So many times in life we get opportunities that come our way. Whilst I appreciate there are alot of action takers out there, there are also alot of people with sabotaging self-beliefs that take over and the fear of getting it wrong that stops them from blurting out the big YES.
Changing the way you think of yourself is key in driving positive change.
If we changed our thoughts too: 'If someone asked me they obviously think I can do it'. 'Someone wouldn't offer me the opportunity if they thought I would be rubbish at it now would they?'. Well, in most cases anyway.
So next time someone asks you to have a go at something I want you to think of these four things:
Just do it - Raise that hand up and say a big YES! You see we tend to think of all the things we can't do instead of all the positives we can contribute and what we are capable of. Instead of thinking of all the reasons why you shouldn't, think of all the skills, experience of expertise you have in all areas of your life. Think of all the additional capabilities you will learn from this experience, development and discovery about yourself from getting out of your comfort zone. Change your thinking into optimistic thought patterns. You have the support around you, they are not expecting you to nail everything, they are there to ask questions, this is your chance to shine, new connections for cross collaboration and exposure to more skills and people.
What if I fail - well what if you left yourself wondering, with regret and frustration. Have you ever had a moment in life when you saw someone in a role and you thought - 'I could do that'. Then do it. Even if you don't get something right, you make the wrong call, or you loose a contract. It will absolutely suck at the time and there is a possibility you may get something wrong. Then sit back, reflect on the experience and even sit in the negative emotions for a while, then pull yourself together with the resilience and reflection of 'What could I do to ensure that doesn't happen again', 'What did I learn from this costly experience'. I guarantee you that everyone in life, leaders, every parent, friend, colleague has made some kind of mistake in their lives, we don't learn unless we are pushing our boundaries. And heck, what if you actually succeed....... Whoa, then you may even reach a little higher and it's a fabulous boost of confidence isn't it! Win win in my eyes, eliminate the self-doubt to future success with positive thoughts.
Don't wait, create - I hear from many women that are working their little hearts out with the will that someone (their management team) will see how good they are that surely they will offer them a promotion, acting role, secondment or to be part of the project team. Surely they know that is where you want to go right? Guess what........They don't, it's not possible for them to read our minds, we need to share with our management team, line managers, and mentors our path, our vision and let them know that we are ready for action. Now there is a slight problem with being soooooo good at your job, making yourself indispensable and hard to replace yourself leaves you in a tricky predicament. As you may be too valuable to move, ensure you speak up about your career plans pronto.
Shout out down the track - If you have said no in the past it's not too late. The problem with saying no is that some people perceive you are just not interested or lack in confidence, the danger of this is they may not ask you again. If you have said no due to life/family commitments, niggling self-doubt, concern or maybe that wasn't the right direction for you, then be brave enough to let them know when the next opportunity comes about that you are ready. Don't live life by chance and wait. Challenge yourself to get out there and create the right steps for you to get where you want to be.
Life rarely happens by chance. Most of all it's about the decisions we make to move forward in the direction that is right for ones self.
'Stop waiting, start creating.'