Do you ever have that little voice in the back of your head that wonders what others will think of if you do something “big”, “crazy”, “out there” or just different from what you normally do?
Or maybe it’s a slightly different voice, one that just says you shouldn’t go for it because you’ll make a mistake.
Or you don’t know how it will turn out.
These are common fears that comes up when you’re thinking of making a big change in your life.
Whether it’s trying something new or letting go of something old – these little voices can pop up in your subconscious and try to prevent you from doing something new.
Or maybe you’re like a lot of people reading this email and you’re thinking of becoming a Wellness Coach but something keeps holding you back.
It’s a sneaky little voice, too because it hides out in the background. Sometimes you can’t even hear it but it’s there, holding you back from what you really want in life.
So what will they think of you?
“They” is usually your family, friends, parents and other people in your life who have known you for years.
“They” see you a certain way and now suddenly you want to change. What if you fail? Or what if some people don’t like you? Or what if they finally see you for who you are?
I get it.
I struggled with “what will people think of me” for years.
And it still shows up from time to time let me say, though now I see it for what it is.
But I really had to go deep and work on this to finally get over it.
If you’re like me and you know you’re meant to follow your passion in life, you have to let go of this kind of limited thinking so you can do what you’re meant to do.
Otherwise it will hold you back, keep you small and leave you right where you are.
And worst of all, you won’t be able to share your gifts with the world. Which means so many people won’t get to experience you and what you can help them with.
Now here’s the thing….
That little voice in your head is going to try to stop you from sharing your message, doing something important or making a change because it’s trying to protect you from getting hurt.
But if we allow it to rule our life, then we don’t get to experience all of the amazing possibilities that come from saying “Yes” to our dreams.
Which would be a tragedy, don’t you think?
I see this happen a lot when people in our community are thinking about becoming a Wellness Coach.
They want to take a big leap, do something new, make a change.
But the people in their lives think they’re a little crazy. The little voice starts to rear it’s ugly head and says things like….
Why would you want to give up your steady day job?
What if it doesn’t work out?
Follow your passion in life? That’s a pipe dream!
Who are you to do help others?
So how do you get over these limiting fears that are trying to hold you back?
Here’s a little process I developed that worked for me…..
Step 1 – Become Aware of the Voice
First you have to become aware that the voice is even there. We all have limiting thoughts running through our mind, whether you realize it or not right now. Sometimes they’re so subconscious we can’t hear them. Whenever I was about to do something new, I stopped and listened. What was holding me back? What fear was coming through? I wrote it down.
Step 2 – Look Fear in the Face
Once I wrote down the fear, instead of trying to tell myself if wasn’t true, I went deeper. I looked at the fear and said “Ok, so what if that is actually true?” I allowed the fear to be real for a moment, I gave it a voice and looked it straight in the face. For a moment it would get a little uncomfortable. And it sounded like this….
“Well, if I do X, people won’t like me. They might judge me. They might think I’m crazy. And I might fail and that would be embarrassing.”
Next on moved on to Step 3…..
Step 3 – Let the Fear be True
Once you look fear in the face and give it a voice, let the fear be true for a moment. What’s the worst case scenario if people don’t like you or judge you or you don’t make them happy? What if you fail trying something new? What does it really mean?
Here’s where you realize that likely the fears are being overly dramatic and they aren’t 100% true. Sure, maybe a few people won’t like your decision, but a lot of other people might. Sure, you might fail, but what if you never try at all?
Step 4 – Weigh Your Choices
Finally remember you get to decide. You can ask yourself which is more important to you. The fact that some people will judge you or NOT going for your dream and playing small? Which is worse? Usually the answer is clear. And you can move forward confidently.
So consider this….
Where are you holding yourself back right now in your business or your life because you are worried about what others will think of you?
What little voice is trying to keep you small in order to protect you…but it’s really not serving you anymore?
Maybe you have that racy blog post you want to write, but are worried what others might say or what comments they’ll leave in your post.
Or maybe you don’t want to put yourself out there on video because you feel like your family will judge you, i.e. what is she doing now?
Or what will others think if you decide to follow your heart and become a Wellness Coach or start a new career path?
Try out my 4 step process and see if it helps you face your fear head on and then do what your heart says. Because life’s too short to be held back by our fears.
