Whether you want to improve your time management or change the colour of your living room wall, it always starts with a decision.
A decision on it’s own isn’t enough… or maybe there are some things that feel like decisions but really aren’t.
For me a decision is something linked to action that will make it happen, without that link it’s just a wish.
It is easier to wish I could lose weight, be more fit or be better at managing my time… am I ready to put the effort into making the necessary actions happen?
With these examples I can see the actions that are needed – I could stop eating “fast food”, start walking 10,000 steps a day and have a prioritised list of intentions for my week. With some things it’s easy to see the actions that can be linked with the decision.
What do you do if you’re thinking about a big, scary decision?
I’ve had so many conversations with people who wished they felt better about the way they showed up at work… They wanted to speak up. They wanted greater impact or recognition. They wanted to stop hiding.
What are the actions you need to take here? Maybe the bigger question is are you willing to do it?
If, for many years, playing small has kept us safe – we’re still alive and we’re still here – taking the risk to speak up, voice an opinion or make an important decision might feel too scary.
If you want to show up at work differently you need to decide that you are ready to change. This probably means you need to step outside your comfort zone, into the limelight, to risk being seen.
If you know you’ve been hiding at work, the very thought of this is probably enough to set your heart racing and anxiety levels soaring.
What’s the smallest step you could take towards your goal of showing up differently? What is one step outside your comfort zone?
I remember when I took the decision to speak up within the first 10 minutes of being in a meeting… I mean, does that sound just too silly?
I decided to find something – to ask a question, give an answer, offer some words of support – anything so that I would get used to being seen to be present and participating. Reflecting on that decision taken oh so many years ago, it seems like such a small step now. At the time it felt big and scary.
It did change the way I thought about myself. It did change the way I showed up.
I remember deciding that I was ready to start showing up on social media – no, not posting to my personal friends and family, but posting, as a business, to people who might become clients. What would they think? What would they say? It felt so big and scary…
Sometimes it just takes that one step to start the longer journey.
What big, scary decision are you facing today and what’s that first step outside your comfort zone going to be?
I’d really love to know!
(And yes, if it’s still just a plan, I’m really good at keeping secrets!)
Margaret
PS: I do have space for one to one coaching conversations. If you’d like a free, no strings attached conversation to explore a big, scary decision and make it into something much more achievable, I would be delighted to help. Let’s get something in the diary!