I am a beginner!
Think about the last time you had to take on a new challenge at work or in your personal life. When was the last time you wanted to try something new like yoga or a spin class? How did you feel about that challenge? Did you tread the line between excitement and panic? The way you felt about this new challenge tells you a lot about your personal declarations. If you are excited about a new challenge you are probably declaring “I got this!” if you are in panic mode, you may be declaring “I’m going to crash and burn.”
These personal declarations are a huge part of our lives. We are always generating new possibilities with our assessments about how things are going to go. Occasionally we are aware of these thoughts, and we can adjust them accordingly. We can give ourselves a pep talk and march ahead. However too often we don’t hear these declarations, and they can inhibit our success, happiness and confidence.
Do any of these assessments sound familiar?
- I’m not good enough.
- I’m not smart enough.
- I can’t do it.
- I’m going to fail.
- I’m going to let everyone down.
These declarations are so powerful; we may not even realize the influence they have on our choices. Maybe you are stuck in a job you hate because you are too afraid to make a change. Perhaps you are resigned to an unfulfilling relationship because you don’t think anyone could ever love you the way you are. When you feel a knot in your stomach, or tension in your shoulders about something and you can’t quite figure out why that could be an indication that there is a declaration you are holding on an issue that needs to be addressed. Have a look, what do you see? Is there a story you have been telling but haven’t been hearing?
One of the most frequent declarations people hold is “I’m not good enough,” this one can come up when we are doing something new that we think we SHOULD be good at.
I’ll give you a personal example. I had always wanted to try yoga, but I was pretty sure that yoga wasn’t for me. For starters I had never touched my toes intentionally, I thought Namaste was some food, and I was pretty sure you had to be under 23 to start yoga (kids today are super bendy). In a general sense, my declaration was I wasn’t good enough to do yoga. What were my odds of walking into a yoga studio and feeling liked I belonged?
I needed a new declaration that would create a new possibility. I took a deep breath and declared, “I am a beginner.” This gave me the permission to feel awkward, a bit uncomfortable and it created the space for me to learn and grow. I’m happy to say I’ve been doing yoga three times a week for the last ten months, and I love it!
What declaration are you going to challenge and replace with something that truly serves you?
jb