I find that, often, I'll have a series of conversations with different people over the course of a week or two and broad themes will emerge across all of them. Sometimes, it's an internal business issue multiple people are facing. Sometimes, it's an outside stressor that is affecting nearly everyone I'm talking to. And sometimes, it's a little deeper than that.
The last two weeks, the theme was a little deeper than that. In nearly every conversation I had with folks, they mentioned limiting beliefs—something inside their head that was holding them back, or had in the past. Then, I picked up a new book to read in preparation for my goal-setting bonanza this week, and one whole chapter was devoted to limiting beliefs.
Now, I'm not always the quickest gal in the world, but I know when the Universe is trying to send me a message, and it obviously was. So, me being me, I dug in. I started to think about my limiting beliefs and trying to figure out which one(s) were holding me back from the success I'd like to achieve in my new business. I did a few exercises, a little thinking, and realized...it's time.
My limiting belief is that I simply don't have enough time to do all the things I want to do in my life right now.
And, to be blunt, it's causing some major issues for me. I feel overwhelmed (because I'm convinced I don't have enough time), so I snap at the people around me, which creates issues in my personal life. I don't think I have enough time to do things, so I feel guilty about the things I'm not doing. And, because I'm feeling guilty and overwhelmed, I shut down and ignore the time-management techniques that have worked so well for me in the past (block scheduling, shutting out social media, planning the night before, focusing on the important and not the urgent, etc.)
The last few weeks before Christmas felt lost, to me. I was lurching from emergency to emergency instead of doing the important work that will help me get ahead. I was spending hours scrolling my phone instead of reading or planning for the next day. And, most telling of all, I abandoned my exercise plan because I was "too busy." And you know what? All that focusing on not having enough time just ate up more time and left me feeling depressed.
What's done is done, and I'm not going to dwell on the speedbump of the last month, but I am going to focus on destroying the limiting belief of not having enough time to do what I need to do. I have plenty of time, I just need to spend it on the right things, in the right way.