Allowing for Success Means Getting Out of Your Own Way

They say miracles are past; and we have ournphilosophical persons, to make modern and familiar,nthings supe
atural and causeless. Hence is it thatnwe make trifles of terrors, ensconcing ourselves ninto seeming knowledge, when we should submit ourselves to an unknown fear.
- William Shakespeare

It occurred to me that you just might find yourself staring at the new year as if you were climbing a metaphorical mountain.

Wondering... How you will ever get to the summit?

A friend and coaching client was laying out her plans for 2009 and found herself paralyzed with overwhelm. Crazy self-talk turned her well thought-out plans into the mighty Mount Everest.

A little back story:

We closed out 2008 with a coaching session dedicated to the usual suspects: 2009 goals, timelines and strategies etc. The next time we met, she was 100% freaked out and frozen stiff. The emotion of sheer terror had taken over before she made the first step toward her new and well orchestrated life. Visualizing avalanches, deep cave
s and tricky ledges - she made everything a MONUMENTAL climb.

Her moment of clarity occurred when I asked, "How can you get out of your own way and move forward with your plans"?

We discovered that getting out of your own way and allowing for success might just look like this:

Delegate
Whether you ask for help from a friend, family member or assistant.

Begin asking ...
Doing everything yourself is highly overrated. The art of delegation can mean the difference between success and complete insanity.

Eliminatio

What tasks or engagements are sucking up your time? Are you spinning your wheels trying to be all things in your business or community? If you are overextended, what can you back away from? Just because you have always done X, does not mean you have to continue. Change is ...

Lighten UpnLaugh at your particular brand of madness. Throw your head back and laugh out loud! When you start to feel full-on-crazy, take a breath and witness your spin. You really are a comical critter. Humor is lovely medicine to tame your "I must be serious" hee bee jee bee's.

Allow for small victories
My coaching clients love the fact that we celebrate small victories together. Learning to be grateful for the tiniest improvement allows for more success. For example, this morning I began my morning cardio workout after a holiday filled with, well, excessive holiday fare ... It's no secret that I need to get moving again. I began with 10 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes wailing on a heavy bag. YES! I did it. Small victories rule.

Engage a mentor, coach
Reach out and talk with a person who has already reached the summit. Is there anyone on the planet who has already achieved what you want to achieve? YES, of course there is. Engage, hire, or buy coffee for someone that can inspire you to continue on your path to success.

You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up.

When one can no longer see, one can at least still know. - Rene Daumal