What do you believe is possible for you?
In the middle of March, when we all first started to understand just how much of a huge impact coronavirus was going to have, I had a major mindset wobble. I’m not embarrassed to tell you that I spent weeks feeling anxious, scared and consumed with negative self talk.
During those weeks, I could feel a lot of my old limiting beliefs rising to the surface again. The old beliefs around how it was impossible to feel safe and secure as a self employed person. The old beliefs I had around money, and how I only deserved to make it if I was hustling and sacrificing 24/7. The old beliefs I held about my abilities, and how I didn’t have the right skill set to grow a thriving business.
I spent a lot of time feeling like I’d been caught out. “Ha!”, the mean part of my brain kept saying. “I told you this was never going to work. I told you this was all a pipe dream. You left a safe, secure job because you wanted more freedom, of course it was always going to come tumbling down around your ears”.
I listened to that voice for a while. I let the feeling of defeat settle on my shoulders. I had a look through the job board on LinkedIn, I worked out how long our savings would last us before I had to go back to work, and I even considered reaching out to some of my previous employers to see if they needed an extra pair of hands.
And then I snapped out of it. Because I remembered how it felt to let those limiting beliefs rule my brain. I remembered how it felt to constantly assume the worst would happen, to live in fear of getting it wrong, to constantly hold myself back because it felt “safer”. I remembered how it felt to go to bed every night feeling like I was living some sort of half life.
And so instead of succumbing to those beliefs again, I did the work on my mindset. I used the tools that I share with my clients, figuring out what was a genuine fear and what was just a limiting belief or a bout of imposter syndrome at play. I dug deep into what I thought was possible for me, and I came back asking - how would I show up if I knew these next few months would be the making of my business, instead of the breaking of it?
I allowed myself to truly believe that this period could be a time of growth and fulfilment and abundance. I started showing up for myself and my business as if I already knew that success was guaranteed, and I did everything in my power to make that happen.
And do you know what? It worked. That shift in my mindset has resulted in my best few months of business yet. I’ve secured multiple pieces of national press and collaborations with some huge brands that I really love. I’ve brought new clients on board and successfully launched new programmes. I’ve continued to grow my income - in fact, May is set to be the third month this year where I’ll earn more than I did in my well paid corporate job.
And none of that would have happened if I hadn’t made that switch in my mindset. None of that would have happened if I’d have let that old way of thinking take over. None of that would have happened if I hadn’t let myself truly believe it was possible. Because nine times out of ten, it’s not those outside circumstances that determine what’s possible for us, it’s our mindset and our perspective.
So today I wanted to ask you: what do you believe is possible for you? When you peel back the layers, what do you truly believe you’re capable of? Are you giving yourself permission to dream of success, or are you letting the mean, negative voice rule the roost?
Get quiet, figure out where you’re at, and then make any necessary adjustments. Because trust me, when you start to dream bigger, when you start to believe that anything is possible for you, magic will happen.
