I am often struck by the number of people who have extraordinary gifts and talents, but are afraid to expose them to the world. How many extremely talented people do you know who are hiding their greatness? All of us have something unique and special to offer. Oftentimes we hold back and only scratch the surface of what we could be. All of the symptoms of hiding are really the same in each of us. It's either something in our past, an incident that we felt shut the door to a promising future, or an erroneous message that we gave too much "air-time" to. Many of you may be in a job or career that stifles your greatness. But for some unconscious reason, you have chosen to sit quietly and hope for the best. Or maybe you have this great idea for a business and you've done all the 'leg work' to get it going - but fail to launch.
Remember as kids when you used to play the game 'hide and go seek.' The person hiding went to great lengths to be inconspicuous (ducking, dodging and shifting places) to be safe and not found. However, the "seeker" takes great pride in their ability to launch into action. The challenge to find what was hidden created adrenaline that lead them on a path to endless possibilities and discoveries - their greatness. Think about it. It takes more effort to hide and stay small than to come out of hiding and do the work.
I had a problem with 'failure to launch' in the workplace before I made the transition to explore my greatness. I clung to the safe positions. You know, the ones that kept you hidden in a cubicle, never challenging your intellect, never requiring you to present an idea/project: the one's that pigeonhole you. The moment I made the transition to come out of hiding and step into a career that harnessed my greatness (helping others realize their greatness), it changed my life in ways I never imagined.
Hiding Behaviors
Ever wonder why your career or entrepreneurial venture seemed to 'fail to launch' to what you desired it to be? The real truth is your behavior(s). These are behaviors you may or may not be consciously aware of. But if you really dig deep enough you will discover that you haven't been much of a "seeker" in exercising your greatness. What you have been communicating and actually doing is playing "peek-a-boo" with yourself. Instead of putting yourself out there and getting known in the workplace/marketplace, you do a little here and a little there. I'm speaking to those who never seem to feel they are ready and to those who hide behind fear.
Here's what hiding behaviors might look like:
· The Perpetual Student - "I'm almost there, I need more training, seminars, etc." Always preparing, never doing.
· The Marketing/Branding Wimp - " I'll do a little and leave the rest to chance."
· The Scaredy Cat - "I don't want to be in their face." Doesn't want to seem aggressive.
· The Procrastinator - " I'll do it tomorrow." Waits till the last minute, next week, next month, next year...
· The She Who Would Be Everything - "I can do it all." Wants to do everything, never committing to one thing and doing it well.
Reasons We Hide
We are afraid of all sorts of things. If you ask most people what they are afraid of they'll tell you, "nothing really." But if you engage them in thoughtful conversation, you'll really find out the truth. Some fears may seem trivial to others, but very real to the person who is experiencing them. We hide our greatness for many reasons. Reasons that keep us on the launching pad so long that we lose our flame for what we once hoped for: a promotion, career change, competitive salary, thriving business, and much more. So why aren't we being our greatest selves?
Some of those reasons may be...
- Fear of becoming big and powerful in the world.
- Fearing we might fail and how that is going to look to our colleagues, friends, family.
- Afraid of being found out - we aren't as smart as we appear to be.
- Fear of looking or sounding stupid.
- Listening to a spouse or family member(s) that may not be supportive.
- Fear that our success will take us far from our comfort zone.
- Fear of money (management, bad decisions).
- Fear of making powerful connections and having influence.
- Fear of what will people think? How will they treat me?
- Holding on to old worn out messages from the past.
Ask yourself this question: "What is it costing me to stay hidden in my career, business?"
Cherri_Walston
0 comments:
Post a Comment