Picture this. You are the world's greatest boxing promoter.
You are putting on the largest fight spectacle ever witnessed. In one corner you have all of the people that have harmed you in your life. In the other corner are your thoughts that have hurt you. Which side would win? Which side would you have your money on?
Your dark side can be very powerful. Here are three simple yet profound concepts you can use to take back control of your crazy thoughts and face your fear of not doing or being enough.
Be Realistic: You are most likely taking on more than you can handle. Thinking "big" is the problem. You are expecting way too much from yourself and as a result you never start. More specifically, you procrastinate. One of the greatest causes of procrastination is expecting too much of yourself.
Expect less. Lower your expectations. It's a controversial thought for high achievers but one that has powerful effects on your career. When you expect less, you procrastinate less and you get started. And getting started is your greatest hurdle. Never getting started is the largest career epidemic in the world.
Treat yourself like a precious stone: How do you talk to yourself? What words do you use to describe yourself? If your friend used those same words on you, would you be their friend? The nicer you are to yourself the happier and more successful you will be.
Slow down: Slow down in all areas of your life. Walk slower. Breathe slower. Talk slower. Think slower.
If you have not already realized this then listen up. You can never go fast enough. The world never stops. You have two choices: Try to go faster and faster, which leads to burn out or commit to sustainable growth at a reasonable pace.
The down side to slowing down is that you will have to face your fears because you will not have the noise around you to distract you. When you face your fear of pursuing your heart's desire you may experience a crisis. The crisis occurs because the rules that used to govern your life no longer work or apply. You feel rudderless. You feel lost possibly for the first time in your life.
Thomas Moore refers to these periods as "Dark Nights of the Soul." Periods in your life where you challenge the status quo and where you come back to life a stronger, more focused and a humble person.
You must walk directly into the dark forest of the unknown and confront your dark side -- that side of you that does not believe in yourself. However, these periods of darkness are just before the dawn. You grow immensely because for the first time in your life you are asking yourself what you want and how you want to live your life. What you must realize is that you must go through them and not around them. The odd beauty of these periods is that they are rare moments where you are most open to the critical change you so desire deep down.
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