Ever suspect you might be doing a bit of groundhog-day-backstroke in your life?
Maybe every now and then an annoying voice way back
in your awareness points this out?
Perhaps you often find yourself with that stomach-sinking feeling
of disappointing familiarity?
If you’re a YES to any of these, you’re probably experiencing some brainwashing.
On the career front it shows itself as life-long dreams that don’t come to fruition. For many, this kind of brainwashing has been a life-long companion.
For example:
— The data science director who wants to start his own business venture using data science for positive social/environmental impact, but can’t seem to step off the corporate ladder.
— The organizational development consultant who’s wanted to work in the Middle East for over two decades but can’t get past the varying ‘reasons why not to’ that emerge every few years.
— The oil and gas business development manager who continues to put up with lower pay, and a culture of getting ‘stepped over’ instead of finding an organization with a better-fit culture.
— The 55-year old hard-working parent who puts off going to another musical theatre audition and the chance to fulfill a dream.
This ^^^ is common.
This ^^^ is brainwashing.
This ^^^ is completely changeable !
So for those of you ready to fix it, follow these 4 steps.
Step 1. Believe Yourself
If you have a dream or idea that repeats for longer than a couple of years or more – there’s something true and You about it.
Take it seriously. Ideas that don’t come from our heart or soul generally fly by on their way to someone else. This is likely something important trying to get your attention.
Step 2. Stop And Look
Stop swatting your dream or idea away like it’s an annoying fly. Pause and look at it, and listen. Write. Talk with a friend. Record yourself speaking about it.
Explore – what could it look like? what impact might it have on your life? what might it give you that you don’t currently have? who might you become if you follow it?
Also – write out all the reasons you shouldn’t do it. Then put the list away, and look at it again 48hours later. How does it read to you?
Dedicate some time – a few minutes every week will eventually reveal something worthwhile.
Step 3. Go Further
If this is a long-term dream then you’ve inched up to it before. Some sort of brainwashing keeps you backing away. So, this time – go further than you did last time.
Here’s a pro-tip – we generally don’t follow long-time dreams because they mean changing something we’re afraid to change. Usually it’s for the better – but hey, our egos don’t know that so they cling on for dear life. For some of us, to “go further” we need someone holding our hand and pointing out where we’re just plain telling fibs to ourselves.
Join a group program, start a course, hire a coach [nope, not self-plugging here] … Face whatever is stopping you by getting help getting past whatever keeps stopping you. No-one – and I mean no-one – gets through this stuff alone. Nope – you’re not the exception. If you could have, you would have by now.
Step 4. Choose Possibility
It’s incredibly exciting to clamber over long-held obstacles and find ourselves moving towards a long-held desire. Exhilarating, really. And a huge relief when we realise there wasn’t really a “good” reason for not doing so sooner.
Look for feelings of excitement, hope, joy, possibility, energy. Look for small inexplicable miracles that start to show up as you stop and look. Look for reasons why you can. Make the decision to go to and through this dream. Find out what it’s really all about.
Write down your first step.
***
Wrap your arms around yourself and remember – you’ve been around long enough, faced enough challenges, and done enough for others… it’s time to un-brainwash yourself and, step-by-step, move towards that thing that keeps tapping you on the soul-der. Go find out what it’s really all about.
You got this.
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