MAWMonday Motivators 05/14/2017

by: Dr. Michael A. Wright In Blog, Coaching DiaryTagged , , , , , , , ,

Have You Lost Enough to Overcome Your Fear?

“Let’s do it. What do I have to lose?”

There is something about not having much or losing it all that clears the pathway to bold ideas and new strategies. Could it be that your fears are not encapsulated within the rationalizations and intellectualizations you communicate? Could it be that they are really your veiled attempt to hold on to some sense of security (however false) represented by things, a job, a relationship, an expectation that you have become accustomed to?

This week, my call is for you to realize that those things could fall away, the job could downsize, the relationship could sour, and the expectation could disappoint. What you will have left is that small voice within you that was drowned out by your overthinking and fear. That small voice that prompts you to do what you know you can, to rise above the mediocre and typical, to reach beyond solvency or even riches to achieve wealth and freedom. Twitter hears it. Take a listen.

1. After We Lose Everything

I’m talking about a mindset. Some of us have lost it all, and peered into the abyss of rock bottom. Because rock bottom is not just a resting point from which you can examine your options, choices, past, and future. Rock bottom is a perpetual sensation of falling down a well of moss-slicked walls. Short of breath with the rush of air as you fall. Anxiety building, not knowing whether your life will end with a thud of packed earth or the choked drowning in murky water.

You will not see beauty or feel peace as if on a skydive, but that’s the power of a mindset. Listen to your internal voice. Remember your dreams and passions. Reconnect with your inner child. If the end tends toward doom, what would you rather do as a final opus? Without the pressure and energy spent attempting to hold on, what could you accomplish?

2. On the Other Side

Rock bottom, if you think about it, has a great deal of freedom. It is not that anything is possible, it’s more. It’s that nothing is forbidden. Nothing has strange rules, moving targets, or whimsical judgments. What you choose is yours to develop without outside influence. Even fear cannot reside at rock bottom. After all, fear is about loss of control, loss of things. Without the mirage of control or the vanity of things, fear has no foothold. And, you are left with freedom if you choose to see it that way.

And again, the mindset. Even if you are not at your actual rock bottom, adopt the mindset that admits to the fallacy of control and the vanity of things. Release yourself from the requirement to maintain an image or be the responsible one. What options open before you enabled by this mindset? How do they fit with your happiness? How might you monetize them to sustain your freedom?

3. Integration

This mindset releases you from the dissonance of conformed existence that most people accept without hesitation. I often think of the adage, “Wear a tie to hide your wallet.” It is a colloquial way to describe the fact that dressing up is a way to communicate self-worth and competence as a first impression. I contrast this to the patterns of Mark Zuckerberg in the early days of Facebook. You would be hard-pressed to find a photo of Mark in anything but a t-shirt and hoodie. He met with university presidents, IPO investors, and other power brokering meetings. It was famously suggested that he bore the mark of immaturity. For me, it’s an example of how criticism follows no matter if you are an hourly worker or owner of a billion-dollar company. The scrutiny never ends. Why not be comfortable? Why not be yourself?

You see, the scrutiny is their issue. Your choice to conform is yours. The problem with conforming to their whim is that you are not listening to your voice of authenticity. The power of your choice is certainty of personal, genuine satisfaction no matter the outcome.

4. You Have What You Need

“You have the gift. But, it looks like you are waiting for something.” The Oracle spoke to Neo in a favorite movie of mine entitled the Matrix. What are you waiting for? The right moment will never come. The moment must be seized. The right investment, the right environment, the right network…Those are all appropriate considerations. Timing is the single biggest reason why start-ups succeed.

But, let’s be honest. Timing is not why you haven’t launched. You could give me the list of what you are waiting for, but I’m more concerned about what you are doing in the mean time, and what you produce along the way. If you are building infrastructure and disseminating opportunities building your network to critical mass, I’m still here to set your launch date. But if you are like most, you have put your Amazing on the back burner in order to do the work of some other motivated by a fear of being out there without a sure paycheck. It’s time for you to realize that you have what you need.

5. New Expectations

If I told you that you could be a millionaire, you would probably laugh me out of your sight. Even if I told you that you could live comfortably and be out of debt, you would be skeptical. What is it that keeps us locked in patterns expecting disappointment, poverty, and struggle? I can only divine that it is a lack of faith. And, that is the power of this tweet. After you move out of fear toward freedom, accepting yourself, mobilizing who you are as well as what you do, Expect Miraculous Solutions. And, it’s not just patience and blind belief. Miracles are a function of placing your expectation in the context you have created tangibly with your own hands. You must put the application in for it to be miraculously delivered and rise above the thousands of others submitted. You must launch the business in order for it to grow at faster rates than the industry standard. But, once you submit, once you launch, expect miracles. That’s what continues to motivate your freedom and overcome your fear.

Dr. Michael A. Wright received his Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina - Columbia. Since 1997, Wright has led MAWMedia Group, LLC, a firm helping individuals and organizations tell stories and translate ideas into capital.