The reality is that our doubts often hold us back. Sometimes our doubts show up as fear – what will people think? How will I make money? What will come next?
Rei was a teacher and she gave up her teaching job to follow her passion – serving at a not for profit. And yet, despite her multitude of skills, she felt stuck and unable to move forward to follow her passion. She languished. Afraid to apply for jobs, afraid to tell her family that she was afraid – she was really and truly stuck. When we met on the phone, we dug deeper into her fears, and it turned out her fear of moving forward was because she was afraid of failing. Once she identified what that fear was, we determined what the worst-case scenario of failing was. We talked about what she could do if that happened, and once she had an idea of what the worst case was and what she could do it about it if happened – she was no longer afraid of moving forward. She knew she could handle it. She then went on to follow her purpose and get the job of her dreams in only a few short weeks.
We can only problem solve from a positive place – in other words if you are feeling down or depressed or even tired after a long day at work – the part of your brain that manages complex problemsolving skills is not engaged. When we worry, or when we are stuck in a negative emotion, we are relying on our primitive brain that only had to deal with fight or flight in the ancient past. To engage our rationale brain (our neocortex) we need to create a positive state of mind – put the worry to bed by saying “I’ll handle it” and plug into your why – plug into that larger purpose that you have. Make you why bigger than your buts.
Doubt your doubts – they are generally trying to keep you safe so if you can uncover what purpose they are serving you can often move past them. Looking for other tools to support you in moving forward in these turbulent times? Go to www.LauraMacdougall.com/fear and download "Banish the Fear: 5 Tools for Healthcare Leaders to ride out the turbulence and take back their life".
