I Believe I Can Fly! Or...Not
It is said that our beliefs and thoughts shape our experience. If this is true, and I believe it is, then I pose this question:
Do your thoughts and beliefs about success, your abilities and what is really possible help or impede your progress toward your goals and dreams?
Before you answer that, I will break it down by asking another question. Have you ever examined your belief system? I am not talking about your moral, spiritual or religious beliefs necessarily, but what you believe to be true ABOUT YOU. In one of my sessions with my coach, I was a little shocked, and slightly amused (more like horrified), at what I actually believed to be true. When I heard the words pass my lips, I was completely dumbfounded.
How could I, a self-aware, positive-Polly coach have such skewed beliefs?
Well, I learned that I held these beliefs because I had never slowed down long enough to even know they existed. However, something interesting happened; once I spoke the words and thoughts out with my coach, I realized that they were pure garbage, but had been swimming around in my mind, taking up valuable space, for years. No wonder I felt like I was struggling, even when I wasn’t.
So let’s circle-back to the original question, and I will break it down even more, by asking more questions, because, well, I’m a coach and that’s what I do. This process of slowing down - gaining insight and clarity - works like magic in helping clear the pathway toward faster, more abundant, and exquisite fulfillment. So stay with me, and grab a pen and paper (or electronic device if you’re fancy).
The original question: Do your thoughts and beliefs about success, your abilities and what is really possible help or impede your progress toward your goals and dreams?
Now becomes 3 questions:
- What are 3 beliefs you hold about success (yours, that of others, and success in general)?
- What are 3 beliefs you hold about your abilities? (skills, strengths, habits, potential/limitations)
- What are 3 beliefs you hold about what is really possible? (can you really fly? Is it really possible to meet your financial and career goals?)
Without self-judgment (we do enough of that already, don’t you think?) go back and look at your answers. Next to each answer, write whether each of those beliefs is Helpful (H) or Impeding (I) in your progress toward your goals and dreams. This is where it can get tricky for the typical high-achiever…DO NOT JUDGE or try to “fix” this. Just observe. Get curious. If you start to feel anxious, upset or frustrated, say my favorite word in any language, “Hmmmmmmm.” This will pause you long enough to stop the monkey dance in your brain, and will give you a moment to breathe, stop what you are doing and just observe. If you must, ask yourself, “I wonder….what is the exact opposite belief? How does that feel?” and then move on.
Will there be work to be done after you have examined your beliefs and perhaps encounter some that do not serve you in reaching your highest aspirations? Likely, yes. Here’s the deal, though: by raising your awareness, you are taking your power into your own hands rather than leaving your power in the hands of your ego (the “voice of reason” in your head trying to keep you “safe” by holding you back from really reaching your highest self - your genius).
Once you have taken some time to examine your beliefs and get curious about them, you will be better equipped to dis-create/crush/annihilate what no longer serves you and replace with upgraded, healthier, more successful thoughts and beliefs. Once there, you now you can update your story and write your new vision of success. Go you!
I wish you the best of success as you sort out your belief systems and choose to replace impeding beliefs with helpful beliefs, one at a time.
Blessings. Gratitude. Love.