Stepping In Your Greatness

I was recently asked how I define greatness and for me it has always been a feeling or a sense of empowerment and peace. But to put it into words, to me greatness is being who you need to be for you, getting clear on what you want and being willing to take action in order to bring the things you want into your life. (That is where the empowerment and peace comes into play.)

I truly love this topic because it is always really wonderful when someone discovers something phenomenal about themselves; something that supports them in gaining clarity around the things they want, excelling them forward and creating the life they desire.

If stepping into greatness is so great, why aren’t we all doing it all the time? In response, I have drafted the following Top 10 list of reasons why:

1) Limiting beliefs. Those niggling, negative thoughts that often hold us back. The thoughts that we hide behind and that stand in our way of moving forward.

2) Nay-sayers. The people, who, bless their hearts, try and persuade us that our dreams, intentions, who we are, what we want is not good enough, not attainable, or maybe even stupid.

3) The past and revisiting of the past. Re-running those old tapes, messages, and negative images that make us feel really low.

4) Lack of clarity around who we are or what we want. If you think about the process of stepping into your greatness as a map, it is truly difficult to move forward without a clear understanding of your own capabilities or what I like to consider your vehicle and the direction you wish to head in.

5) Fear, fear that we might get all that we desire and not be able to live up to our new found greatness. This one is a biggie, because no one wants to get a taste of greatness and then have it disappear.

6) Unwillingness to take responsibility for our own actions. Placing blame on others or external factors for the things that do not go well in our lives.

7) Lack of focus on self and needs because we fear being viewed as selfish.

8) Excuses (i.e. no time, not enough money)

9) The If Onlys…if only I had..if only I were..

10) Inaction – not taking action towards the things we want, but rather waiting for things to just happen.

So, if you feel that you have not stepped into your greatness just yet, I want you to consider these questions, what is standing in your way? What’s hindering your forward movement towards greatness? What are you willing to do to let your greatness come through?

Combating What Stands In Our Way

Now that we are clear on what stands in our way of stepping into our own greatness, we need to find ways to remove those obstacles. Here are just a few potential solutions:

1) Limiting beliefs- First it is important to know that everyone has experienced limiting beliefs. So if you are experiencing a few please know that you are not alone and there is definitely not something wrong with you.

A dear friend and colleague of mine once said to me that all beliefs, limiting or otherwise have a pay off. If they didn’t, we would not hold on to them. With that said, I want to encourage you to take a good look at your own limiting beliefs. Picking one, ask yourself, “what is the pay-off for holding on to this belief?” After you have looked at all the pay-offs, I would like to request that you take that limiting belief and turn it into a positive belief. For example, if the limiting belief is “I can never lose weight, because I don’t have any will power.” The positive belief might be, “I can lose weight, because I am a strong and determined.” After creating a more positive belief, think of three things that you would be willing to do to take action in support of your new belief…To set it into motion.

2) Nay-sayers - People often respond from their own place of fear, or what I like to call negative filter. What you may be hearing from the nay-sayer is their feelings of lack. Now here is something to consider, a teacher and coaching colleague once said, “It is none of your business what others think of you” and I will add that it is your business what you think of you and what you do. So bear that in mind the next time someone poo-poos you or your desires.

3) The past and revisiting of the past - Why relive something that was really hurtful unless you plan on learning from it? When we sit square in the past it is really difficult to be in the here and the now. It is in the here and the now when we are able to see the potentials and opportunities. The present truly is a gift so it is my wish that you leverage the present, sit in it and enjoy the potentials. If you find yourself slipping into the past, give this little gratitude exercise a whirl…take three deep breathes and look around…very quickly, list three things you see that you are grateful for.

4) Lack of clarity around who we are or what we want - If you are lacking clarity around who you at your core, please know it is not a terrible thing. Instead, look at it as your opportunity to take some time to do some exploring…exploring you – your likes and dislikes. As a matter of fact, last month I did a blog show which was all about getting to the who of who you are so I would love to invite you to have a listen.

However, if you are lacking clarity around what you want, here is a great exercise that I learned from James Arthur Ray, the author of The Science of Success and a teacher in The Secret. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle of it. On the left side of the paper start listing all the things you don’t you want in your life. Then on the right side of the page, write the absolutely opposite for each item from the left side of the page. For example, if on the left you wrote "debt" on the right you might write "financial abundance".

5) Fear - This is another huge one for a lot of people. I am going to throw something out there and let’s see how it lands. Fear does not reside in the present. Fear only resides in the future and in the past. Which means, when you are feeling fearful give the gratitude exercise that I mentioned earlier a whirl and see what happens. Being in an attitude of gratitude prevents the brain from traveling down a path of fear because the brain cannot focus on good and bad at the same time.

6) Unwillingness to take responsibility for our own actions, Excuses (i.e. no time, not enough money) and, The If Onlys…

It is time to get a new story, my friends. You have more control and responsibility over your own life then you may think. If you are a person that is quick to place blame on external factors or make excuses, my first request is that you go easy…especially on you. When you place blame on others or make excuses, you are really discounting your own self and your own ability to be an amazing creator of your own story. So, with that, when you catch yourself placing blame, making excuses or saying…"If only I was" or "If only I had", stop, take a deep breath and consider why you’re choosing to place blame, make an excuse or if only yourself. Are you feeling fearful? Are you feeling guilty about something? Instead why not try using the particular situation as a learning experience. Stop and ask yourself, what can I learn from this situation? OR How can I re-write this story?

7) Lack of focus on self and needs because we fear being viewed as selfish. My friends, I am here to tell you that it is A-OK to take time for you. To recharge your battery, refuel and give to yourself. You are not being selfish by wishing to take care of you in order to be the best you can be. Besides how can you be productive or an amazing resource if you are totally drained? Think about it.

8) Inaction – Not taking action towards the things we want, but rather waiting for things to just happen. In order to step into greatness you have to be willing to take action. If there are things you wish to have or wish to make happen in your life, but are not sure what actions to take, why not try putting this simple question out there, “How can I *fill in the blank*?”…How can I create more passion in my life? How can I become financially independent? Then let the question go, but remember to remain present to all the potential insights that may come your way. If that does not work for you, find someone you can trust and share your desires with them. Then brain storm a strategy for action. Be sure to include a date for when you wish to achieve and complete the action. Oh, and very important, for each action accomplished, be sure to celebrate you and all your efforts because you are worth celebrating.

It’s time to step into your greatness - what are waiting for?

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