OVERCOMING FEAR OF SUCCESS

Marie TV

It's amazing how once you discover something truly powerful for yourself, the Universe drops more powerbombs in your path. 

The awesome video above by one of my new superheros - empowerment master, Marie Forleo - is a perfect example. 

It offers practical tips for overcoming fear of success and emphasizes the power of the subconscious mind in how our lives manifest. 100% relevant in my world... and perhaps yours too.  

Like so many others, I've been faced with overcoming my fear of success. It sounds ridiculous to admit being fearful of something we all want... or at least say we do. How can we be afraid of that? Easily.

Here are just 5 reasons we fear success:
1) we're afraid we'll fail 
2) we're afraid we'll threaten or alienate others
3) we're afraid we'll get what we want and it won't be satisfying
4) we're afraid we won't have time or energy for anything or anyone else once we have it (i.e., we'll have to sacrifice something major)
5) we're afraid we'll lose ourselves

Last week I acknowledged my very real desire to take this blog to the next level and ultimately make it my full-time gig. Yeah baby!

I've hesitated for a long time for many reasons - most notably that f-ing voice in my head guilting me with all the "CONCERNS & SHOULDS" about committing to another entrepreneurial venture... one that will take time and effort away from securing a  "safe and stable" job. 

When I put all that aside and really gave myself permission to look at my needs and wants without judgment, three things became undeniably clear...

1) For the first time ever, I'm clear and confident that this is what I want. HALLE-FRIGGIN-LUJAH!... THANK YOU GOD!!!

2) YES, I have real concerns about how I'll make it all happen... and that's ok. I know as I continue to get clearer, I'LL FIND A WAY.

3) NO, I'm not willing to put my dreams to bed just yet... not without a fight, anyway. NO GUTS, NO GLORY!

Sometimes we can't see why we're stuck. It's a shitty feeling that signals the need for deeper investigation. Uncovering the reasons I'd been holding myself back freed me up to get the hell out of my own way. How? 

Consider that your mind is like an iceberg, with just a small percentage living consciously, out in the open air. The rest is hidden in your subconscious, where it can only be explored by going down deep beneath the surface. 

Here at the surface, I'd been saying I wanted success for myself and I was taking action toward that end. But deep down in the depths of my subconscious, my beliefs didn't align.  

I'd been afraid to really admit that I was clear about what I wanted. That would then mean I had to go for it, and let's face it, that can be terrifying. 

But the biggest fear wasn't the commitment. It was that I wasn't capable or deserving. I feared I'd fail, or get overwhelmed and ultimately have to sacrifice everything else - friends, a love life, children, my sanity. Sound familiar?

At times the subconscious fears were so strong, I'd somehow sabotage my own efforts. That would leave me beyond confused and essentially hating myself. Not good.

I was either acting without clear intention, or worse, in opposition of my real intention. I was contradicting myself and sending very mixed messages to the Universe. 

Conscious or not, what we give out is almost always what we get right back...

THE BOOMERANG THEORY

What do you see for yourself in this conversation? What's lurking in your subconscious that keeps you from getting what you really want up here at the surface? 

Watch the video! Acknowledge what you really want and consider that your fears about getting there are the only thing standing in your way. 

xoxo

PEACE, LOVE & POWERBOMBS!

SILENCE THE NOISE!

Last week I was interviewed on SpeakSpin Internet Radio for a show on blogging basics. Check it out here.

I never did live radio or anything like it before.

I was really nervous.

I generally feel more confident in my writing vs. speaking ability.

As much as I can easily write about myself, I'm sometimes grossly uncomfortable talking about myself.

Somewhere along the way I told myself a story that I'm not a good speaker.

Until the last year, I've been living into that, avoiding anything that required me to speak in public.

I almost let it stop me from accepting the offer to do the show. I thought... I'm not an expert, I'm not good articulating my thoughts on the spot, etc.

I hate being stopped by my fears... case in point: skydiving twice despite a fear of heights.

So I decided it was time to change that story and begin mastering that skill.

How many times has this happened to you? How many times have you backed away from an opportunity or avoided a situation because you decided without question that you would suck at it? 

We're all great story tellers... sadly, most of our stories are full of shit.

What stories are you telling yourself that hold you back? 

What you believe about yourself is powerful. It dictates how you operate in your life and live into your experiences.

We all have our natural abilities but nothing is set in stone. 

Most of the time, we acknowledge what goes on in our heads as reality when the truth is, we create our reality with what we choose to buy into.

We can't control every thought that pops into our head, but we can control which ones we choose to believe. 

We act according to what we think, so choose thoughts that lead to positive beliefs and powerful actions.

I worked all week on pumping myself free of the old story and full of the new one... that I'm an authentic, articulate, kick-ass speaker.

To kick it up a notch, I visualized the scenario going exactly the way I wanted it to go. I imagined feeling confident, engaged, and at ease.

It may sound a little ra-ra for some, but trust me, it seriously works.

The show wasn't perfect, but it went really well and I was proud to have done it despite my fear.

Next time will be a cakewalk in comparison.

This week, choose one negative belief you've held about yourself and really consider spinning it around. What would be possible for you?

Watch how many "but..." and "there's no way" stories pop up. If you were to put all that BS aside, and do that thing anyway, what would open up?

The people who are successful in life weren't born with a "perfection" gene (well, David Beckham might be the exception).

Uber-successful people have fears and doubts too. They just continue moving forward in spite of them.

Don't get stopped by your fears. Choose stories that work in your favor so you can live your happy ending.




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Thanks, have a great week!!!

xoxo