Upper Limits

Are you fighting your Upper Limit Success Saboteur?

What I have noticed with business owners is that we have a unique way of sabotaging our business growth and success.

I've seen many clients go to a workshop. Perhaps this has happened to you. You go and get clear about the next marketing strategy for your business. You can't wait to get started. You get really excited about your newfound business clarity. Once you get home, you take a few steps toward creating a project you are excited about and then... Boom! Everything stops. It falls apart. For some reason, you get irritable and procrastinate or find all these "emergencies" arise that require your attention.

There is a very good chance you are bumping up against your Upper Limit of Success.

Here's what that might look like: you keep telling yourself (and others) that you never follow through with projects. Then, even though you are really excited about a project, you'll find some way to sabotage your success. It might be kids who need your attention, an emergency with your home, or suddenly you've just got to volunteer and be more involved in your child's school.

One of my favorite books about this concept is The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. He talks about how we all have a thermostat setpoint when it comes to love, success, joy and abundance. (Actually, I added joy as I find that most of us feel guilty when we really start enjoying something whether it's a business success, a creative project bursting forth, or for some of us, even laughing out loud from a place of joy can feel dangerous.) We're so afraid of what others will think, or that we are afraid others will feel bad if we are happy & successful or that somehow we aren't worthy enough to enjoy success bigger than whatever we have experienced before.

Our inner thermostat is the comfort level we unconsciously set for ourselves. For example, let's say that for the last two years you've made $100,000 in your business. You say you are ready to grow bigger. You say you want to double your income, but you've only ever made $100,000. It's not that you can't. It's that unconsciously you have a comfort level around that lower amount. It's amazing how you will find ways to keep yourself from allowing the success in. Maybe you've experienced a big, juicy, ideal new client contacts you and you procrastinate getting back to them.

What do you do now?

The first step to changing a belief is always awareness. You have to be aware of your repetitive thought, belief or action. From that awareness you can shift most beliefs. Just shining light on it will allow you to consciously shift your energy, start new conversations, make a new choice and take a new action.

I have a lot of clients who are writing books. Funny how everyone seems to be writing a book these days! What I notice is that some of them are always still in the writing process. I think there's an Upper Level Success Saboteur at work. You have to be able to imagine yourself as a published author, see yourself at book signings, knowing without a doubt that the time you spend writing is worthwhile -that people are there in the world who need to hear your message. It's easy to get caught in the "Who am I do write this?" attitude.

YOU are the one to deliver it to them.

Here's another example from a client who said she wanted to hold a workshop and kept getting frustrated that people weren't signing up for the workshop. Turned out she hadn't booked the hotel suite or her flight yet. She wasn't committed to her own decision. No wonder things were slow. As soon as she shifted, the enrollments started coming in!

The world is waiting for you to get out of your own way!

Notice how you say you are ready for a new project, to launch a new marketing strategy that will put you in the spotlight, or raise your prices and see how you find ways to pull yourself back into your comfort zone. Be compassionate. Notice and then laugh as you recognize what's happening. Then keep taking bite-sized action steps forward. Keep noticing when things like friends, family, emergencies seem to get in the way of you taking forward action.

And then make new choices. Take new actions. And raise that Upper Limit of Success to allow more in.

Written by Laura Howard West, Center for Joyful Business, http:/www.joyfulbusiness.com ©Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

I hope you enjoyed this article by Laura and that it challenges you to push your upper limits. Why not post a comment about your limits and how you would like to change them.

Push those boundaries!!

Fran Watson