In beginning my new venture, setting up as an independent OD consultant this winter, I’ve faced a number of threatening fears and perceived dangers. I’m leaving a well paid job to face an unknown income. What if I crash and burn in a self employed quantum of despair? If it weren’t for my excellent coach, I would have in all likelihood got stuck in a vortex of procrastination. I was reminded of Lynn Isabella’s “evolving Interpretations as a change unfolds” – the patterns of understanding that people experience whilst part of a change process. My mind was stuck in the aniticipation stage, spreading rumours and filling in the vacuum of activity with fantasy, without clear understanding of what my new world was going to look like.
We make our paradigms as a result of our experience of ourselves, others and the world. They help us to interact with the world without having to constantly determine what we see and how we should react. But when we notice when they’re hindering us, and not helping us it’s a powerful thing that can bring personal change, avoiding stagnation by expanding our self awareness.
So like an exposure programme, I confronted the fear I was least anxious about. I created this website. I was reminded that once you begin doing, rather than worrying, you raise your tolerance for frustrations and concerns and with real life exposure realise it’s not that bad, it is possible and achievable. This is a great technique in coaching for raising confidence and self belief over a period of time. By avoiding avoiding, you focus the mind on what you want to achieve rather than what might go wrong – and you manifest that which you focus on.
