We get real excited about a job opportunity, a goal we set, our desire to be successful, or the thing we dream about accomplishing! But then the next step doesn’t happen because we might fear failing, we lose motivation, or it might be that little voice in our heads creating doubt, fear, challenging our ability, and so on. This is normal! Think about how many times you have made a New Years resolution, and you kept it for about a week or two, and then you feel like it’s impossible, you just can’t do it, there is not enough time, or you just don’t see the results. If you believe it is time to challenge those assumptions then keep reading and start working toward eliminating the things that block your success.
What are some of the most common success-blockers?
- Men are better in leadership roles
- I can’t compete in that environment
- I don’t have enough experience to take on that new role, position, project, or assignment
When you read these common blocks, do you identify with them being true? None of it is true but those and other limiting beliefs are holding you back and keeping you from taking action toward reaching your fullest potential. The key is to recognize your success blocks and work to shift that paradigm so that you begin to take action! That little voice in our head is notorious for helping us play safe and keeps us small so that we don’t get hurt.
Overcoming success-blockers:
Energetically we broadcast to the world our deepest fears without even knowing it! We have both inner and outer blocks toward success. When we deal with outer blocks (Left Brain thinking) it is usually because of money, time, resources, education, etc. To remove the outer blocks you could take some classes, create a payment plan, or create an action plan/strategy to work through the process.
Inner blocks (Right Brain thinking) tend to be more focused on fear, guilt, perceptions, self doubt, assumptions, anger, conflict. A great self awareness exercise is to journal about times when you second guess yourself whether that be with a promotion, a compliment, etc. that keeps you from playing full out. It will give you insight as to why and what you are doing to limit your full potential.
In reality, most blocks have an inner component and it is up to us to dig a little deeper to uncover where that comes from and get to the core of it. That is much easier said than done! It takes courage and resiliency to go within and understand what holds you back. Utilizing a coach is helpful to get to the core of those deep seeded blocks and help you gain clarity on what is preventing you from achieving your true success.
Hi, I’m Vicki Bradley, an executive coach in Toronto and the Founder and CEO of Women in Leadership Empowered.
I work with women pursuing success in executive leadership roles and the presidents and CEOs who understand that strong businesses are built with strong, diverse leadership.
WIL Empowered is a year-long program where we use all four aspects of leadership development: Coaching, Networking, Peer to peer mentorship and skills development. Our mission is to help women develop the skills, motivation and accountability required to succeed in their business and personal lives.
Take our five-minute leadership quiz to discover where your leadership skills are now and where you’d like them to be this time next year.
To discover more about the WIL Empowered program, visit the website.