What Will People Think?

The world needs you. All you need to do is to do the work!

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Who do you think you are?
What will people think?

These are two of the biggest limitations I see in many humans. Both of these beliefs are buried in the pockets of most people. They rise to the top pretty quickly when we decide that we want more. That we want to have, do, or be more. It is not helpful when fear gets in the way of your greatness.

Admitting to the world that you are an expert is a big step. Fear will definitely get in the way. Failure, looking silly, or being judged are all very relevant fears when you are putting yourself out there. Being ‘known’ as someone who knows something will amplify this fear to another level!

Maybe you are a certified expert. You might have spent years studying or working at something that gives you the expert status. Maybe (like me) you are not qualified in anything. You might be a keen observer of humans, someone who has collected many experiences in your time on the planet. Maybe you were born pregnant with possibility. Perhaps you arrived in this world with a fire in your belly and a need to help, change or transform people, behaviours, or organisations.

So who do you think you are? It is such a great question! How do you describe what you do? How do you explain your world in a professional or personal setting?

Getting a ‘sentence’, an ‘elevator pitch’ or a ‘positioning statement’ about yourself is a start - putting it out there is a whole nother story.

‘Coming out’ professionally and telling the world that you have something to offer is a brave thing to do. It goes against the ‘I don’t matter, don’t mind me’ training that most of us have received growing up.

Committing to running a ‘Practice’ pushes you even further. It puts your name above the door. It deliberately positions you as the main act!

What will people think of all this? What will they say? How will they react?

I remember when I wrote my first book. A friend of mine commented on how brave I was to put all my thinking out into the world to be judged. I was horrified! In all the time I had spent writing my book, I had never stopped to consider that people might read it! I didn’t feel brave. I suddenly felt really stressed!  I was pushed into a spiral of what will people think? What will they say? And how will the world respond? It didn’t last very long. The good news is that people were kind, people were generous. They were even impressed! 

Fear is usually created by stories that we have created in our heads. This fear gets in the way of our greatness. Telling ourselves stories of what others might think or do in response to our world is not useful. What is useful is the realisation that what other people think of you is none of your business. You need to be in the business of being great. Of being fearless. Of doing whatever it takes to get your message to the world. The world needs you. All you need to do is to do the work!

The Thought Leaders curriculum gives us a structure that we can follow. Little by little, you work through the suggested areas and exercises, following the recipe for commercial success. The process helps someone who has an idea they want to offer the world, to get known for knowing something and ultimately making the difference that they were born to make. A recipe to help you capture your ideas.

If you want to know more, I would love to talk to you about what we do at Thought Leaders Business School next Wednesday, March 23rd at our discovery session.