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I love listening to podcasts while running or walking. Sometimes they serve as background noise, letting my mind wander but occasionally I come across one that resonates deeply with me. A few months back, I came across a podcast featuring Orla Chennaoui that has stayed with me ever since.
For those unfamiliar with Orla, she is a sports journalist, broadcaster, podcaster, writer and a strong advocate for gender equality. In this podcast, Orla and the host discussed her career, how she had reached her dream job in broadcasting (cycling and rugby) after five years of dedicated effort. But also that this had left her feeling somewhat uncertain and unfulfilled. Although she had achieved her goal and was living her dream, she began questioning what was next? She realised she was looking for happiness from an external source, seeking some sort of validation, waiting for the ta-da moment that never came.
In a conversation with a friend exploring what to do next and how to find meaning in all this, Orla had an epiphany.
"What would you do if you were 10 times braver?" he asked.
This question prompted Orla to reflect on her tendency to blame external factors for the perceived limitations and excuses that had held her back in her career and personal life.
What is a belief?
A belief is a feeling of certainty about what something means. Beliefs create the maps that guide us toward our goals and give us the power to take action. The challenge is that most of our beliefs are generalisations about our past (our environment, events, past results, knowledge) based on our interpretations of painful and pleasurable experiences.
Self Doubt & Fear
Beliefs reside in the subconscious, often operating beneath your conscious awareness. However, you can observe their influence when you set a new goal and notice the different ways you hinder your own progress. A significant portion of this resistance stems from those underlying subconscious beliefs.
Self-doubt is incredibly common, yet so limiting. Criticisms and comments—often offhanded or unintentional—get absorbed and reinforce our self-limiting beliefs, like:
• “I have to be perfect.”
• “I’ll never achieve my goals.”
• “I’m not good enough.”
• “Everyone else is better than me.”
Fear is also incredibly common. We all face fear but it’s important to discern when that fear is serving us and when it’s holding us back. Sometimes fear stops us from making unwise choices, keeping us safe, but often it prevents us from trying new things that could help us grow or achieve our goals.
The Good News?
Your subconscious mind is programmable! Once we become aware of these stories and question those fears, we unlock the power to change them. Just as you can learn new skills like riding a bike, driving a car and lifting weights, you can recondition your mind to believe more supportive and empowering thoughts. The things we tell ourselves—whether positive or negative—shape our confidence and ultimately our success. Negative self-talk can erode your belief in your abilities but positive thinking can rebuild that belief.
While we all make excuses at times, attributing our limitations to external circumstances or personal traits, Orla realised that the power to make changes resided within herself when faced with the prospect of being 10 times braver. She discovered that she didn't need external validation or opportunities from others to pursue her goals.
With this fresh perspective, Orla understood that she could confront and conquer the fears that impeded her progress. She embarked on a personal journey to address the fears that hindered her, viewing it as both a personal exploration and a platform to share experiences and strategies for overcoming common anxieties and fears.
"In this one moment it made me realise I have so much more control over my life than I allow myself to think. If I were ten times braver, I would pursue my dream of starting my own business without hesitation. I would fearlessly take risks, embrace uncertainty and push past the self-doubt that holds me back. I would no longer seek validation from others but instead trust in my own abilities and instincts. I would confront challenges head-on, confident in my resilience and determination to succeed. Being ten times braver means facing every obstacle with courage and faith in myself. It means stepping out of my comfort zone and into possibilities, without fear or doubt. If I were ten times braver, there would be nothing standing in the way of my ambitions and aspirations."
This sounds like a lot I know. But since listening to this podcast whenever anything now feels too much or too scary, I ask myself what would I do if I were ten times braver. And even if this only makes me feel 5% braver, so far this has been enough for me to take a step forwards that I would never have thought I could before.
So I now put this to you now too and ask you what would you do if you were ten times braver?
If you'd like to learn how strength training can change your beliefs and make you re-think what you'd do if you were 10x braver, then drop us a message and let us know what you'd like EmpowHer.6 help you do.
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