How to remove your own glass ceiling
Susan Elford
I help multi-passionate women build the career or business they dream of so they can feel fulfilled at work and at home. Founder, The Aligned Leader and the Aligned Business Collective.
Hi there!
This month has been a busy one on the coaching front - my calendar has been chock-a-block with women wanting to dive deep to uncover their best next steps and to create a plan to help them get there.
The common thread I see in almost all of them?
They really aren’t sure if they can do it. Can they really make that dream happen? Can they really ask for that raise; challenge their boss on a decision; create that new offer in their business; launch a not-for-profit to support an underserved population?
The coaching topics may vary, but the challenge remains the same – belief in self, belief in possibility, belief that it can actually happen.
That’s why I chose the book “Worthy” by Jamie Kern Lima as our topic of the month inside the Aligned Business Collective member community. We all deserve to and can benefit from believing in ourselves a little bit more.
One big discussion we had in our Aligned Business Collective Book Club this month was about the difference between self-worth and self-confidence. Kern-Lima describes the difference between self-confidence and self-worth a number of ways. Here are two of them:
“Self-confidence is the belief in your abilities as a person. Self-worth is the belief in your value as a person.”
“Self-worth is your foundation. Self-confidence is the house you build on top of it."
Where is your self-worth holding you back? Have a think about that one, and then challenge the ceiling you have put on your own life. In all likelihood it’s yourself that’s holding you back from what’s possible, not an external factor at all.
On the Blog: What would it take to really believe in yourself?
Have you ever thought to yourself: I will be happy when I have X. I will be successful when I'm making X. I will know I’ve made it when I’m driving X car. I will be satisfied when I’ve lost X much weight.
The inherent flaw in the thinking that you will be happy when…..is that benchmark is constantly moving. That’s why, at the beginning of any coaching engagement, I start each client on a journey to define their intentions – what is it that they’re really after? What is the experience they want to be enjoying underneath the external achievement? I have them write their intentions in the present tense, as though they’ve already happened, so they can step into the experience of what it means to already be there – in their future vision. If they can taste it and visualize it, it is way more likely to happen.
And then we work on building their self-belief and confidence on the road to getting there.
Let's Have a Chat!
Are you looking for clarity about your best next steps and what’s next for you? My proverbial door is open. You don’t have to know what you’re looking for, just know that there are answers. Don’t continue to live inside a muddle of thought inside your head.
Looking for clarity or connection? Let’s chat. There’s almost nothing more I love to do than connect with multi-passionate women about their ideal future.
Here’s a link to my calendar for conversation and connection. I have freed up a couple of spots this month –one of them is just for you.
Your journey to clarity starts now.