Are you feeling stuck? Rather than looking for solutions outside of yourself, maybe it’s time to look within. The best place to start is by auditing your thoughts and self-talk. Audit the stories you tell yourself.
As human beings, we have automatic thoughts filling up our brains every day. Oftentimes, these thoughts are not serving us or lifting us up, but rather they are keeping us complacent. They’re not thoughts like a great coach or a great mentor would be delivering to us inspire us or make us better. These are thoughts that are keeping us stuck.
To get unstuck, we need to rewrite and rewire our automatic thoughts to get off cruise control.
What “Stuck” Story are You Telling Yourself?
A friend told me recently that she has no time to work out. Her work has started picking back up and she has been traveling a lot. Between her busy work schedule and her family, she found it hard to find time to exercise. However, when I asked her how she feels when she worked out, she told me she feels incredible. When she exercises, she feels like she eats better, sleeps better, leads better, and feels more present throughout the day and in her meetings.
My friend couldn’t change her busy schedule, but she could change the story she was telling herself. She was telling herself she had no time to work out, and talking about working out in the past tense like it was something she wouldn’t and couldn’t do in the present. I asked her to shift her story and to write a new story that motivates her and drives her to make time to work out. Could that be reminding herself how great working out makes her feel? Or maybe the new story is that working out actually gives her more energy to get through her day?
Write a New Story
I challenged my friend to try a technique that we teach in our Energized Leader Training. In the exercise, I told her to write down a new story to tell herself about working out. Then I told her to insert this new behavior, this new activity of working out, into her calendar to protect that time.
By scheduling and protecting exercise on her calendar, she will create a new behavior powered by the new story she is telling herself.
Get Off Cruise Control
This week, I challenge you to identify an area in your life where you feel stuck. Is there a story you’re telling yourself that is keeping you complacent? The last step to my challenge is to write down the new story you’ll tell yourself. Change your “stuck” story into something that will help you go and change your behavior.
Changing the story you tell yourself will shift your mindset and as a result, shift your behavior.
Want to get off cruise control? Change your self-talk.
Schedule a Free Strategy Call
Looking for more resources to help your team get unstuck? Schedule a free call with our team to learn more about what our The Energized Leader™ training can do for you and your team. Through the training, you’ll discover how to align your energy with the important so that you can achieve freedom, flow, and break free from burnout.
More Resources For Leaders
- Episode 89- Lori Gottlieb on How Changing Your Story Can Change Your Life
- Is Your Team’s Performance Problem A Mindset Problem?
The Molly Fletcher Company inspires leaders, teams, and organizations to kick-start growth. A keynote speaker and author, Molly draws on her decades of experiences working as a sports agent. The Energized Leader Training helps you and your team align your energy with the important and avoid costly burnout. Game Changer Negotiation Training workshops teach business people the framework for successful negotiating so that you can close more deals while building stronger relationships. Her Leadership Huddles are a monthly group coaching community to guide you towards your full potential. Sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter and subscribe to the Game Changers with Molly Fletcher podcast on iTunes.