When I was a teenager, I wasn't the girlie girl. When everyone else was learning how to apply their make-up and paint their nails, I was watching Formula 1 and stomping about in boots and camouflage gear at my local Air Cadet squadron. In my early twenties, I ditched the boots, went to work, dressed up, loved it and found my feminine side (it wasn't a total transformation - the hair was still super short!). I had a few failed and very splodgy attempts at painting my nails which all ended badly, messily and with my nails remaining plain and embarrassingly naked. So, for over a decade (yes, I'm that old), I've limited my varnishing efforts to my toes where any blobs and blemishes aren't so noticeable.
However, over the last few weeks, I've been gazing covetously at a parade of perfectly painted fingernails at meetings and photo-shoots and was inspired to pick up my little pot of 'Double Decker Red' and face down my fingernail nemesis.
And, do you know something? I managed a very acceptable manicure. I got carried away. I bought more colours and am now altering the hue of my fingers every couple of days. I love it - it's some me time, it makes me smile and I'm getting a bit better with every swish of the brush.
Because, I'm not the same person I was in my twenties and earlier. I still love Formula 1 but I can now walk in high heels, be trusted with a set of keys, cook a roast dinner, book my car into a garage and manage hundreds of little things I couldn't back in my youth.
So it's odd that a few of those "I can't do that..." limiting beliefs stick with us and continue to cripple us for a long time past their sell by date. Now, my life wouldn't have stalled seriously if I hasn't managed to coat my nail in a gorgeous coat of 'Coralicious' last night but the thing is, these limiting beliefs aren't often as innocent.
How many of us say to ourselves "I can't do that..." about things relating to our businesses? How many opportunities have we let slip by because we "can't do that"? I bet it's a lot of us.
But, the thing is, we're telling ourselves the wrong thing. Instead of "I can't do that...", we should be saying "I've not been able to do that before". Then we should absolutely get up and give it another try. Don't simply turn things away or shake your head sadly because "you can't do that" without seeing if you can. Try doing the thing you think is beyond you. Give it a go, give it your best shot. But, it's that voice in your head isn't it? The one that shouts so loudly at you not to bother because you've never done this before so surely it's pointless to even try now, right? Right?
Wrong. So wrong, it's almost off the scale of wrongness. Because do you know what? You've changed...
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