Pep Talks to Give Yourself for a Successful Life

I want to talk about the concept of getting out of your comfort zone (ah, I know!)

I just recently started in a “Bootcamp” group around marketing and such. And it’s SUPER out of my comfort zone! It’s not the marketing that I’m afraid of, I’ve managed marketing strategy and execution for different companies for years now… It’s putting myself out there that scares me.

You see, it’s easy to hide behind a company, but it’s hard when it’s YOU that you’re trying to convince people to get to know, like, and trust. Which is why it’s important to focus on the following:

1) Fear is in your head

This is a big one for me. I’ll never forget the advice that someone gave me years ago, as I sat there crying and frustrated. I kept saying “what are they going to think?” and he asked me, “who is ‘they’?” I scrambled to name anyone in particular and just came up with “everyone!” And he said, “if you can’t name at least 5 people that truly matter in your life when you say ‘what will THEY think,’ then it’s just fear.”
Another lesson he taught me: F.E.A.R. = Fake Experiences Appearing Real. Write that down and keep it somewhere close.

2) Don’t take things personally

It’s easy to fall into the thought process that makes everything about you; they don’t like you, they’re judging you, etc. But remember this, you never know what someone else is going through.

Here’s a little story (I’ll try to keep this short): A few years ago, my mother was helping her friend through the funeral planning after the unexpected death of her husband. It was a stressful, tragic, extremely sad time and my mother left her grieving friend to go into Walmart to get some photos developed for the funeral. As she was using the machine, an employee came over to offer her help. This employee was clearly not overly tech-savvy, but she stepped in to do it for Mom as it was her job to help customers. My mom (one of the most kind-hearted people I know) stood there frustrated, thinking of her friend grieving and waiting for her to come back. She felt like yelling at the woman to move out of the way and let her do it, but she didn’t. The point is, if she had of, this employee likely would have written her off as a cranky, ungrateful person… without having any idea of why she was at a breaking point and upset. Don’t take things personally, because you never know what others are dealing with or going through. And even if they do or say something to upset you, it’s usually about them, not about you.

3) Remember your “why”

We all have a reason for wanting to do something, or else we never would bother doing anything. When things get challenging, or scary, it’s important to always remember WHY you’re doing it. Why do you want to get healthier, why do you want to learn this new skill, why do you want to do x,y, z? WHY? Write it down, read it often, and remember it when the going gets tough… because it will. Whenever you feel like quitting, remember why you started.

4) Tomorrow is a new day

We all have those days when nothing goes right, when things break, when something happened that threw us off, and when we just don’t feel like it. But it’s important to remember that tomorrow is a new day, and it’s up to you to determine how you start the next morning. Do you wake up and go through all the things that went wrong yesterday? Do you pick up your phone and look at the news? Do you look out the window and determine that it’s a ‘bad day’ based on what’s happening in the sky? Or, do you start each morning with an intention; it doesn’t have to be a lengthy practice of yoga, meditation, steeping tea, and journaling (but go for it if you have the time!), it can simply be waking up and taking 30 seconds as you open your eyes to think of what you’re grateful for, and what you want this new day to bring; how do you want to feel? What is your intention for today, so you can feel proud when your head hits the pillow tonight?

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So whether you’re doing marketing campaigns, or whether you’re starting a new workout, a new wellness regime, a new career path or side-hustle, or a new hobby; remember that fear is in your head, don’t take things personally, remember your why, and tomorrow is always a new day.