I remember the day I signed the lease to our first building on the hood of my truck in front of the landlord and said: "what if this doesn't work?"
Three years later I remember signing the purchase and sales to our current building and thinking "what if this doesn’t work?"
Now we’re getting ready to move forward with a 5,000+ square foot expansion to continue our mission and inspire positive change in people’s lives.
And I ask myself the same question…
“What if this doesn’t work?”
With any goal, with any big change, with any progress, fear and doubt will always be a part of it, and as it gets closer, the bigger the fear, the more anxiety.
In fact, I’ve learned that’s a good thing.
Fear allows you to better think through all the worst-case scenarios, to be more detailed, to plan for plan B.
We all have examples of this every day, big and small.
“What if people make fun of me in the gym?”
“What if I can’t keep up with everyone?”
“What if I screw up?”
“What if I don’t do a good job?”
What if…
What if…
What if…
The "what if" fills our life with fear, anxiety, and negativity.
It can often be paralyzing to the point of not wanting to go forward with a decision.
A big mental shift is to say “When I…”
When I complete this project it is going to be a place where lives are changed...
When I walk into this gym it's going to be comforting and welcoming.
When I go all-in, I'll get all out of it.
When I drop those pant sizes, not what if I drop those pant sizes.
When I can feel strong and confident, not what if I feel strong and confident.
It seems simple, but it's a huge shift in your mental state.
Does it remove all fear?
No.
But as I mentioned, I think a little bit of fear is a good thing.
It keeps us on our toes.
However, shifting to “when I…” allows you to still move forward, to still make progress, to not let fear be paralyzing, and to speak to yourself like it will happen or has already happened.
Try making that daily shift in your mind and let me know how it goes.
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling