7 Assumptions That Have Gotten You This Far…But Are Now Holding You Back (part 6)
So we’ve been talking about assumptions that have gotten you this far…but are now holding you back. The 5 now-unhelpful assumptions we’ve talked about so far are:
There’s a clear path that I’m supposed to follow.
First, I define a goal. Then I make a plan. Then I execute the plan.
I know I’m succeeding if I’m doing everything really well.
Other people know better than me.
Here’s assumption #6.
Old Assumption 6: I’ll feel good about myself when I get there.
Why this assumption has served you so far…
I’m not sure if this assumption has ever served you, to be honest.
But it is so deeply mixed into the water of our culture that most people look confused when I even point out that this is an assumption (and not just The Truth).
“Wait, but how can I feel good about myself NOW?” they ask me. “Won’t that make me complacent? And arrogant? And lazy? Don’t I need to feel kind of bad / stressed / inadequate, to motivate me to get better?”
Let’s test that assumption.
Think about a time when you were feeling stressed and inadequate and you kept working WHILE feeling that way. (Not a time when you started stressed and then you switched over to a different emotion, like focused or determined. I mean actually staying stressed the whole time.) How did that go? Did you do your best work?
Now think about a time when you felt GREAT about yourself. Maybe you’d just gotten some great feedback. You were feeling proud of yourself, confident in your abilities, and you sat down to get to work. How did that go? Did you do your best work?
(Were you complacent, arrogant, and lazy? Or did you actually do more and better than ever?)
…and why it’s holding you back now
Yeah, this assumption has been holding you back all along.
But even more so now, when you get to set your own path. And you have to figure out what you want by doing, not thinking. And making lots of mistakes.
The inherent uncertainty of actively creating your own life…
Combined with a belief that you’re not allowed to feel good until you get there (wherever “there” is)…
Makes it really hard to move forward unless you let this assumption go.
Because here’s what you really need to craft your life—
You need ACCESS to your own unique genius and insight.
You need the best version of you to show up every day. (Not the scared, shrinking, uncertain version of you.)
The life you want cannot be created while you’re feeling “less than.” It requires your next-level brilliance.
Which is right there inside you, if you just create the safety and space to let it speak.
If the old assumption was, “I’ll feel good about myself when I get there,” here’s the new one:
New Assumption 6: I feel good about myself NOW in order to unlock my singular brilliance, which is the ONLY thing that can get me there.
PS: Are you reading this, nodding along, and then asking: Okay, but how? Perfect, because the “how” is exactly what I specialize in. Get in here, talk to me, and let’s get it done :)
Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
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