Over the past few weeks I can’t help but think about all the things that are changing. The leaves in other parts of the country, not here of course because Texas doesn’t have seasons. We have a baby coming in a few short weeks, several deaths have happened in my family these past couple weeks, all change. Some positive, others a little harder. But it got me thinking.

Many people in life and even myself a few years ago struggle so much with change. It triggers anxiety and fear. Clients I’ve worked with have even admitted to not moving ahead with their goals and dreams because it will invoke some sort of change. Honestly, I get it. I’m definitely no stranger to change- divorce, moving, deaths, career changes, etc.

But have you ever thought about the deeper meaning behind the change and why it brings about the fear and struggle?

In a word- expectations. When things change, it’s not the loss of the situation itself that we have a hard time with. It’s the loss of the expectations we had around that situation, the loss of hope we had for that situation.

For example, when a divorce happens, it’s not that we mourn the loss of the spouse or we wouldn’t be divorcing them. It’s the loss of the idea that “it wasn’t supposed to be this way”. It’s the loss of the expectation that we were supposed to have a partner, that our partner was supposed to be/do/act a certain way, that our kids were supposed to grow up differently, that the way things looked were supposed to look differently.

When we change careers, we struggle with the expectations that surrounded the past career. If we were let go, we may grieve the expectation that we didn’t get to leave on our own terms, that that specific career was supposed to be our plan A and we have no plan B.

Death is no different. We know that death is inevitable for us all. When someone dies we mourn the expectations we had around that person- that they’d be around to see our children grow up, be there to talk to when we needed them, be there to fulfill a role that we expected of them.

So how do we accept change and lessen the struggle?

First, we accept that we are not in control. There are many factors in life that we cannot control- the stability of a company, when God will call our loved ones home, the transfer of a spouse, etc.
Secondly, re-frame the expectations. Notice how many times I wrote “supposed to” above. Who says? Who says what things are supposed to look like? No one and I do mean no one lives the same life you life, pays the exact same bills each month, makes the same decisions you do, raises the same kids, is married to the same person, etc. YOU decide what is “supposed to” be. So how can you re-frame what the expectations are now that things have changed? Are expectations truly necessary in the first place? Can you communicate your expectations with others more clearly so that the disappointment, fear, anger, and negativity are less in the future?

What does your mindset say about change? Do you need help altering your mindset to be more accepting?

If so, reach out. I’d love to work with you to overcome your anxieties, fears and thought process around change.

XOXO,

Kameran

Life is full of opportunities. Thomas Edison said that “opportunity is missed because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” I would add that many times it’s also because we know nothing about the opportunity being offered to us or we are quick to create a belief around that opportunity that holds us back.

In coaching people, I use a tool that’s based on the bible verse Matthew 25:14-30. In this verse, a Master gives 3 men different amounts of money. To one, he gives 5 bags of gold to which that man multiplies into 10. To the second, he gives 2 bags of gold to which the man multiplies into 4. The last man gets 1 bag of gold and instead of taking risks with the money to multiply it, he buries it in a “safe place” until the Master wants it back. The Master is pleased with the 2 who multiplied the gold. Was it a risk? Absolutely but it paid double in what was invested. To the man who buried the gold out of fear, the Master is furious, coming back with “you wicked and slothful servant…”.

You are not responsible for anything God hasn’t given to you. But what about the gifts He gave you? Are you keeping them for yourself or are you blessing others with your gifts and talents as God called you to do? Are you too fearful of judgment or other’s opinions? Or are you proud of yourself and the gifts that only you can do in the way you share them?

This is quite common. It’s also the first thing that holds us back. Insecurity. We undervalue what we have been given.
We let the thoughts and opinions of people who don’t pay our bills, don’t live our lives and have never walked the path we have dictate what we can or can’t, should or should not do. Nobody else has been given the same set of skills, gifts, talents, experiences or purpose that you have. They aren’t supposed to do what you are. They have their own path, as do you. Stay in your own lane and be proud of who you are and what you do.

The second thing that holds us back is fear. I see this one more than any of them. Fear comes when we overvalue what we could lose. We hold ourselves back from moving forward because we tell ourselves that “we can’t afford it” and the next week we spend three times the amount on a random Amazon order. So was it that we couldn’t afford it or did we create a belief that we wouldn’t find success in whatever opportunity was presented in the first place?
I remember the first coaching course I ever invested in. Moe and I were so incredibly broke. I didn’t have tangible money in the bank and I had an incredible insecurity in myself. I wasn’t confident in my coaching abilities just yet. I also knew that I’d be paying a rather large amount for a series of courses but knew I wasn’t getting anything tangible in return. I wasn’t going to be able to show people a thing that I’d purchased or point to something that my money had gone toward. I was overwhelmed with fear but in the back of my mind, I kept thinking “what if”. What if this was the one thing that would propel my business forward? What if this one series of courses would help me get more clients? What if this opportunity was being presented to me because I was meant to take the risk? So I did. You know what? It’s paid me back at least 10 fold what I invested in the first place! Worth it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface! But what if I hadn’t? What if I would’ve let my fear keep me paralyzed?

Well friend, that leads me to the third thing that keeps us from investing. Misperception. We misvalue who God is. We try to control everything in life and leave little to no room for God’s hand in our success. Honey, the reality is that the only reason you have the success you do, the opportunities you do or the blessings you do is because of GOD! Your’e co-creating a life with God. He gives you opportunities and also the free will to choose what you do with those opportunities. You just have to be smart enough to see an opportunity as such when it slaps you in the face. So it comes down to this- Do you believe God has your best in mind? Do you think He would give you the opportunity of a lifetime so you could fail? Do you think He would give you all these gifts and talents to put out into the world for you to be laughed at or ridiculed by people who actually matter? Do you think He would give you opportunities to rise to your fullest potential for you to be paralyzed by fear and turn away from the opportunity to stay stuck at the same level you’re at now?

We are the hands and feet of Jesus. So if we don’t live to our fullest potential, our ripple effect doesn’t ever expand. Therefore, it’s not just us that we’re holding back. We’re stunting the growth of the entire Kingdom and keeping the Kingdom from rising to it’s fullest potential.

Stop holding yourself back. Let go of the insecurity, fear and misperceptions. See opportunities for what they are so you can grow yourself and the Kingdom. Easier said than done, of course. But I can honestly say that nothing that has ever been presented as a true opportunity has kept me stagnant. I’ve always grown and become better in some shape or form. So the investment always been worth it.

XOXO,

Kameran

Changing Perspective

The 3 Things That Keep Us From Investing In Ourselves