Success is an Inside Job
It’s amazing to reflect back on how life was for me three and a half years ago: I was newly married, had recently quit a secure job, took an adventurous two-month honeymoon in New Zealand and came back to a beautiful new home in a gorgeous part of Montana with over $26,000 in credit card debt! I found myself incredibly freaked out when I arrived back home with my husband.
While I was building up my private coaching practice I decided to take up a side job of landscaping gardens (read between the lines --- I had acquired a part-time job as professional weeder for my mother-in-law!). I would wake up in the morning and wonder if it was even possible to have a successful career as a self-employed professional and get out of the crazy debt mess that we had created.
And we did – but it didn’t happen overnight. There were times when we felt like the proverbial fish out of water. There were many times my husband and I felt discouraged and disheartened.
I see clients in my private practice with the familiar sense of overwhelm that I had experienced. They feel stressed because they are burdened with student loans and credit card debt and back-taxes. Others are living paycheck to paycheck with multiple overdrafts on their bank accounts. Still others are searching for more meaning, purpose and direction in their lives as they embark on new careers.
Many people experience the voice of fear and doubt in their head – yet in spite of this, they persevere. After building a successful career and climbing out of credit card debt I now realize that a big part of my/our success was in “doing the inner work”.
In order to win in life we must be willing to do the inner work. Success isn’t just about achieving a specific desired outcome. It’s about shifting our mindsets so that we achieve our desired outcome. This applies to any struggle or challenge that you’re having – not just the financial challenges.
In order to achieve your desired goal you need to:
1. Get determined. I see people all the time who lack determination. They talk the good talk but they really don’t want to get off their butts, take action and do something about their situation. What they really want is to vent and complain. And then there are others who have the burning drive and conviction and you just know that they’re going to “make it” in spite of the many obstacles they encounter.
It’s the inner drive that keeps them going when the going gets tough, when the bills pile up, and when there’s not enough money coming in. It’s the inner determination that keeps them pushing until they’ve transformed their failures and struggles into successes.
2. Allow yourself to be a beginner. This is such a tough one for many of us. When we’re learning a new behavior (like balancing our checkbooks, tracking how we spent money, creating a spending plan, having Financial Dates with our partners, getting rid of debt or embarking on a new career) we forget to allow ourselves to be a beginner. We expect ourselves to do it perfectly and then act surprised and get discouraged when we fail.
You have to be patient with yourself. Think of the metaphor of learning how to ride a bike for the first time. It feels awkward at first. Remember to be gentle - you’re not supposed to know what you’re doing! You will fail at times. And you know what? That’s okay - Expect it! All you need to do is stay the course until your old limiting behaviors have developed into strong, powerful habits.
3. Have faith. It’s okay to get discouraged from time to time, but in the end you must find a way to access faith and belief in your ability to turn your situation around. If you’re frustrated and depressed, all you’ll see is a dismal, gray future.
If you’re able to shift your thinking from “I’m stuck and I’ll always be stuck,” to “Anything’s possible; success has happened for others and it can happen for me as well,” then you’ll access new insights and creative solutions that you couldn’t have seen from your negative state of mind.
If you do nothing else but implement these three inner success steps I will pretty much promise you that you can succeed, because success really is an inside job.
About the Author
Leslie Cunningham, CTACC, “The Financial Dating ® Expert,” has over 17 years experience as a service professional, leading groups, presenting, and helping individuals and couples achieve success. She is dedicated to helping couples build wealthy relationships and turn their money & lifestyle stress into inspired action.
If you liked today’s issue check out Leslie’s free articles, teleseminars, and workshops, which offer step-by-step guidance on creating wealth & closeness for couples. Learn more now at http://springwindcoaching.com
© 2006-2007 Leslie D. Cunningham
Spring Wind Coaching | 7781 Nez Perce Dr. | Bozeman, MT 59715 | Phone 406-586-5561
www.springwindcoaching.com
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