There was a tiger in a zoo that lived in a 9 x 5 cage. The zookeeper lobbied for years to get more money to create a better cage, one that mimicked the tiger’s native environment. Finally, after many attempts, the money was granted and the cage was transformed. The staff couldn’t wait to release the tiger into the new habitat. Too bad the tiger didn’t feel the same way. She didn’t venture out further than the borders of her old cage.
What rut are you stuck in even though the world is changing around you?
Do you have the same friends, opinions and hobbies that you had five years ago?
Examine your beliefs.
Where you are in your life has everything to do with what you believe in. For example, if you believe you are too old to start a new career, you may stay in a career you don’t love.
Here are some other common limiting beliefs:
Only connected people can get money to start a business.
- Opportunities are limited.
- I will always be this way.
- I am unlucky in love.
- One person can’t make a difference.
Look at how little room there is in these thoughts. Limiting beliefs lead you to make poor assumptions about how the world works.
Why does that matter? You interpret what happens to you through your assumptions. Have you ever wondered why some people see opportunities where others don’t?
It’s hard to see opportunities if you don’t believe they exist for you.
Changing a limited belief is simple once you know how to do it. Choose one belief to work on.
Write it down and answer the following questions:
- Is it always true?
- When is it true?
- How is it true?
- What do you think would happen if it weren’t true?
- What would you do differently if it weren’t true?
Sometimes the rules you live by are created by one really bad experience. These questions are designed to help you notice that. Now that you are shaking things up and making new rules for yourself, you need to look at who you are spending time with.
Establish new alliances.
Nothing shakes you up better than a contrarian thought partner. It’s nice to have people agree with you, but it doesn’t get you anywhere new. Nope. Just more of the same. Of course, you don’t want to disagree for disagreement’s sake. You are looking for someone to challenge you so you can continue on this new path of curiosity.
As you change, you may get some grumbling from your current crew. They may ask you what happened to you. Maybe they will say you have changed and not in a good way. Red flag. Start looking for people that will help you keep growing.
The next time you are having a friendly debate at a gathering or online, get their phone number. Who do you know and like that’s very different from you? Who do you have great friendly debates with? Who, in your circle, will make you sharper? There is nothing that beats having a strong team of people that care about your growth.
There will always be uncertainty. It’s scary AND it’s exciting. Find ways to use it to your advantage.
