Embracing a “Do The Scary Thing” Mindset
As we venture into the second half of 2023, I’ve been taking time to reflect on the intentions and values I set for myself back in January. This year has been a whirlwind of change, both in my personal and professional life. In the beginning of this year, I set an intention to embrace a "do the scary thing" mindset. I made a list of all the things that I could do this year to get me closer towards the vision I had for my life - specifically the things that felt even just a little scary. I’m not talking about thrill seeking. Sky diving was not on the list for 2023. This is all about ego and that comfort zone we create to protect it.
At the beginning of the year, I was facing the reality of being jobless for the first time as an adult. I’d spent two years avoiding a decision to pursue teaching yoga full time, and here I was in a situation where it was about to be decided for me - law of the universe? It was time to explore what more was possible for me if I refused to allow fear or limiting beliefs dictate my life choices. This journey has meant confronting significant challenges. It involved leaving behind a comfortable yet unfulfilling career to pave the path for my own business venture. It also meant stepping out of my comfort zone and putting myself out there in a new and vulnerable way.
As it turns out, if you want to have an impact as a teacher, you can't shy away from self-promotion – a daunting task for me. In the beginning, even using the term "brand" for my offerings made me cringe. I had to do some work around where that discomfort was coming from – some limiting beliefs suggesting that what I had to offer was not “brand-worthy.” So it took sitting down with my thoughts, doing the inquiry and recognizing each time I was feeling the fear or discomfort, it came with this underlying message of being “not enough, flawed, lacking”.
Realization hit, this is years of my life that I spent playing small while these limiting beliefs were driving all my decisions, and without my awareness. So what would happen if I let go of these beliefs? Would there still be fear or doubt? Fast forward through six months of crossing out items on the scary list: It’s a work in progress, but the sticky thoughts no longer go unchecked. Without labeling the thought as good or bad, simply as a belief to be examined. At the very least I recognize a limiting thought as it arrises.
This is a process of mindfulness – observing without judgment – allowing us to identify and overcome our self-made barriers, enabling us to move past fear. Armed with self-awareness, we can identify when limiting beliefs resurface, and confront them head-on. Each time, we take on the scary challenges with newfound ease and confidence.
Doing the scary things this year, I've witnessed the beliefs about what's possible for myself expand well beyond expectations. Embracing transitions is one small example. Despite the initial fear and discomfort, each new challenge ignites a path of self-discovery and growth that would have otherwise remained undiscovered.
In my experiences with you through this blog, I want you to know that there is so opportunity for growth beyond your yoga mat – limitless possibilities that we often overlook. Our beliefs shape what we can achieve. When we challenge and change those beliefs through mindfulness, we begin to shape our future according to our dreams.
I'm thrilled to bring you along on this journey and share these not-so-secret sauce method through yoga, 1:1 mindfulness coaching, and more. Let's embrace the scary, break free from our self-imposed limitations, and pave the way for an empowered and fulfilling future together.