Have you ever felt intimidated by something new you were going to have to do in your life? Maybe a new job, becoming a parent, a presentation at school, or a difficult conversation you needed to have. You probably felt a variety of emotions. Nervous, scared, excited, dreadful, anxious, and full of anticipation. But once you got the hang of becoming a parent or your new job, or you rocked the presentation you had to do, how did you feel? Pumped up, proud of yourself, capable.
I believe we are all way more capable than we think! You have a larger capacity than you realize. And you often expand your capacity without even realizing it. You decide to volunteer a few times a month. You’ve expanded your capacity. You join an extra committee of some kind. You’ve expanded your capacity. You offer to give a coworker a ride to work everyday. You’ve expanded your capacity. You start working out a few times a week. You’ve expanded your capacity. The examples are endless. And I guarantee you have done things like this without even realizing you were expanding your capacity.
But then other times, self doubt creeps in. When the ask is so big that you doubt you can do it. When you are asked to go up on stage and give a 5 minute talk, when you find out “surprise!” another baby on the way, or you get a promotion and now you have to lead others rather than just do your own work. All of a sudden we start thinking we are incapable, unworthy, and the task is too big for us. We let our conscious thoughts tell us we don’t have the capacity when we have subconsciously been expanding our capacity all along. You are capable of doing that next big thing you want to do! You are capable of achieving your dreams! You are capable of expanding your capacity even further than you think!
I challenge you to reflect and make a list of ways that you have expanded your capacity in the past. Realize that you have done big things in the past. Don’t let your thoughts limit you, instead tell yourself what to think! You are more capable than you realize!
Alexandra Perez – Chief Leadership Advocate – The Leader Co. Inc.