A teammate of mine sent me this question the other day “What excuse will I eliminate so I can move forward?”
In coaching we call this kind of question an inquiry. A question that doesn’t have a right or wrong answer, they are used to deepen learning and provoke reflection.

Throughout the day I explored my life through this question and what I found is it started to be overwhelming and my saboteur was having a field day with a long list, (I still do not know enough, I can’t do it, there is no way, I am getting to old, I do not have enough time) pretty soon it started to sound like….BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Later in the day while I was on the phone working with a client, I heard myself say,
Overcoming the fear and doubt to create the possible! It hit me in that moment! That is it!
I love my work. So many times while I am processing others I am processing myself at the same time.

All the blah blah blah’s are just fears and doubts. I say “just,” however, they can stop us from going after what we want in our lives. That damn saboteur voice can be very powerful.

Looking at the question again: What excuse will I eliminate so I can move forward? I realized the powerful part of the question was the process of not getting stuck on the excuses and the movement forward. What would I be willing to eliminate? First, It takes getting really clear and truthful with ourselves. What is our personal ambition? What about it is important?

Then picking one behavior you want to improve that will move you toward that ambition. Define what about it is important, and get busy working on that. By working on one behavior and mastering it it is amazing how many other areas in our life it will affect. Think back into the past for just a minute. Think of a time you had a “win”, it can be small or a big win. Got it?

For me, it is the day I took my flight test to become a private pilot and I passed. Even typing it makes me smile and the feelings come flashing back. I can remember getting out of that plane and walking back into the airport with the biggest smile on my face and thinking, I rock! I walked with my head a little bit higher that day.
The behaviors and the beliefs I accepted about myself throughout the journey allowed me to have the small wins along the way that built up to the climax of the event. It was one behavior at a time, and mastering it.

Because of that win and the self-confidence boost I can link so many other wins in my life since that day. Even the work I do today I truly believe was affected by that one moment in time.
So, what was the “win” for you? Feel your way back there… What other areas in your life did it affect in a positive way? What is your personal ambition today?  What about it is important to you?
What excuse will you eliminate so you will move forward to create the possible?

Below you can add your comments. I would love to hear your story.

Wishing you the best always,
Corinne McElroy CPCC, ORSC
Edge Of Change
www.edgeofchange.com

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