Storytelling is a powerful medium, and when harnessed correctly, can make huge life altering changes. Yet many people simply fail to find the right ingredients to supply a quality story, a story that will give them the life, business and career of their dreams.
Have you ever had that thought, you know the one, where no matter what you do, others are somehow just always doing better than you?
That maybe they were dealt a better hand, and no matter how hard you tried it just never quite worked out for you like it did for them?
Come on, sure you have… We are just human right!
Maybe you had big dreams, crazy ideas (what you consider crazy) and high hopes. However, you changed your story, you stopped chasing the big dreams, told yourself the ideas were crazy and as mentioned above, you probably thought you just don’t have the right ingredients, or have been dealt a bad hand.
But it’s these limiting thoughts that really cripple us, it’s these beliefs that hold us in the same place we are and will keep you there permanently. Doubt has killed more dreams than failure ever has, yet we know most of the time why this happens, and we still decide to do nothing about it.
Whatever you put up with you end up with, and whatever you resist will continue to persist, the only way to make a positive change, is to make a positive change.
And this starts with the story you tell yourself…
But first let me explain a little but about why the positive change is hard, and what stops you from releasing that full potential you know you have locked away deep inside. Do you know the feeling I’m talking about?
When you know deep down that you are brilliant, that you can make a big impact on the world, your life or even your business and career. Yet you just can’t quite get the formula right, something holds you back, and no matter what you try others just seem to do it better, get better results and progress faster.
You know that you can do it, you have that feeling inside that if only the timing was right, or the opportunity was there, maybe if you had the money to do it. What if I came from a privileged background, and my parents could help…
The Lizard Brain.
The oldest part of your brain, the brain stem, responsible for primitive survival instincts. Seth Godin talks about the lizard brain in his book Linchpin, he explains that The lizard brain cares what everyone else thinks because status in the tribe is essential to its survival, the lizard brain only wants to eat and be safe.
It certainly doesn’t want to overexpose itself, this is a surefire way to put some heat on, and the predators will be on the prowl. The lizard brain is in a constant state of survival, yet survival and success are two very different concepts.
So unbeknown to you, this inner force that you wish to release and change the world has been numbed to protect its very survival.
Yet most of the survival instincts that operate in the lizard brain have been programmed from old habits, stories that have been conditioned into us from an early age, a very early age…
We make excuses, don’t follow through on what we say, wish to lose weight but don’t change our diet, want to impress someone, but do the complete opposite, wish things were easier, rather than us being better.
We try to protect ourselves from risk and exposure, if we are exposed we get eaten.
This is all formulated from the stories we create. I remember a drinking friend of mine losing his job as a service manager, and was browsing the local job papers. He went on to say that nothing was available, I asked to see the paper and found a job that detailed the exact role he had done previously.
Yet when I questioned him about this, he said he couldn’t possibly apply for this because the salary was close to three times what he had been paid previously. However, the job spec and role were identical to his previous role.
The story he told himself was that he was not up to the job, that he wasn’t experienced enough and wasn’t worthy of a salary to that scale. I pushed him into the interview and he got the job!
And it’s these stories we tell ourselves each and every day that prevent us from reaching our full potential and unlocking that inner calling.
So first up, stop comparing yourself to others, this will always make you feel bad.
Secondly stop worrying about what others think, or may think. The truth is, others don’t think about you as much as you think they do anyway.
Thirdly, look back over your life, look at the greatness you have already achieved. Maybe it’s work you have done, that you have been kind to others, the things you have achieved, and really validate yourself on what you have already done, not what you haven’t done.
Next up build some emotion around your new story, and the best way to do this is through motion. Move more, get expressive, go for a walk, listen to the music that makes you feel good, watch those films that make you smile ear to ear.
I personally find that meditation and visualisation really helps, everyone can visualise, so start by visualising the things you have achieved and wish to achieve, and get used to feeling good about them.
Then finally go out and take the action to make it real, speak up in meetings, go to the event you keep putting off, make that Facebook post or comment that you have been scared to post, in case someone questions or confronts it.
And most importantly apply the lessons you learn, so many study books and material yet do nothing with it, you MUST apply the teachings!
And if things don’t work out, don’t fret, learn from it and try it again. You need to have a failure in order to learn, success teaches you very little, you learn the most from failing.
Why not book a free 30 minute Success Call with me and start changing your story today – BOOK YOUR CALL NOW >>