Hello Successful  Mindset Friends, again I’m so glad you’re here.  

Take a deep breath for this one, this is the podcast where I remind you (and myself) ‘discomfort is the path to growth and your dreams podcast’.  

Why does it take courage to lead, to grow, to keep showing up for our businesses?

What type of courage am I talking about:

Disciplined Courage:  Remaining steadfast, strategic and deliberate in the face of inevitable setbacks and failures for the greater good.
Intellectual Courage:  Challenging old assumptions and acting to make changes based on new learnings, understandings and insights gleaned from experience.

Why is courage required?

I’ll focus on 2 simple reasons today….

The brain LOVES to stay the same.  I love the studies that show Life’s Most Stressful Events.  The highest stress is caused when we make a change EVEN ONE we want like marriage, retirement, first job, going to college, job changes, etc.  The brain goes on high alert, bringing to the forefront of your mind ALL of the thoughts of uncertainty and fear because in those life changes you’re going into the ‘unknown’.  

I find it fascinating because many of the changes we plan for, over plan for and even yearn to have like moving on to college and retiring.  The brain is simply doing it’s job in keeping you safe from harm.  This is why we forge ahead and make many life shifts EVEN though we need a lot of courage to get through all of the emotions from them. 

But why is this required in running a business?  Because we never know what is ahead.  Because we are doing something new almost every damn day.  A new opportunity, working with a client that seems different or is more challenging, we might be using a new technology, or working with new team members I could go on, the life of a growing business is never the same day to day and the brain fusses at it.  Courage is required to jump over these natural ‘fear triggers’ that the brain offers you.

Oh there’s another reason Courage is required, we have thoughts.  All sorts of thoughts.  We have thoughts that can be old patterns that come up when we are expanding our influence.  Like the imposter syndrome you might feel when you land a great client, speaking opportunity or are in a community or networking and ‘see’ (airquotes) that every one is more experienced, polished or better, than you are.  

To get what we want (new clients, great relationships in our business community) we must courageously believe we are enough, are smart enough and equipped to be in that room, to be the expert, be competent enough to engage and share value.  

And what I find that is so frustrating to me about having a brain that works in this way. Is that I get through some situations, I power through procrastination and there it is again, I only solved for the most recent moment, it doesn’t mean I’m not going to need to summon courage again and again.  

We as humans want to SOLVE for this.  So when we bravely keep stepping forward in situations that trigger fear in us and have a great, even powerful experience, we unknowingly expect that the next time it’s going to be easier.  

OK, the best example ever are performers that are so nervous every time they perform, or top stage speakers that on the regular are full of fear when they are about to speak. 

So why would we think that we’d be any different.

My go to thought when I have an uncomfortable emotion is that I”m doing something wrong. In my mind I think I’ve expected this journey of running a business, running a coaching practice to somehow get much easier.  Like I arrive at a certain load of clients or dollar amount in my business and VOILA no more fear.

Oh I’m a human and so are you, and understanding this dynamic in ourselves is so important.  AND accepting the challenge of moving through something EVEN THOUGH IT FEELS AWFUL, is one of the best ways to have what you want in your business and in your life.  

Yup I’m starting to call summoning courage Braving.  I learned it from Brene Brown. 

The way I define Braving for the purpose of this conversation is admitting where you are so you can get where you want to go.  

Not letting fear create the dynamic/outcome where we are: 

Braving is moving forward and NOT

Staying stuck in procrastination

Playing it too safe situations when you know you want more

Where we are: 

Speaking up even in  uncomfortable situations (with your team or clients)

Showing up when you’re representing your business (no more sidelines)

Trying something new

Braving, admitting humbly that yes you are human too and nothing has gone wrong but damn, I’m feeling it right now.  

THEN deciding.  This is where courage comes in, deciding you’re doing it anyway.

I know most of you flex your courage muscles a lot. But I also know that many of us just don’t realize that we’re backing off of our dreams and goals because we don’t realize this is going on.

YOU MIGHT BE:

Waiting until we’re ready

We’re procrastinating until it is a better time, till you feel like it

We don’t want to shake things up so we sit back

Letting others decide for us

Staying in reaction mode in our businesses instead of leading.

Yes Courage is required but it brings the best results ever:

You land new business

You get invited in to powerful business relationships with other leaders

You put your name in the hat for things our brain resists BUT we know we want

You are seen as experts

What is so fun is we attract others that are living bravely as well.

This is the key to a thriving, amazing life and the best journey in business you could ever want.

Courage is Required

Why? 

Because our Brain loves Safety

Because circumstances in our lives can trigger thoughts that create crappy emotions

What to do about it?

Admit where you are and move forward any way, flexing courage is the currency to yours and my dreams.

Deep Breath, your amazing future is waiting.

AND remember, you’re doing a really good job.  Look for the evidence, it’s right there.