Marie* is a bright, innovative, creative woman who recently started her own consulting business after working for many years in the corporate world. She is proud of herself for taking the leap from employee to self-employed and has high hopes for her new business.
One day while having lunch with a friend Marie shares some concerns around attracting clients. For years she has had a steady income and now she is terrified that she will not be able to make ends meet or sustain herself. She knows that bringing clients into her business is crucial and begins to doubt her abilities.
In response her friend offers her some ideas for gaining clients. While her friend is sharing Marie starts to feel frustrated and heavy, like someone plopped a 50 ton weight down on her chest. Marie thanks her friend and offers a multitude of reasons as to why each suggestion won’t work for her. Each reason becomes a brick in a huge wall that she is building between herself, her business, and potential opportunities.
While it’s true that walls can provide great support, they are also easy to hide behind.
Walls = resistance to others or opportunities
Bridges = being open-minded/open-hearted to potentials, moving forward
Here’s the charge, the next time you feel resistance around something that you want, something that is really important ask yourself, “Am I building walls where I could be building bridges?”
If it is a wall you are building, try taking each brick and find a way to turn it in to a bridge plank. Remember, you have more to gain than you have to lose.
*No real individuals or situations were used in the creation of this post.
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As a certified life and business development coach Pam's passion is to help people find the assets and capabilities both within and around themselves to move forward, accomplish goals, overcome obstacles, defeat fears, and create opportunities. She has experienced diverse circumstances and opportunities in her life that support her in bringing an intuitive nature, understanding, and ability to "hear between the lines" to her coaching clients. Some of her experiences include:
Motherhood/Divorce/Single Parenthood/Teacher/Trainer/Business Owner/Co-Founder and Executive Director of a Non-Profit Organization/Masters Student (Industrial/Organizational Psychology)/Radio Host/Writer/Editor/Employee/Independent Contractor/Teleclass leader/Author.
She is also the author of Will the Real YOU Please Step Forward series; a series of e-workbooks dedicated to supporting individuals in getting to the core of who they are in order to live authentic, prosperous, passion-filled, and well-balanced lives. For more information; http://whatswithinu.com/interest.html