I’d
walk over broken glass to …
by Joanne Mansell
You know the expression “I’d walk
over hot coals to ….” or “I’d rather walk over broken glass than …”!
To say something “changed my
life” is a cliché. Perhaps
I would have realised these lessons without the experience of walking over
broken glass with Kurek Ashley (this month’s guest editor). The key to change
is changing! The key to changing your beliefs and your life is changing
what you do and how you do it.
I’d
done firewalks before. And
then stolen the power of the experience from myself by saying it was “just the
hype” or being caught up in the excitement that meant that I could do it.
When Kurek lay out a carpet of broken glass I knew this was a challenge
for me! The room was quiet, except
for the crunching of the glass shifting under his feet.
It was my turn to do what I thought was impossible.
Just because I’d seen him do it, I didn’t feel that I could.
I felt the fear of the what ifs. I
took a deep breath and stepped out onto the broken glass.
At that moment the only thing broken was an old limitation. I safely
walked over broken glass and in doing so learned some valuable
lessons which I frequently use in my personal and professional life.
How does my story relate
to you and your business?
·
Have faith that
things will work out. Go into it
fully committed and clear about your outcome. Trust in yourself and advance confidently towards your
dreams. Make a decision, set the
goal and then go for it!
·
Some people
need to see things to believe it. They
cannot imagine something as being possible without it being done first.
If this is familiar to you, then you will benefit from reading
biographies, finding role models and learning from people who have done what you
want to do. Because I had seen
Kurek walk on broken glass first I KNEW it was possible to do it without
cutting my feet. If another
franchisee makes a million dollars in a year it is possible you can too.
That goal is no longer a glass ceiling.
·
Have you ever
seen something done but felt YOU couldn’t do that.
In the previous point we said that if someone else can do it you can too
– they have established the possibility.
The flip-side of that is thinking that someone else can do something but
not thinking that you can? Why is that? Recognise
what you perceive as the differences between you and this other person, then
work out how to bridge the gap. I
saw Kurek walk on broken glass so I knew it was possible, but I didn’t feel it
was possible for ME. I realised the
differences between us was that he was confident he could do it without being
hurt. Once I created confidence in
myself and a belief that I also could do it, I knew I had bridged the gap and
that it was also possible that I could do the same thing and create the same
successful outcome.
·
The lesson was
also about the fears that stop us – that what ifs.
What if I cut myself, what if I can’t do it, (or worse if I am the only
one who can’t do it and a roomful of other people could).
Fears can paralyse us and stop us taking action.
By breaking through the fear and taking action we expand our boundaries
and open a world of possibilities. Imagine
removing the fears that hold you back – fear about what people think of you,
fear about your performance, fear about setting a big goal and not reaching it,
fear about letting your magnificence and talent shine.
Some fears are reasonable – to fear for your life if you step in front
of a speeding truck is a good safety mechanism.
But fearing the rejection of a prospect saying “no” is a false fear
and one that holds you back. Are
your fears real? What is the worst
that could happen, and what is the best if you overcome your fear and experience
the reward?
·
Each moment or
decision in our life can have incredible effects.
Each time you push the boundaries you have more scope within which you
can act. That moment in my life of
stepping back onto carpet having walked over broken glass made me realise the
power I have within me, and that we all have.
The power is there, we have to choose to use it.
·
I realised the
prison of our self-imposed limitations. If
you break the boundaries by doing something “impossible” what else could you
do that you had also thought was impossible.
What could it mean for you to then ask for the date, ask for the sale and
do the “impossible”.
The
glass walk I did is a physical metaphor. It
is an experience which made these lessons real to me, rather than an idea in a
book, or something I had heard on a tape. You
could go to one of Kurek’s seminars and do a firewalk or make up your own
physical metaphor. If you want to
give up smoking then throw away the packet and never touch them again.
If you have trouble cold calling, you call the person you most fear
calling. Take the action which
scares you. It will set you free.
For
more information on these concepts, or to book a business or life coaching
session with the author, Joanne Mansell please phone 0416 181 654.
The first half hour consultation is complimentary.
Joanne
is a co-author of “Building an extraordinary business” due for release
mid-2002 – see www.kaizencoaching.com.au for more information about the book,
and for copies of her other small business articles.
Joanne
Mansell, Kaizen Coaching – “Mind, Body, Life Fitness”
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