Smash Through Any Challenge – 4 Simple Steps
Joanna Naughton
Mind, Body & Soul Alignment - for wide-awake business rebels, excited to be changing the world, and having fun along the ride. ✨
It’s time to create such an unshakeable self-belief that you can move through any obstacle in your path.
The other day, I filmed hours’ worth of videos for my amazing online coaching program and, when I went to upload them to my membership site, the files were all waaaaaay too big to add.
"What the f**k?!! I can't believe that didn't work!! That was a massive waste of time!! I'm so stupid - I should have realised that'd happen!!"
These are the sorts of thoughts my mind wanted to throw at me (the things I definitely would have accepted and run with couple of years ago).
Instead, I stayed calm and said to myself: "Okay - I've got this; I can sort it. I wonder how I can make this work. This is a problem I can solve."
I reached out to some people in the know and Googled the hell out of it, all with a calm smile on my face (I'm not saying this was EASY - I'm simply saying I did it and it helped).
30 mins later - still no luck.
"I've messed it up royally!! What a waste!! I may as well give up!! I'm never going to get there!!"
Again - my mind was on hand with a sneak peak of what I could tell myself... but I simply noticed this and chose to let it go.
An hour later (after trying numerous suggestions and spending money on compressor apps that didn't work) – still no obvious solution.
"Well - that's it then!! I’m never going to get this done in time!! What an idiot!!”
Yet more not-so-delightful thoughts were pinging to me from my inner chatterbox but, again, I chose to say thanks but no thanks and remind myself: “I know what I’m doing. I will get there. I’ve got all the time I need.”
I calmly re-filmed the videos using a different software. When I watched them back, I realised I’d forgotten to use my plug-in microphone and so the sound was terrible. The videos were, once again, unusable and it was now 6pm.
“What the hell am I doing?!! I’ve completely screwed this up!! I’ve wasted my whole bloody day and have nothing to show for it!! I’m so utterly stupid!!”
Another flash of the thoughts I could choose to think ran through my brain, wanting me to play with them and get messy in the process. With a few deep breaths and a calm smile, I stepped away from the playpen and repeated to myself: “I’ve learnt so much today. The videos are going to be so much better now because I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m going to be so productive when I film them later in the week.”
When the hubby came home and asked me how my day was, I said: “Great thanks – I learnt loads and I’m excited for the rest of the week.” We even went out and had a lovely evening in the pub.
Why am I telling you all this?
Well – as I was reflecting on it today, I suddenly realised the power in what had happened. You see, the videos are for my Master Your Mindset coaching program that is going to be epic. I know it’s going to be epic because I’ve done it one-to-one and in small groups with tons of amazing women and the feedback is more than anything I could’ve hoped for. Real, transformational, life-changing results.
I also know it’s going to be epic because I have done the work on myself… I walk the walk every day with my own strategies.
And it’s times like the other day when I can really marvel in the impact that it’s had on my life. Days that could’ve so easily and quickly felt ruined and hopeless. Days when I might’ve stomped my feet and given up. Days when my inner chatterbox could’ve been so damn loud and convincing that I could do nothing but relent.
That same day, now – turned into another upbeat, productive (I really did learn a hell of a lot) and vibrant day, despite the challenges I faced.
Yes – it’s times like this that I can notice just how far I’ve come, and feel super excited that I get to support hundreds of other amazing women to master their own minds and turn the voices of self-doubt into an unshakeable self-belief.
Here are a few of the tools I used to do this during my beautifully challenging day:
1) Breath deeply when things aren’t going your way.
Often, when we’re anxious or stressed in some way, we completely forget to breathe. Yes – of course we’re still doing enough to keep us alive, but that bare minimum can have serious effects on our mind and body. When we choose to breathe deeply, we remind ourselves that we are safe. Creating a feeling of safety is key in helping us to stay calm and alert.
2) Smile to create a sense of calm and contentment.
Like breathing, a smile is a great way to show our minds that we’re safe and content (even when we may not initially feel it inside). I use smiling to help me get through loads of things that my mind tries to tell me I don’t want to do – like a difficult fitness session (my personal trainer must think I’m crazy!).
3) Notice the chatterbox.
Every second, thoughts are popping into our minds and, for many of us, we simply accept them as gospel and receive the feelings that they create. This is great when the thoughts are empowering, but not so great when the thoughts are chatterbox stories of fear and judgment. By taking a moment to notice the thoughts we’re thinking, we can consciously choose whether or not we want to believe them.
4) Choose better thoughts.
When we’ve noticed thoughts that aren’t serving us, we can remind ourselves that we have the power to choose something better. I am constantly noticing and reframing the thoughts that my mind pings at me. It’s been a complete game-changer. With better thoughts, I create better feelings, better actions and better outcomes. For more about this, check out this blog post:
Have a think about how YOU might have responded to a day like mine and how it might feel to know that, no matter what the challenge, you can always get through it with self-love and self-belief.
BTW – If you want to know anything about the Master Your Mindset program, just drop me a message. Doors are opening on 26th March for a short time and I’m super excited. Can you tell?! ;)