Fear The Status Quo

We are in the last month of the year and many people start reflecting on what they accomplished in the current year as well as looking towards the following year.  Some are happy with what they have accomplished, yet many are frustrated, especially with careers.

There are numerous opinions on why people are frustrated with their careers, yet remain on the same path.  I have found one key element that keeps people in this state:  FEAR.  

Fear of the unknown.

Fear of failure.

Fear of criticism.

Fear of commitment.

Fear of “letting go”.

Fear of success.

Fear of _______________. (fill in the blank with your own)

I have found the daddy of all fears is, Fear of Change!  When you want to change, it begins…

That voice in your head starts providing reasons that you need to stay in the same place. 

You really feel there is more.

The voice whispers softly in your ear to stay. 

You then talk yourself out of moving ahead with your long list of excuses.

You reconsider and move to change again.

The more you move towards change, the voice becomes louder.

You ignore the voice and continue to move forward.

The voice becomes deafening.

The voice now forms the shape of a strange being and you see it speaking. 

You name it “Stop”, “No”, “Quit”, “Shut-up”, “Not Now”.

This strange being stands on your shoulder and jumps up and down.

The weight is too much for you to handle.

You make more excuses to justify staying the same.

Sound familiar?  That voice is also called your Gremlin.  You can have more than one Gremlin (many of us do) and they gang up to prevent you from changing. They want to “protect” you and love the status quo.  These Gremlins help to justify that the status quo is where you need to remain.

Are you getting tired of the status quo?  Do you want more?

If so, I have 4 suggestions:

1.     Read the book “Taming Your Gremlin” by Rick Carson.  It is an inexpensive paperback book (about $15.00) and provides great ways of getting out of your own way.  I recommend or provide this book to most of my clients.  It can help you handle these Gremlins, so you can move forward.

2.     Hire a coach.  I really do believe in the power of coaching and there are numerous studies that have proven that coaching does maximize individual/team productivity as well as accelerate results.  There are inexpensive ways to receive some great coaching:  (a) People attending coach certification programs offer discounted rates and they post on several sites like CTI.  (b) Group coaching is usually a fraction of the cost of individual coaching, plus you get the support of others in the group.  I do offer group coaching and usually have active programs coming up, so feel free to inquire about these if interested. 

3.     Draw the Gremlin: This is an exercise that I give to many clients.  Draw the Gremlin in great detail on a sheet of paper and write down the things it says to you all around the drawing.  The way to move past something is to face it and this is a good exercise to put the Gremlin in front of you so you can move forward.  This exercise may seem easy up front, so be aware that this can require some effort.  If you have a fear of confronting your Gremlin, then I would recommend that you hire a coach if you want to move forward.

4.     Do all 3 above. You will actually accelerate your results and move towards your purpose that will lead to your perfect career path.  You must do the work to move forward, nobody can do the work for you.