puts your mind in a completely different place.]
- Limit your daily intake of crappy news…I watch the news from a couple of trusted sources and never have the news as the first or last thing I do in a day. I refuse to either begin or end MY DAY fed by the crap and agendas of others.
- Read something of educational value every day.
- Avoid negative and toxic people…as much as possible.
- Do something nice for somebody else…the rush of good feelings from the flow of Serotonin and Dopamine is worth the effort long past the event.
If you want to increase your effectiveness, your capabilities, your leadership and problem solving skills, increase the control over what you allow into your head.
Your personal power IS between your ears…guard the gates wisely.
Be well,
#TakeTheStrongRoad
