Sometimes just the word "change" can make your stomach twirl. Change is an inevitable part of life. Change is also part of the choice we make to make our lives better. Change is part of our growth, development and learning. But boy it can be tough. The idea to "just change," what we don't like about ourselves, like our finances, or our waistline, or our job sounds easy enough, right? But we all know it's not that easy.
We all want to change things in our lives to make ourselves or our lives better but often we become, "paralyzed." As a successful female entrepreneur change becomes part of your life. Here are 3 reasons we are afraid to change, and how we can learn to embrace it.
Deeply ingrained habits are tough to change. So difficult most of us would choose death over change. This was something I saw all the time in the health care profession. Let me give you an example.
When I was working with people with heart disease, who knew that some changes were needed in order for them to live, chose death. Not just once in awhile, but most everyone, chose to stay in his or her current lifestyle even when it meant death. They chose to never see their children grow into adults or never see their grandchildren be born, to never travel or see the world or enjoy the daily joys of life.
They chose to stay in their "comfort zone," with their old habits. We have all seen this. Maybe not in such a dramatic, glaring in your face, right now way, but a choice nonetheless. We have seen people make choices that we know will eventually cost them in the long run either in their finances or in their health. I always tell my kids, "we all pay the fiddler it's just a matter of how much and when."
So as a women your ready to become a female entrepreneur, what do you do when your mind says, "yes its time to change," and shortly thereafter a second thought comes in to sabotage your success?
- Understand deeply ingrained habits. The habits can be in the way you think, your eating habits, your spending habits, your daily routine. Whatever your habits are they are either creating the lifestyle of your dreams or they are not. Look at your habits and identify what is stopping you from making the changes you want in your life. Are there old thought patterns that are getting in your way? What are your obstacles? Understand your obstacles to get clarity to be able to put the obstacles behind you.
- Understand fear. Fear of failure, fear of what other people will say or think, whatever it is; fear is a huge "stopper." To have your life without limits, to be that unstoppable person you want to be, know fear and self-doubt is part of the process. If you want a great life and to achieve great things then you will get used to stepping out of your comfort zone. We have all done this and yet as we got older we became more and more controlled by our fear. As an empowered women understand where the fear is coming from and embrace it as part of the process.
Remember the first time you learned to ride a bike? Remember how scary it was, but you were determined to learn so you pushed the fear aside and, "went for it." Remember falling and getting up and trying again? Each time you fell you learned a little and tried again.
What a great success story! Somewhere as we got older we learned that when we fell we failed. What a crappy message we told ourselves! Fear and failing is part of learning something new.
3. Set clear goals with action steps and completion dates. We have all heard over and over about setting goals and yet we still are resistant to doing it. Yet without a clear direction, a map and directions of what you want your life to be like who knows where you will end up. Combine written goals with daily action steps persistence and reevaluation, and your life without limits are inevitable.
To have a life without limits, a lifestyle that you want for yourself, things have to change. Change is "part of the deal." It may seem less scary to stay where you are now.
Words like, "I will lose my vacation time if I …," or "I'll stay at this job until…" are self limiting words based in fear and old habits. Once you step out of your comfort zone and start to live your life without limits, you discover your path of passion and purpose. We believe that each and every person can live a life without limits.
