Take the Leap in 2018

 

As the New Year approaches, I am sure that many of you are laying out your goals for 2018.  Here is a question -

Are you aligning your goals based on your limitations or based on your potentialities?

Meaning, are you putting a glass ceiling on yourself?

I recently faced one of my biggest fears during a personal development retreat in South Africa with my coach Meir Ezra.  My fear of heights.  I knew months ago that one of the group activities would be bungy jumping.  And I was certain that I was NOT going to participate.  After a few days of the retreat, I started to think,

“What if…” 

What if I jumped?  What if I conquered my fear?  What if I stomped out those voices that were telling me that I couldn’t do it?  If I could do it, if I jumped off of that bridge, I could do anything.

That really got me to thinking.  What else were those voices stopping me from doing?  These are the same voices that are telling me that…

* Contractors are hard to find in Tampa

* Houses don’t sell in the winter in Chicago

* I’m not good at math

* I’m too busy to plan

* I can’t influence all areas of my company

 Am I living my life based on those doubts, or based on my true power?

So I decided to do it.  I was just wrapping my head around this decision when I stepped onto the bridge with the Guaranteed Prosperity group, and they called my number.  Me first??  Really?!  Well, those voices started to rally against me.  As I stepped forward to get connected to the cords, those voices were screaming at me.  I have never felt such anxiety.  But I did not turn around.  I did not refuse to proceed.  I was crying, I was sobbing.  But I kept going.  I took the next step and the next step and the next, and I was flying.

I have not shown this video to anyone, but I am ready to show you now.  Here is my jump on that day.

I had done it.  Even as I returned to the bridge after the jump, the voices came back, trying to minimize my accomplishment.  The doubt started to creep back in.  But I said NO.  I did it.  It was ME.  In spite of the screaming voices, I still did it.  I would not be invalidated.  And how many times do I do this to myself?  I hit a milestone, and then immediately minimize what I did.

Validate every improvement. 

Celebrate your accomplishments!  Every step along the path to your goal is a step which you should recognize and acknowledge.

I realized that when I shoved those voices aside and jumped, I was actually the real ME.  I had removed the glass ceiling and can accomplish anything.

And now, in case you did not already think I was crazy, I decided to jump again!  This time, I was excited!  I wanted to experience it without the emotional melt down.  I wanted to exercise my ability to silence the voices.

Remove doubts.  Silence those voices. 

It is a purposeful, repetitive ability that you should practice.  For me that meant jumping a second time.  For you, that could mean purposefully validating yourself, making confident decisions and trusting yourself.

Listen closely… Are the voices holding you down, or are YOU lifting yourself up?

Take a look at the things that you “can’t” do.  What limitations are your voices putting upon you?

Now take a look at what you can achieve when you remove those limitations.

As you enter 2018, I challenge you to stomp out the voices.

Be willing to take a leap.

All the Best, Janelle