When you think about what is holding you back? I think that the first thing that comes up for most people are the excuses, but they do not realize that they are excuses. For example, my boss is holding me back for not giving me the promotion that I deserve. Another example might be I am not making enough money as holding you back. These can be valid reasons for you not moving forward, but are they really? Are they really excuses? If you did not get the promotion is that really just a set back, or an obstacle that you need to overcome?
If you really think that things are holding you back, let’s take a moment and think about when you hold back. For me, I know that I hold back when:
- I am uncertain about my response.
- I do not want to get noticed or singled out.
- I think my response will make people not like me.
- I am not certain what direction to go.
How about taking a moment and thinking about when you do not hold back? For me, I do not hold back when:
- Somebody needs to do something. I would rather move forward than stand still.
- I am the one who is supposed to move something forward. Whether I have the answer or not, I work on moving it forward.
- I know where I want to go.
- I know I have the answer.
- I am part of a team.
If I look at some of the roles in my life. Let me give you some examples of when I held back and when I did not.
As a coach, I know that I hold back in promoting my coaching and this is preventing me from getting more clients, but when I am coaching someone, I rarely hold back, because I know that I am there to help them move forward.
At work, I know that I flop back and forth between holding back and not holding back. When I am responsible for delivering a result, I normally do not hold back. I push through and get the work done, but when the result is not clear or the direction, I sometimes get stuck and hold back as I do not want to rock the boat by doing something wrong.
For me, a lot of the times that I hold back is a fear of failure, which is very interesting to me, because in the heat of the moment, all of that goes out the window and I just need to move it forward. I remember talking to my daughter as she was complaining about getting things wrong all the time and I told her that I made my living from what I did wrong. When something is broken and I need to fix it, I will try a lot of things to make it work and many of those things will fail to fix the problem, but they all give me more information to get to a correct solution.
So, what is really holding you back? Can you dig below your excuses and get to the root of the problem? You maybe surprised at what is the real root that is holding you back.
Please take some time and listen to this week’s podcast where I talk about What is holding you back? If you enjoy it, please subscribe to it, like it, or comment about it as this helps others find the podcast. If you would like me to speak at your next event, or would like a coaching session with me, please go to Connect with Sean page and enter your information.
Until next time, have a wonderful day!