The Cringe Factor

The first time I heard the term "the cringe factor" I was sitting in a comfortable chair in an enormous home theatre at Robert Allen's house. I was there to mastermind with other coaches and business experts. I had no idea what to expect but I knew something good was going to come from this day. I had interviewed Bob on my radio show eons ago about one of my favorite wealth building books The One Minute Millionaire. And now I was about to show him the marketing funnel of my business. I wasn't cringing over that. I was excited to get feedback and improve it. When he asked what area of my business I resisted most, that's when my whole body shrank. I knew immediately my answer. I was not very good at asking for support from joint venture partners. Yep, I cringed at the thought. My cringe factor is what someone else in the room named it. Uh huh. Yuck. When I dug a little deeper into why I cringed, it made me cringe even more. I didn't want to bother my partners. I didn't want to seem like a 'taker' or a leech. I had no problem supporting them. And if they offered to support me, I'd say yes. If my team asked for support from them, that was cool. But me? Not so much. Because I do almost all of my marketing online, this cringe thing was a giant roadblock that I needed to shatter. Two things helped me downshift this cringe into a slight frown. First, I created a goal so big that it forced me to deal with it. The goal became more important than the fear. I chose the goal purposely to shift my energy around asking for support. And then I made the process fun. Fun distracts me from the fear and allows me to step into my power. The second thing I did was try on different perspectives about asking for support. I saw my asking as an intrusion into their busy schedule. Hellooooo! I'm busy and they ask me, right? And aren't I happy to support people whose work I believe in? Yes! And aren't I even happier when I receive an unexpected commission check in the mail or I win a trip to mastermind with amazing people? Well … you know the answer. And aren't I serving the tribe if they buy one of my products or services and transform their life? I'm not bugging people, I'm serving them. Finally I began shifting from cringing to confidence. I began asking every ideal partner I knew, and didn't know, for support. I created such huge momentum that it became a fun game to see whom else I could ask! • What's your 'cringe factor'? What do you resist doing in your business because of fear?
• How does it get in the way of you serving yourself or others more powerfully?
• What goal would you choose to transform your cringe into confidence?
• Who could best support you?
• Are you willing to go for it? For the sake of expanding you, as the CEO, and your business? C'mon, take the challenge! I'll support you. Post your cringe factor and the compelling goal that will have you rise above it on my Facebook Page. Honey, it takes a village, this I know from experience. I'm excited to celebrate with you on the other side!