Donna Highfill
  • Home
  • About
    • About Donna
    • What People Are Saying
    • My Other Blogs
      • Dame Nation Blog
      • Huffington Post
  • Services
    • Power Up BUSINESS
    • Coaching
  • Books and Tools
  • Blog
    • Fave Products
  • Contact Me

Three Olympic-Worthy Change Messages

AndrewUncategorizedNo commentsAugust 3, 2012

Imagine an Olympian in the 400-yard dash who can’t get off the starting block. The gun is fired, the other competitors leap forward, but she just stays there with her foot glued to that block. What could possibly keep her from moving forward? She has trained for this race for years. She knows a quick start is essential. So why is she just standing there?

Her thoughts have formed an anchor of fear that weighs her down:

1. What if I fall in front of the world?

2. What if I disappoint my coach?

3. What if I’m not worthy of the win?

How Fears Stop Change

Each one of these fears stops leaders and individual contributors from moving forward with change every day. Our first fear is falling. Toddlers are the only human beings on earth who relish the fall, because they don’t know yet that it’s a problem, and they have a huge support system created by adults who are cheering and applauding every step. The question is: When do we become so afraid of falling? Why can’t we see it as falling forward?

Secondly, most of us are terrified of letting down people who have helped us to succeed. Spouses might have sacrificed for us; parents might have mortgaged the house for our education. What if this change we are experiencing or asked to lead results in us losing our job or our status? What will others think?

Finally, we don’t feel worthy of success. In fact, I venture to say we’re more afraid of success than failure. With failure you have a lot of comrades who will commiserate and pull you into their community. Success is a community built with a much smaller population and, ultimately, less popularity. People love long shots the year they first win, but their ardor cools when they win again, and again and again.

Three Olympic-Worthy Thoughts 

To move forward, we need to allow those thoughts to exist while refusing to listen to them. Challenge them by converting the questions into change messages:

1. Falling means I’m moving forward. Kudos to me.

2. People who have supported me love me unconditionally. The only way I fail them is to fail myself. Move forward.

3. I’m not made worthy by a win or a loss. I am a part of God. I am always worthy.

Remember what Marianne Williamson said about our greatest fear: We are afraid that we are powerful beyond measure. Each one of us has the strength within us to move and lead through every obstacle change throws our way, but we have to ignore the thoughts that tell us otherwise.

Question: What other messages do you give yourself to move forward during times of change?

 

 

Tags: coaching, donna highfill, featured, highfill performance group, leadership, motivation

Related Articles

Because I Said So!

December 6, 2010Andrew

The Dance of Change

June 1, 2010Andrew

The New Story of Age

February 12, 2013Andrew

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Learn How to Tell a Better Story and Achieve Success!

Sign up below to receive 48 FREE Energizing Messages.

Connect with Me

Email
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Recent Posts

  • A Cab Driver Who Appeared as if from Nowhere
  • Here’s Some Honesty For You
  • Laughter is My Hero
  • A New Year in Old Clothes
  • Why I Will Face the Fall

CHECK OUT MY BOOK

highfillcover

As a leader, do you implement change only to watch the projects, processes and initiatives stall because you can’t get the people driving them to change? In my new book Real People, Real Change: Stories of a Change Warrior in the Business World I share real stories to illustrate how leaders can move people to action.

Archives

Where Donna Will Be Speaking Next

  • April 22, 2015 - SunTrust Women's Networking Group
  • April 23, 2015 - SunTrust Women's Networking Group
  • May 12, 2015 - LPGA Championship, Kingsmill, Williamsburg VA
  • May 21, 2015 - Education Association of Fundraising Professionals, Eerie, PA

Certified_hi-res

mbti_certified
huffbadge

Learn How to Tell a Better Story and Achieve Success!

Sign up below to receive 48 FREE Energizing Messages.

Recent Posts

  • A Cab Driver Who Appeared as if from Nowhere August 9, 2017
  • Here’s Some Honesty For You March 16, 2017
  • Laughter is My Hero January 10, 2017

Contact Me

804-370-6665
[email protected]
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright
  • About Donna
  • Contact Me
Copyright Donna Highfill 2014