Can you do a back bend? 3 Steps to let go of your fear and embrace opportunity
Can you do a back bend? This is not some type of cynical joke or set-up question. Really can you do a back bend? What is a back bend? A back bend is a common gymnastics, contortion, or dance move, done by standing straight, bending the spine backwards, and catching yourself with your hands. When you do a back bend your abdominal muscles, and your legs are used to steady your body while curving backwards. It’s a real feat!
If you are thinking like me, in my mind I am feeling very uneasy. I feel awkward just thinking about it. It just makes me plain nervous.
So again, Can you do a back bend? What I am getting at here is that in both your personal and business life there will be opportunities for you to STRETCH yourself beyond where you are.
I had the opportunity to conduct a breakout session for a group of people that were not my usual audience. My usual audience consists of women entrepreneurs or leaders between the ages of 18-35. But today I found myself in the midst of some of the most intelligent and elite educators this side of the gulf coast. Like the thought of doing a back bend, a nervous energy arose in the pit of my stomach. I tried to figure out ways to get out of what I had committed myself to do. I knew I had done this before. But what feared me the most was not my actual presentation but the people I would be presenting it too. Would they welcome my message? Will they think that I was qualified enough to give this type of presentation? Would they even like me? I was shaking in my boots. The sad part about it is that while I was creating the presentation, I had a lot of blocks in my creativity because of it. Then I thought about ways I can actually get out of the presentation entirely. Being the person I am there was no way I would commit to something and not go through it. That is just not in my DNA. So what did I do?
Here are some steps that will help you should you find yourself faced with what I am now calling Back Bend Syndrome:
#1 Step away from the computer
The minute you feel uncertain, anxious, and unconfident about what you are preparing for your presentation, you need to walk away. Walking away is not a retreating mechanism but a reloading mechanism (Sarah Palin I think you are on to something) Walking away allowed me to clear my mind, organize my thoughts, pray, call on a friend for encouragement. It allowed me to regain control over my assignment.
#2 Clarify the initial assignment
Being clear about the objectives, the vision of the assignment you are completing is sure to be a confidence booster. When you understand what you are doing, you can take that assurance and begin to build your working momentum.
#3 Go ahead and JUMP!
There are times when you can not really be so analytical in your thinking. You have to throw those unreliable emotions out the door. Know that the opportunity came your way, so God is going to see you through it. You know what you know; you have done this before, just people with different faces with a higher IQ. Intelligence can be intimidating but not to you because you have done your research, you have done your due diligence when it came to preparation.
So there you have it! I did my back bend for this week. A good approach for handling obstacles that comes with my opportunities. The presence of obstacles is usually evidence that I am in the vicinity of breakthrough. The challenge is just a distraction, and you have to take it by the reigns and move forward.
How do you deal with your fear when faced with a new opportunity?
