What story are you telling yourself? Do these sound familiar? “I can’t do it.” I don’t have what it takes? “I am not really good at that.” Many of us tell ourselves stories that have us stuck in our current situation. A young lady for years remained in a job which did not have her fulfilled. She told herself similar stories, including another classic one, “ I will get to it someday.” Only she never did. Rather, the company decided one day that it wanted to make a change. Unlike the young lady, the company had no hesitation, nor told itself a story to hold unto this staff. They felt it was time for a change, and without giving it much thought, they made the change. What is it that lead to the stories we tell ourselves?
FEAR:
Many of us are riddled with fear. Fear has been described as “False Evidence Appearing Real.” To many of us, especially women, fear is palpable, and whether real or not, it causes us to create stories in our minds that immobilize us.
SELF-LIMITING BELIEFS:
Many of us develop self-limiting beliefs that we commit to, which thwart our perspectives in life. These believes might stem from a childhood experience/s or may be based on a mistake that may have occurred at some point in our lives, which we play over and over in our minds. These beliefs as they are rightly named, limit us, and our progress in life. Interestingly enough, we are often aware that we are dealing with self-limiting beliefs but find it hard to crawl out of that rut.
LACK OF COURAGE:
Courage has been described as the ability to do something that frightens us. The stories we tell ourselves hinder us from acting courageously, which creates more stories in our minds that further erodes our courage. It is like a vicious cycle.
NOT WILLING TO SEEK FOR HELP:
Some people realize that they need to make a change, and might need help to do so, but feel that they can manage on their own, or that they cannot afford to seek for help. What they fail to realize is that the cost of not seeking for help, at appropriate time might be more costly in the long run. The young lady in the story I shared at the beginning of this post could have sought for the help of a mentor or coach, who could have supported her in making the needed change that would have placed her in a better position at her then current company or would have equipped her to seek for a better career. This is an example of how costly not seeking for help can be.
How can you change your story today? You do not need to go it alone. DIY (Do it Yourself) has it’s moments. When it comes to your future, or matters, if they persist, that could affect your health, you may want to seek for the help of a qualified coach or mentor.
What story do you need help changing today?
