What must be shed to move forward?

Our biggest weaknesses, almost by definition, are limiting beliefs or behaviors that we have the most difficulty breaking away from.

And more often than not the difficulty stems from the fact that you don’t want to break away from them. It is you versus you. Or, more precisely, the present version of you versus the person you have the potential to become.

For example, one of my biggest weaknesses growing up was my fear of failure and falling on my face in front of peers.

I’ve declined excellent growth opportunities in service of these fears:

• I’ve declined to join immersive language programs because I was worried about sounding foolish
• I’ve passed on certain projects out of concern that I might make a misstep that unleashes fierce judgment from those around me.

I may have “protected” myself from these fears by making these choices, but at significant cost:

• Without learning to be ok with sounding imperfect, I would never be able to learn a new language.
• Without learning to be ok with stumbling as I wrestle through a challenge, then I will never build the skills necessary to persevere and solve some truly worthwhile problems.

It’s uncomfortable facing this fear, but if I don’t learn to face it my growth potential is capped.

You may not be able to shake all the nerves away, but you can choose to act despite them.

Reflecting on this reminds me of the advice, “What got you here, will not get you there.”

A powerful way to disrupt a holding pattern propped up by complacency and old habits is to question what parts of you must be shed, and what discomfort must you learn to embrace, to get to where you want to be.