Hi there First name / friend!
I met up with a past student last month as she was passing through town. I got to meet her new boyfriend (and dog!) and was reminded how great it is to reconnect with my lovely alums to see where they are now.
We caught up on the big and little things, then she said…
“Ixi , I just love what you and Tiffany are doing. The digital programs and coaching that's reaching people all over the world are so fantastic. I have some ideas for coaching too, and just haven't found a way to get it really going."
I got excited for her, thinking she'd be a really g-r-e-a-t coach, and asked what was holding her back. She told me she was “testing the waters until she knew what she was doing” and was doing some free sessions to get her feet wet.
I could see all of her desire to do this work, as well as the giant mountain of self-doubt and said, “Whoa, stop right there!! You totally know what you're doing. You have years of lived experience, are a smart and thoughtful person, wrote a freaking book, and… you weren't born yesterday! Stop the giving things away for free, you have to know your value!"
Why do we all tend to wait until someone “out there” validates us? Why do we do everything in our power to hide, instead of allowing our gifts to shine?
Here are a few thoughts on valuing what you have to offer, and stepping out from hiding:
• You don't have to be perfect, feel ready or have 3 degrees - you just have to be willing! Willing to put forth what you know you can offer the world.
• There's magic in having a real burning desire for something. As Deepak Chopra says, “Inherent in every desire is the mechanics of its fulfillment.” Acknowledge this and you start to pull people, things and events to you that helps you reach your goals. Fast!
• Be creatively free with yourself, passions and expression. Jamie Lee Curtis, star of the new film Everything Everywhere All at Once, revealed that she wanted to hide nothing in this role. She wanted to look real. She said, "There is a billion-dollar, trillion-dollar industry about hiding things… Concealers. Body-shapers. Fillers. Procedures. Clothing. Hair accessories. Hair products. Everything to conceal the reality of who we are."
• When you hide, you are robbing the world of the special gift that only YOU have to give. No one else has your heart, and your approach.
This can be something you practice in life, as with my student and her idea. But it can also translate powerfully toward performance success. Here's a free
Expanding Your Comfort Zone resource that hits on just that - check it out!