Wednesday, March 16, 2005

What are you "chicken" about?

I've recently been given a task. One that scares me:

To define a vision for my coaching practice, and to then devise a plan to make it into the vision I have....

It's a daunting task, but not unlike those that I ask of my coaching clients nearly every day.

The vision, of course, is the easy part. Seeing what you want - having a successful business; gaining respect of co-workers; having satisfaction in one's job; having an energetic, strong and fit physical body - all of those things are great to envision. Those are things we want. Those are things we deserve! And, often, those are things we will have to work hard to get. And are often things that scare us to death.

And that's when the work begins.

All too often the things we want most desperately (or at least say that we do) are the things that intimidate us, and often result in our freezing in fear, giving up, or postponing action until it's so uncomfortable NOT to change that we're nearly forced into it. What a shame. Kinda takes all the pleasure out of the process, doesn't it?

So my new affirmation is to do (and force myself to do, if I must) the things that scare me most: writing, taking risks, talking to new clients, and trying new things that I know are good for me. That will mean doing a few things I don't want to do - or things that scare me - because I want the end result. And it's worth it. I know that some things will be uncomfortable, perhaps unpleasant, and even painful, but that I can't claim the prize without running the race.

I'm learning that the fear that holds us back can in some ways actually be a good thing - it can protect us from getting hurt; it can warn us of danger; it can keep us "safe." But it can also be the force that holds us still, keeps us stuck, and leads to complacency and ultimately boredom with our lives.

I don't know about you - but I don't want to ever be bored with my life. I don't want to be in my 70s and wish I had done this, or tried that.

So I encourage you to think: What are the things, at the end of my life, that I will be glad I at least tried? In my last days, what are the things I will regret not having done, because I was a chicken?

THOSE are the things that should be first on our list of things to do tomorrow, and if possible to complete in the next 12 months. Because I hate to tell you, but there aren't that many more "12 months" in any of our lives, and all we have is now.

So what have you done today to step out of your comfort zone, challenge yourself, and improve your life, your body, your career, or your relationships? Why wait until the end of your days? Heck - what have you done TODAY to improve the quality of your life?

Like it or not - you're always moving, and if you're not moving forward, you're actually moving backward. In life, there is no standing still. You're either going with it, or it's passing you by and you're missing today's opportunities.

So get off the computer right now and go do SOMETHING that you've wanted to do, something you've needed to do but haven't made time yet, or something that at the end of the day you will be proud of yourself for. I'm going to go do the same.