Neutralize the Biggest Threat to Your Success

Mar 18

At Coach University, there are nine guiding principles that help us understand how people interact with the world. They are:

1. 

   Photo by Catherine

   People Have Something in Common

2. People Are Inquisitive
3. People Contribute
4. People Grow From Connection
5. People Seek Value
6. People Act in Their Own Interest
7. People Live From Their Perception
8. People Have a Choice
9. People Define Their Own Integrity

These are masterful, and they are missing one.  Number ten should be “People Have an Undermining Voice.”  This is that little nay-saying, you-can’t-do-it, what-are-you-thinking voice that sabotages our best intentions.  It’s possible that one was left out because it’s a cultural phenomenon only found in the west, but I suspect not as my Indian friends tell me they have it, too.  Maybe they inherited it from the British (wink!)

This subject has come up a lot lately, with friends, networking partners, and clients.  Most often, it is under the guise of “not enough.”  I’m not good enough.  I don’t know enough.  And, it’s partner, “don’t deserve.”  “I don’t deserve to be…” happy, successful, wealthy…. fill in your blank.

This little voice that tells you “you can’t” is the biggest obstacle to your (and my) success.  It’s the thing that shuts you down.  It is the thing that doesn’t allow you to achieve your fullest potential.  It’s your unsubstantiated fear talking, and when you listen, it is your fear winning.

It’s getting in the way of people getting jobs and winning business.

My clients work through this with me, but what are those of you who don’t have coaches doing to neutralize the voice of “I can’t?”

I gave mine the name of someone I don’t like much, and I tell her to shut up.  Of course, not (usually) out loud.  Some of my clients can identify who that voice is from their past and name theirs that.

Another thing I do with my clients is have them turn that statement around into a positive.  One of my self-limiting beliefs is that I will be a pest if I make that follow up phone call.  Does this one resonate with any of you job seekers, salespeople, or business owners?  The way I turn this around is: “I provide a valuable service.  I provide a lot of value in addition to my paid programs.  People need me to help them be greater.  Most can’t do it on their own, and what’s worse, they don’t know it.  I would be doing them a disservice if I didn’t pick up the phone and invite them into my business.”

People can sense this “not-enoughness,” whether it is in a job interview, sales call, or networking event.  Much like negativity, it repels people and opportunities.

I invite you to do whatever it takes to neutralize your internal nay-sayer.  It really is the biggest threat to your ongoing success.

Be Your Best You Today,

Carolann

p.s. – If you recognized your own struggle with your internal nay-sayer, I invite you to join me for a complimentary consultation to see if my coaching services are a fit with what you want and need.  If what you’re doing isn’t working as well as you want it to, a coach might be just what you need.  Register for a complimentary consultation today.

Tags: Action Coach, Active Listening, business coach, Career Coach, Career Management, Carolann Jacobs, coach, coaching, Extraordinary Results, facilitation, Inimitable Leadership, Inspired Workplace, Interview Strategies, Job Interview, Land Your Dream Job, Leadership, Legacy Leadership