“You get what you expect.”
-Alvin Ailey
How do the words above resonate with you?
Pause here for a moment and free yourself from distractions:
Take a deep breath in... exhale slowly... deep breath in... exhale slowly... deep breath in... exhale slowly... calm your mind and be present...
Life has so much to offer...
What do you want? Be as specific as possible...
What do you expect? You expectation... your belief in what's possible for you..
How close are you to achieving it? Where are you in the process...
Think about those three questions. They are basic... simple... but not so easy to answer. Many of us over think, or feel guilty about wanting more when know so many others have less. We make excuses, or blame others for not not having what we want or being where we want to be. Reading Iyanla Vanzant's thoughts gave me pause to do some self-reflection:
The only reason any person does not have the life they want is that somewhere in the back of their mind, they don’t believe they deserve it.
We must literally create the energy of what we want within ourselves before we can have it in the physical world.
How do you choose to feel today, considering all that life has to offer? Your choice....
What self-imposed limitations are impeding your progress? Something to think about...
Self-imposed limitations are shackles that hold us down and prevent us from achieving our potential. When a person sets a limit, he or she puts a limit on what is achievable. … People never evolve beyond their self-imposed standards, even if they are fully capable. (Gym Jones breakingmuscle.com)
How do we flip the script, and push past our self-imposed limitations? Below are some strategies to consider:
1. Acknowledge cognitive distortions to head them off: Also known as "Thinking Traps" The 4 main culprits:
Filtering: When we focus solely on the negative aspects of a situation and overlook the positives... despite all evidence to the contrary.
Personalizing: This distorted thinking pattern causes you to blame yourself when things go wrong even when there is no indication that you bear responsibility.
Catastrophizing: This thought pattern magnifies the significance of a problem and leads you to assume that the worse possible scenario is going to come to pass.
Polarizing: This is the "all-or-nothing" fallacy; something (or someone) is either wholly good or completely bad and we tend to apply this most ruthlessly to ourselves. In most cases, the reality exists somewhere in between.
2. Change the Narrative From Negative To Positive: Resist the urge to frame a situation negatively. Instead, focus on the positive. Flip the script!
3. Adjust Your Standards: Adjust your standards and adjust to whom you compare yourself. Look past your peer group when determining what standards are good. Look toward people who are good at what they do. Study them. Ask yourself: Who is an expert in this area?
4. Surround yourself with people who inspire you: You Become Who You Hang Around. Remember the saying, “Birds of a feather flock together?” Surround yourself with people who have achieved what you are looking to achieve. Surround yourself with people who work hard and have relentless dedication to their field of endeavor. What motivates them..?
5. Reap The Benefits Of Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone: Each time you try something that feels out of reach, it serves to broaden the scope of your boundaries.
-This growth translates to increased resources for future challenges.
-You’ll gain information, increase your understanding, and expand your skills and knowledge.
-You’ll also learn how intuition and leaps of faith can play valuable roles in your decision-making process.
-You’ll learn to separate belief from truth, and begin to understand how critical a role self-talk plays in our failure, and our success.
Today’s Challenge: Take responsibility for removing any self-imposed limitations!
Examine the reasons, excuses, limitations you may be holding on to.
Take responsibility for getting rid of them.
Develop a plan to move forward.
What are you willing to do to have the life you say you want?
Don’t miss your opportunity. Be intentional. Encourage others to do the same and watch what happens.
You got this!
Coach Tavia
#youareenough, #beyou, #honoryourself, #learnandgrow, #selfawareness, #selfimprovement, #selfcompassion, #ittakescourage, #focus, #shift, #trustyourself, #dothework, #shareyourgifts, #releaseyourpower, #knowyourworth, #leadbyexample, #justdoit, #lifecoach, #leadershipcoach, #leadershipdevelopment, #letsgo
References:
Vanzant, Iyanla; Acts of Faith: Daily Meditations for People of Color. Atria, New York, NY 2020.
Vanzant, Iyanla; Until Today: Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind. Atria, New York, NY 2020.
Overcoming Self-Imposed Limitations: Mind Training Strategies From Gym Jones
How To Crush Self-Imposed Boundaries And Live Without Limits
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