…it’s how you carry it that matters.
For some of you this blog post can stop with that first sentence, because you ‘get it’. You understand the power of those words and the truth they convey. Unfortunately, there are many who do not.
They don’t misinterpret because of the wording or because of their IQ, but because of their current reality. Today, my goal is to help some folks ‘course correct’ on that obstacle that is blocking their path.
For many years I have coached people to clarity concerning their goals for business and their dreams for growth. I am always intrigued by the people who take the world on their shoulders as if everything is their sole responsibility. They continue to add pressures to their already stress-filled life, only to have the weight of all those burdens cause them to feel ‘broke, busted and disgusted’ with everything and everyone around them.
Last year I learned a very important life lesson: the key factor is the way one carries the load..
During a period of time in a valley of learning, I realized the value of shifting the load I was carrying. I learned how to reposition myself in the world in a way that would better fit my circumstances and my potential.
You see, it isn’t so much the fact that things can happen so rapidly that we feel unequipped to handle them, or that challenges arise that catch us off guard in business or life. I have found, from both personal and professional experience, that how we perceive those challenges is what sets us up for success or failure.
In all walks of life, $*it happens. There, I said it..and It’s true! We can’t avoid having things come our way that aren’t even in our peripheral vision, and therefore catch us unprepared. So why, then, does it seem that in those very moments champions are made? They emerge as victors because they figured out how to surmount the problem, pull themselves up by the boot straps and Keep Moving!
So whether in your business or your personal life, if you are feeling as if the load you carry has gotten you down, do not despair. Tomorrow is just a day away. Here are 4 things you can do today that will shift the load you carry and put you on the side of victory. This, I believe, is how true champions are made.
• Speak the Truth – too often, when people are sitting in the muck and mire of their circumstances, they avoid telling the truth about how they got there. Be honest with yourself, and acknowledge what got you into this situation. It will help you to recognize your pathway out.
• Shout Down the Attack – when you feel that things are coming at you, go into your private space and shout them down. Speak a word of victory over your circumstance, and stand in that word as though you have already received it. Far too often, people speak the negative over their situation only to establish what they didn’t want. If words work against you that way, (and I believe they do) imagine what they can do for you!
• Confront your Fears – sometimes what breaks us down are the fears we have built up as a barricade around us. When the burden seems to be too much, it’s time to look at the fear you may be holding onto and confront it.
• Claim Your Tomorrow as Your Own! This is a step that I see business people actually doing better than other folks. I’m not sure what the ‘mindset shift’ is in this area, but I acknowledge the business people out there who comprehend that you can stand and claim tomorrow as yours, as if it’s already come to pass. This principle is very much in alignment with the affirmation process, which I wholeheartedly endorse. When we affirm our direction daily, our actions will align.
Consider these coaching questions as you build your new growth strategy:
What one thing will you do to shift the load you carry?
How will that change the state of your business or the path of your life?
What do you claim as your tomorrow?
Please share your thoughts and insights. We can all grow from each others’ experiences. And if you want more insights into building your personal growth strategy, sign up to receive your free audio teaching titled ‘Know The Potholes in Your Path to Growth’.
I have to say, Tammy, that what makes this entire post empowering is how it helps support us in going from “I can’t” energy to “I can.”
I love the question “What one thing will you do to shift the load you carry?” and rather than trying to be the martyr, knowing that we do not have to carry any load by ourselves.
And, how awesome to know that we can “claim tomorrow as (our) own!” Sure beats giving our power over to someone or something else, allow it or they to claim our day!
Some may think it strange — but all successful people do this in some way, shape or form — what you describe as ‘Shouting down the attack.’ It’s kind of like claiming tomorrow, but more like claiming today, this moment, this situation.
And, it can even be out loud, into your pillow or in the garage, declaring victory in mind, body and spirit “I shall overcome” today, right now!
I think also that sometimes we (read, I) are the source of a load that may seem to great because we’ve bitten off more than we can chew and disregarded our own needs for rest, rejuvenation, spiritual connection/practice, and downtime.
In this case, ‘shifting the load’ may mean realigning priorities and remembering to honor ourselves responsibly, claiming the right of self-care.
Thanks for a great discussion, Tammy. Really inspired me for the day ahead!
Yeah Tshombe!! You get it!! haha. Thanks so much for your words and the time you put into commenting.
I am honored to have impacted your day. And I hope you will take it with you into your week and your year.
And I totally know what you are saying about ‘we/I’ being the source of the issue with the load. I know that I have taken on things that are far out of my lane and don’t align with my WHY…which lands me feeling broke, busted and disgusted.
Taking back our personal power is a winning step in my book – every time!
I’m not sure which of these points I like the best! Maybe the first one, because nothing changes until we have clarity and awareness of the situation. You can’t solve a problem until you actually know what it is.
The first thing I do when all hell is breaking loose around me is to ground myself in the present. I ask: “right here, right now, in this moment, am I OK?” This shifts my focus to basic stuff: Am I breathing? Am I safe? Is this problem I’m worrying about happening *right now*? Or is it something I’m imagining might happen? I find this stops the downward spiral I can sometimes get into.
Then I can stop worrying and start working. Because even small bits of progress are reassuring as well.
Amen Patty. You are spot on. Nothing changes (at least in the direction we want it to) until we create an awareness for the change. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and for sharing your insights. And I love your approach to “stop the downward spiral”. That is really good.
Keep moving toward progress!!
Thanks for a great reminder Tammy. I have learned that the one thing I can always change or choose is my attitude towards my situation. In that moment, everything shifts and all things become possible. Lately that has looked liked curiosity. If I feel stuck-ish, I begin to wonder about it without going all analytical as I sometimes do. When I’ve stopped pushing at it and disliking it, I have more choices about how to be with it, including curiosity. I’ve been amazed how often self-compassion comes next, and I am in enormous gratitude for my life just as it is, and for your warm and supportive post.
Barbara I love curiosity. It is a great word. It is a great exercise. And it is an excellent way to honor our creative self.
Thank you for the kind acknowledgment also.
Continue to press into that bold curiosity I serves you well!
Tammy,
Boy, that new year’s post has surely enables you to turn out many more rich and helpful posts. My personal takeaway is speaking the truth and shifting the load have allowed my to say “no” to the wrong things in this new year. “No” has been a hard word for me just because I am interested in so many things. But then you lose your focus and those big things don’t happen because you are so busy saying “yes” to all the little things. Does this even make sense? : )
Tammy, I especially appreciate your point about sharing the truth. I recently read an article concerning a study that showed Facebook is leading to depression — because users generally post only the positive in their lives. That might sound like a breath of fresh air at first, but the study showed that when we’re struggling, and we see friends and family posting only happy stuff on Facebook, we begin believing we’re the only ones with problems. We feel isolated and rejected because we think none of these happy people want to hear about what troubles we’re having.
The truth, though, is that all of those happy people have something they’re struggling with; they’re just not talking about it. That article reminded me that being genuine — not doom-and-gloom, but genuine — always needs to be a top priority.
Most importantly, I need to be genuine with myself, otherwise I won’t be capable of sharing that truth with others.