Free Yourself From Your Hidden Stories
Posted on February 17, 2023 by Bryan Yates, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.
For years, I used to say "I'm terrible at sales." The reality, however, is that this is a demonstrably false statement. As a coach, I've actually ...
Let’s talk about your self-limiting storytelling—yours and mine actually. You do it, and you might not even notice it. It’s probably been happening in the most subtle of ways for a very long time. Longer than you’d care to admit.
For years, I used to say “I’m terrible at sales.” The reality, however, is that this is a demonstrably false statement. As a coach, I’ve actually made a long career of convincing people they can accomplish those things they imagine impossible. This has been true in my role as a business professional too. Helping others come to believe they can accomplish something out of reach is–at its heart–a sales job.
And yet, as recently as the middle of last year, I continued to tell myself “I’m terrible at sales.” Complete bullshit, because I truly thrive in the challenge of turning your ambivalence into a resounding F*CK YES about yourself. So why did I tell myself a lie that was so patently untrue? I don’t even know where that story came from, or how it became so entrenched.
This has all changed for me, though. Saying “I’m bad at sales” was a self lie to evade talking about what I was really avoiding: a complicated relationship with money and self worth. This is the real inner work that demanded my clear-eyed, focused attention. I needed to become properly aware for proper change to begin.
We tell ourselves stories to avoid our deeper discomforts. Once awareness happens authentic possibility follows.
So, what are the limiting stories you’re telling yourself? Pause for a bit. Notice the language of your inner dialogue. What are the messages you send and receive that put invisible borders on what’s possible for you.
Raise your hand if you’ve read “The Four Agreements.” It’s a staple of the self-help industrial complex. It’s also a powerhouse for its beautiful simplicity.
The first agreement says “Be Impeccable With Your Word.” In our dealings with others, obviously, this means “say what we mean and do what we say we’re going to do”—even in situations where it’s more comfortable to say one thing, but intend another. It also means being impeccable with your words towards yourself. This, it turns out, is much harder, because we often don’t hear ourselves at a deep enough level. If you’re telling bullshit, limiting messages about yourself, then you are not being impeccable with your word.
What are those messages you’re telling yourself? How are they getting in your way? How are they keeping you from your potential?
Purity & Love,
Bryan
