There’s a tendency for us to play small when we’re frightened by both recessionary times and shrinking bank accounts. It’s natural to want to pull up the drawbridge and hunker down. But if we’re not careful, we become habitual small thinkers and our dreams wither and die. What would it take for you to play a bigger game? Here are five steps that will get you to think big.
- Silence your Inner Gremlin. Our Gremlins are those critical inner voices that try to keep us firmly rooted in the status quo. As soon as you think about playing a bigger game, they start harassing you, “Who do you think you are? You don’t have enough experience to do that. What will people think? You’ll probably fail. ” You need to recognize your Gremlin voices and firmly tell them to “get lost”. If you need some help, I highly recommend the book Taming Your Gremlin.
- Step out of your comfort zone. We’re drawn to comfort and it can smother us. The truth is that nothing comes from playing it safe. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to playing a bigger game is not stepping out of our comfort zone and taking risks. It’s scary to do so. Ask yourself what’s the absolute worse thing that could happen to you? Now hold that scenario in your mind and ask yourself if you could handle this worse case? The chances are you’ll probably answer yes.
- Organize support. You’ll need to find people who share your dream. Your support group can be drawn from friends, colleagues, and personal coaches.They’ll be there to give you feedback, ask powerful questions, and help keep you focused on your vision.
- Ask yourself the right questions. In order to be clear about where you are and where you want to be, ask yourself:
- How am I playing small?
- What do I yearn for?
- What’s holding me back?
- What do I need to do to move forward?
- Take action. If you spend all your time reflecting, reading, and analyzing but never putting your plan into action, you’ll have failed. This is where your support group is invaluable. They can hold you accountable and keep you focused on your dream.
Image by Marie-Chantale Turgeon
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