Have
you ever considered why the results you are so motivated to achieve somehow
elude you? Perhaps many areas of your life are balanced and productive but for
some reason you can't ‘perform’ to the same standard in one single area.
The
reason for this could be limiting decisions and limiting beliefs, often traced
back to childhood.
Limiting
decisions are often parental injunctions expressed during a child’s formative
years with the maternal purpose of protection for the child against the pain
of disappointment. It’s the reason parents often steer their children towards
perceived ‘safer’ careers and away from the more ‘risky’ options available. The
child dreaming of becoming an artist is often coerced into finance and the aspirant pop
star into towards a career in teaching. Often these subtle and well-intentioned messages hold us
back and become limiting beliefs later in life.
For some people these limiting decisions and beliefs prevent them from
fulfilling their true potential in life; there will always be the safer path to
choose – and they will always choose it. Limiting beliefs at their most damaging can self
sabotage personal happiness and success, without the conscious awareness of the 'victim'. I’m certain as you read this blog you
can associate someone, perhaps even yourself, with some of these examples?
A
presupposition of HBP-NLP is that we model excellence, being true to this value
I will blog about examples of excellence in people. Consider, for a moment,
how easy it would have been for Stephen Hawkins to develop limiting decisions
and beliefs once he became ill. Although he would surely of experienced many
dark and frustrating times the decisions he made and beliefs he held would keep
him moving towards his goals. When limiting decisions and beliefs are released
a synergistic magnetism occurs which allows the expression of limitless
possibility, exemplified by Stephen Hawkins.
One of my favourite stories is of Sylvester Stallone’s struggle to make his
dream come true as an actor and film writer. Stallone was given rejection after
rejection, at his lowest he was forced to sell his dog for $50 to feed his
family. Eventually his script for Rocky, written after watching Weppner v Ali,
was accepted with the clause he could not play the lead role. Stallone,
although broke, turned down repeated offers, which eventually rose to $400,000 - as long as he played no part in the film. Offer after offer he refused, even though he was financially destitute. Eventually the production company folded to his determination and agreed to let Stallone play the lead, for a
reduced $25,000 fee. The rest, as they
say, is history.
The
common theme between both examples is that the decisions and beliefs of both of
these extraordinary men guide them towards their goals with an almost immovable
force. Last week, while filming for the upcoming Sub 100 TV Documentary, I met
many amazing people with similar frames of reference with regards to decisions
and beliefs. Their collective achievements ranged from rowing oceans to
climbing Everest to holding the world record for cycling around the world and everything in between!! The
most extraordinary thing from my perspective was the strikingly ‘ordinary’
appearance of these amazing people.
Ordinary people can achieve great things; the by-product of simple men with outstanding accomplishment is the development of a great person. It is our belief that the potential for outright greatness exists in us all; some people grasp these fantasies and run free without limits and some simply decide to ‘walk the safe path’.
Which
path will you choose?
#opportunityisnowhere
