 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Make Progress Now: Take the Hand Brakes Off Your Life!
Do you find yourself striving upward in life yet making little or no progress? Are you high on activity but low on achievement? Very clearly, it's time to stop, look and listen. You're obviously not doing something right. I'll share with you something that happened to me recently. I believe it will help you understand my point. I am an "Advanced Learner" driver. By now I shouldn't still be wearing my learner plates, I guess I just love the fact that people clear out of the way when I'm coming, and clamour to help me at the slightest sign of driver-distress. Talk about loving thy neighbour! Any way, I was driving up a steep hill one bright Sunday morning when I noticed the car making some not-so-funny growling noises. Also, to my alarm, no matter how hard I stepped on the throttle, the car would not accelerate. It continued its belaboured, uphill climb, growling grudgingly as it went. I made it some how to the top of the hill and pulled over to see what all the fuss was about. As the smell of burning rubber reached my nose, my teenage son, sitting next to me exclaimed, "Mom, the hand brakes are on!" I had been striving upward, making very little progress. I was "high on activity, but low on achievement." Thank God it occurred to me to "stop, look and listen." I had the hand brakes on the whole time; the trouble was entirely my fault! The strange part was that it took some one else to spot the problem. It could have taken me ages, and much further damage, to see it myself. Albert Einstein is reported to have said, "You can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it." Quite often in life we have the hand brakes on and don't even know it. When a little effort doesn't give us the results we desire, we apply more of the same effort. We know something is wrong, we can even smell burning rubber. But sadly, many of us just keep on "screeching on," not taking time out for a re-think, and not asking anyone else for help. The point I'm making is that when we apply ourselves as best we know how, and still do not get the results we desire, it should be obvious that "the best we know how" just isn't good enough. We need to stop, look and listen. We might need outside help. Any further activity could cause even more damage. These hand brakes quite often take the form of self-limiting beliefs. We usually don't know we have them. But if we take the time out, with a trusted friend or coach, our words, actions, inactions and assumptions will quite likely reveal their existence. A case in point: I have a friend who was not getting enough business contracts. She was qualified, capable and her prospects often gave her audience. She presented her business well and had a sound, desirable service to offer. But somehow, prospect-conversion rate remained low. We talked, and after a while her problem became evident. I could tell that she had self-doubt. Because hers was a young, small business she felt intimidated by the older giants. She felt she wasn't as experienced and didn't have impressive client lists like they did. As a result, she approached mainly small business owners, who, though impressed, could not afford her fees. Occasionally she serviced larger clients, but that was when "a friend of a friend" gave her a referral. When made aware of these limiting beliefs she admitted, though surprised, that it was true. It was as if scales had suddenly fallen off her eyes. She had no idea that she had self-doubt. She had re-examined her services, her presentation and everything else she could think of, to no avail. In the end, I sent her off to a business consultant who helped her repackage her offerings and drew up a new marketing plan for her. I took her through a series of coaching sessions to build self-belief and handle procrastination. Today my friend has a sizeable, paying client base, and has learnt to stop often to look and listen when things don�t go as planned. She has also learnt to seek help. Dear reader, is yours a case of struggle without success? Have you taken time out to examine your case? Remember, it isn't likely that you will spot the problem yourself. It's probably your thinking that created it in the first place. A trip to a consultant or coach might be just what you need. He/she is more likely to see that your hand brakes are on than you are. A coach is also better able to determine the nature of your hand brakes, as self-doubt is only one of them. And with a network of other consultants, a coach can recommend the help you need. Not being personally and emotionally involved, a coach's opinion will most likely be objective. He/she will not be critical of you but supportive. There is no reason why you should continue with high activity and low achievement. You owe it to yourself to stop, look and listen. People today avail themselves of coaching and consulting for a variety of problems: business strategy, weight-loss, image-making, school work, career management the list could go on. Wherever progress is slow, or results are undesirable, a coach could save the day. At the end of my ordeal with the hand brakes, my mechanic presented me with a hair-raising bill. I had burned my clutch plates, but thankfully they could be replaced. Repairing the damage done to our lives or businesses might not be that easy. We might never even get the chance. Before the damage is extensive, stop, look and listen. You just might need a coach to help you. Copyright 2005 Oma Edoja Oma Edoja is a published writer, motivational speaker and infopreneur. She speaks to, and works with people seeking more out of life. She would love to answer questions on self-limiting beliefs. Visit her blog http://omaslounge.blogspot.com (for inspiration and motivation). Contact her (via blog) for a free assessment of your coaching needs.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Nourishing Your Network It takes less effort to keep an existing customer than to gain a new customer.This is Business 101. Freedom for All; Is it Possible? Freedom for all species and people, and freedom of stress; is it possible? Could the Internet be a tool to getting there?Freedom, what is it? I am an Internet writer whose job is to write about the Internet. Does that mean I am locked into this one area? Am I allowed to write about other things? Well today I am going to test out my supposed freedom, by writing about freedom. Sheep Do Not Start Out Lost Have you ever thought about how sheep get lost? Even with a shepherd, they still get lost. How does this happen? The one thing I know for sure is that they did not start out lost. The X-factor Would you agree that today most of us have the same set of opportunities and the same set potential?If you agree with me, then perhaps you might like to consider this puzzling question: if we all have the same opportunities and potential why are some people more successful than others?It could be said that some people are more privileged than others, and while this is certainly true, you could argue that there is proof in every day life of people who started off with zero and went on to accumulate incredible wealth. It could be said that some people have better academic ability than others and while this is true you could argue the case of all the people who achieved success after years of under-achieving in education. Truth About Life Coaching School Accreditation With life coaching becoming "the" career choice in this millennium, many of you are seeking the right choice for training and certification. Hopefully this article will answer some of your questions. Business Coaching - Ten Ways of Dealing with Mistakes You Made You can either choose to dwell on what happened and get stuck in the past or you can choose to start using your energy to build your future. Either choice is okay. Worth Waiting For Direct Answers - Column for the week of July 22, 2002I am a 31-year-old virgin male. At times I feel sexually frustrated because I've never been intimate with a woman. Think Twice Before Youre Nice A few months back I had a disturbing dream. In my dream a woman with stringy blonde hair rang my bell. How Coaches Find Clients Online At a recent networking meeting Jana asked for a recommendation for a public speaking coach. She was starting to speak in front of audiences, and wanted to polish her presentation skills a bit. Three Great Ways to Deal with Negative People 1. Do not believe everything you hear!With close friends and family it is not unusual to think that you ought to take onboard everything you hear. Success at Work : People Skills : Complaining Do you know an individual at work who is a chronic complainer? Are YOU a chronic complainer? People don't like complainers. Listening to a chronic complainer gets people depressed. How to Effectively Balance Your Work and Family Life What Is Your Definition of Success?If you want to create balance in your life, it is important to know how you define success. The following list is a place to start. Difficult Challenges? -- What If? Sometimes life can seem like one long series of unsolvable problems. I know there have been times when I would much rather find something else to do and quit whatever I was doing simply because it was too much trouble to continue. Hows Your Self-Talk? You know, what are you saying to yourself? There's always something going on in there. Do you make positive statements about yourself to yourself or are you beating yourself up with your own words?"Know thyself" is a statement that comes to mind. How to Coach Yourself! Some people are not in a position to work with a coach right now. Some are stretched financially, while some are still using the "lone ranger" method. Assertive Communication: 20 Helpful Tips Most of us know that assertiveness will get you further in life than being passive or aggressive. But few of us were actually taught how to be assertive. Dont Settle Settling is about not embracing what is best for you, and accepting what you really don't want. When you settle, you accept less than you deserve. Good Communication is Easy - Isn't It? My name is Steve Brummet and my business is to speak to businesses, teams, schools, churches, non profit organizations and just people about improving their communication skills. Most communication experts agree that good communication starts with understanding. Saying NO to Good Opportunities! Tracey started her video production company 2 years ago, and after struggling through the start-up phase, she was finally reaping the fruits of her labor. When we talked, it was clear that she was ready to move onward and upward but didn't know how to go about doing it. Have a World-Changing Conversation I know what you're thinking? "Here I am, completely stressed out and overworked, and here's Barbara telling me that I can change the world by having a conversation! Really?the heat must have fried her brain?"You're absolutely right. (About the world-changing conversations, not about the fried brain.
|
|
|
 |
 |
