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Take a Chance

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National Take a Chance Day takes place on April 23. Let’s use this opportunity to talk about taking chances – why we don’t, how to adjust our perspectives, and practical ways to overcome our fears.

Why we get in our own way

Wouldn’t it be awesome to pursue our dreams with abandon, knowing it leads us to a life fully loved?

Intellectually we believe we can and should pursue our dreams to reach our full potential. And yet, a yawning gap appears between our minds and the rest of ourselves (body, heart, and spirit). Guess who wears the hat most of the time?

Our saboteurs (inner critics) live in our heads. They want to maintain the status quo. When you implement change in any form, the saboteurs get louder and often nasty. As I said in an earlier blog, the saboteur isn’t interested in resolution; it’s only interested in being right. We have a counter to the saboteurs, our Leader Within (inner voice of wisdom). It’s the voice that calls us forth into something greater, except it doesn’t yell – it often whispers.

In a nutshell, we get in our way because we allow the voices of our saboteurs to speak louder than our voice of inner wisdom.

Putting failure in the right perspective

Our saboteurs trick us into thinking change means failure. That’s how they “get” us. This is fallacy. Miles Davis once said, “Do not fear mistakes – there are none.” What dream would you chase if you wrote out this mantra and stuck it on your fridge for a week?

We’re talking about taking a responsible risk. I first learned this term at our children’s grade school and it stayed with me ever since.

Visualize fulfilling your dream. Imagine how great you feel. Bask in the glow of achievement. Feel that sense of purpose that comes from knowing you’ve done something important.

With the endpoint in mind, consider what responsible risk looks like. In fact, when you adopt the perspective of responsible risk, “failure” doesn’t seem so nasty, does it? Responsible risk asks us to move forward with the unknown within boundaries that feel safe.

Best way to overcome the fear of taking a chance

Taking a chance involves addressing our fears of failure. Tara Mohr suggests a great way to take a chance, which she calls a leap, in Playing Big (p.165-179). Find a task that you can complete in one to two weeks. It’s an action that gets your adrenaline pumping by putting you in contact with the audience you want to reach (stakeholders, customers etc). Your leap must answer a key question about something you want to learn. You earn psychological and tactical benefits from a leap such as what works with your audience and the joy of taking a chance now.

When all else “fails” consider the words of Mae West: “Whenever I have to choose between two evils, I always like to try the one I haven’t tried before.” Take a chance.

Header Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash, Trumpet Photo by James Lee on Unsplash, Leap Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Click here for my leap. My question was, Do people want to learn how to become more present in their daily lives?

What’s your leap? Email me and let me know.

You have to be open minded in order to grow. The coaching that Laura gave me opened my eyes to what and how I was doing things and allowed me to see the bigger picture. I am not done yet but I already see the changes in my everyday life.

MM

I think coaching is a great way to help you clear your mind when you get stuck with overwhelming situations or when stepping into changes in your life.

MO

Coaching is life changing. It pushes you outside your comfort zone and challenges your perspectives.  It is highly motivating and the exercises and techniques used are both fun and informative.  I think the main benefits of coaching are to see yourself, others and the world more clearly.  I think coaching is valuable to anyone regardless of where you are in your life or career.

LE

I honestly never thought I’d need a coach. I thought coaching was for CEOs and industry VIPs. I didn’t think it was for the “little guys” (i.e. me). Now, I’m of the belief that everyone – yes, EVERYONE – needs a coach. Coaching has really benefitted me and I’m so grateful to have had that time with Laura. It’s changed my life!

VB

Laura is very patient. She took the time to understand what was causing me to be stuck where I am today and help me build a better vision so I can continue to grow.

MM

I think Laura’s coaching was what I had been waiting for. Laura was so approachable, kind, and open. Her willingness to help and support made a difference for me. I found in her coaching new strategies, ideas, and perspectives that I could incorporate into my goals and objectives that I didn’t see before.

MO

Laura is an incredibly intuitive, positive and caring coach. Her techniques helped me recognize both my strengths and areas I might want to explore as I embark on the next chapter of my career. The exercises she employed were instrumental in providing self perspective and challenging my frames of reference.

LE

Laura is a natural coach. Her probing and compassionate questions helped me learn about myself: my value system, interests, goals and strengths.

LM

Coaching sessions with Laura gave me new perspectives on how to process specific feelings and situations in life.  She showed me how to sit with my emotions, acknowledge them, and then use visualization strategies to move through them.  I now feel more confident and in control of how I choose to walk through life.

CP

From the beginning, Laura put me at ease, creating a safe, open space for me to talk and share freely without fear of judgement. I loved the variety of approaches she used depending on the topic we were working on and it was fun being able to try out things I wouldn’t have considered before! With Laura’s coaching, I substantially grew my confidence in the workplace, overcame fears, dealt with issues I’d been carrying around for many years and, most importantly, learned to value myself and define a path forward into the future.

AG

Laura’s coaching was a breath of fresh air and EXACTLY what I needed at that point of my life. I didn’t realize how impactful coaching was going to be, but by the end of the sessions together, I left feeling refreshed, inspired and genuinely curious about what my future held for me. Because of Laura and her coaching, I believe I became a better person – someone who is more open-minded, someone with a clearer focus, and someone who is willing to explore opportunities and possibilities far more than I ever did before.

VB

I engaged Laura for coaching as I took on an expanded role leading an asset management company in Canada. As a female, I knew I would be a role model and had high expectations of myself. I was feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

In our first few coaching sessions we worked through exercises that allowed me to reflect on my purpose, leadership style and what mattered most to me. I continue to be grounded by the clarity I achieve in my coaching sessions – allowing me to be resilient and confident when challenges came my way.

OS