“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” – anonymous
What holds you back from reaching your success? The answer to that question may be closer than you realize.
The swimming events in the 2008 Summer Olympics were going to be epic. Michael Phelps seemed poised to break the record Mark Spitz had set over 35 years prior (in 1972, Spitz won 7 gold medals – all in world record times). You can move you to where you want to go, or you can hold yourself back. The choice is yours.
The buzz around Phelps had been building, and every news story seemed to focus on whether or not he would manage to win more than Spitz’s 7.
In the midst of all the buzz, one newscaster stopped to interview another swimmer who would be facing Phelps in one of his runs.
“How do you face a swimmer who seems so focused on winning gold?”
The response of the swimmer said everything. “I’m just trying to get second.” He had already given up on beating Phelps and winning gold. He was willing to settle for second place.
The mind plays a powerful role in whether you win or whether you lose – either in an Olympic race or in business (or anywhere in between). If you think you can, then you can. If you think you can’t, then you won’t.
The only thing standing between you and your success looks back at you from the mirror every day. You can move you to where you want to go, or you can hold yourself back. The choice is yours.
What Holds You Back?
FEAR
Fear holds you back from reaching your success. It tells you that you can’t or won’t. But fear is often False Evidence Appearing Real. It’s an apparition, a mirage, or a delusion concocted to stop you in your tracks.
Fear comes in many forms and more shapes than you can shake a stick at. It’s the creeping sensation you get on the back of your neck, the turning in your stomach, or the loss of breath. When you are facing down the false fear, you have to revert back to what you know.
You have the skills. You’ve been training and planning for this. You know what to do, so get to the edge and jump.
You have the focus. You set the goals and mapped out a strategy for reaching your goals. You know where you are headed, so step.
You have the resources. You’ve gathered the people, the finances, and the additional resources you need to move forward, so move.
DOUBT
Doubt makes you second guess your abilities or your training, even when your conscious mind knows you have invested what is necessary to do what needs to be done. Ultimately, doubt is the balancing act between true belief and unbelief. Until you get to a place where you believe beyond a doubt, doubt will win.
You defeat doubt with belief.
Speak your belief.
Saying it out loud reinforces your truth.
Write it down.
The more ways you infuse your belief into your heart and mind the stronger it will grow.
Surround yourself with others that believe.
Find and invest in people who believe you can and encourage you to do.
FAILURE
If you want to beat failure, then try.Failure taunts you into staying where you are. Better to not try than to try and fail. Yet, the only way to truly fail is to not try. Everything else is a learning experience. When you refuse to take a step, you give failure the victory.
If you want to beat failure, then try.
- Try, even if you have to stop short.
- Try, even if you miss the mark.
- Try, even if you don’t win.
Try, and then review your actions.
- What did you do right?
- What can you do better?
- What can you outsource?
The more you try, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you grow. The more you grow, the harder it becomes for failure to deter you from trying.
THEY
They will tell you how to do what you want to do (and they will be wrong). They will demand you follow the steps they took (but your path is unique). They will yell louder and longer than any other noise out there. If you give into all they demand, you will never find your way. When you dare to dream, set a goal to reach the dream, and then go until you get there, you will reach all you dare to dream.
Learn what you need to know. Practice until you can do it without thinking. Dare to believe until nobody can talk you out of it. When you get to the place where you have done all you can do, then you are positioned to defeat those things trying to hold you back.
The Power Is In You
In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy faces many obstacles trying to get back to her home in Kansas. She faces witches, lions, and flying monkeys. Despite doing everything she’s been told to do, the people around her fail her. The Wizard flys away, leaving Dorothy to mourn for her home
Dorothy worries she will never see home again. When all seems completely lost, Glinda the Good Witch shows up and explains to Dorothy that the power to get home had been with her all along.
Just like Dorothy carried the power in her all along, so do you. You have it within you to reach your goals and live your dreams. When you believe in your dream, and you pursue your dream, and you keep going until you reach your dream, then you will.
When you dare to dream, set a goal to reach the dream, and then go until you get there, you will reach all you dare to dream. You have the power in you. What will you choose?
Join us over at WPprosper for more support on facing down fear, finding your focus, and living your awesome life.
Kathryn Lang believes it is simple, and as an award-winning author and natural-born hopesmith, she shares tips on how to find your why, pursue your purpose, and live a bold, intentional life – always with a dash of twisted encouragement.
