[00:00] Welcome back to the Focus B show. This is Katie Sudddart here aka the focus b. And on this show I interview high performers and leaders around the world to discover their secrets on peak performance, productivity, mindfulness and leadership. So if you want to take your performance and your leadership to the next level, then you're in the right place. Listen up and connect with the magic.

[00:36] What's the number one obstacle to your success? It doesn't matter if we're talking about success in your personal life, in your fitness, in your business, whatever area of your life that you choose, there's one key obstacle that's preventing you to get from where you're now to where you'd like to be. You might think it's linked to taking action, discipline, focus, these are all fantastic tools and they definitely matter. But that's not sufficient. It's not enough either to be super clear on where you want to go. These are all requirements. If you're not clear on what it is you want to accomplish, if you don't have strong discipline or focus, for sure this is going to hold you back. But these are the primarily huge, massive number one obstacle that prevent people from being more successful. It all comes down to your level of self belief. It all comes down to what you believe you are capable of and what you believe you are in terms of identity. Think about it for a moment.

[01:46] Let's say you want to start your.

[01:49] Own business, but in your mind you don't see yourself as an entrepreneur. You don't believe you have the mindset, the skills, the abilities to be an entrepreneur or solopreneur or startup founder. It doesn't matter how clear you are on what you want to accomplish. And even if you start taking those actions, if you don't believe deep down that you're capable of it, that this is aligned with who you are, that this is part of the person you want to be, part of the person that you are, you will at some point sabotage it. And I've done this time and time again. I'd reach out to big clients but deep down maybe didn't feel worthy of it or didn't feel that it would work out or wasn't sure about my sales process, or didn't see myself as that type of coach or trainer or facilitator. And when you have this self image, somehow you block it. Maybe you don't get on the call. Maybe you don't reach out to that one person you know you need to reach out to. And this is really tricky because it's often in our subconscious. So consciously when someone will ask you.

[02:57] Let'S say in the example of you.

[02:58] Starting your business, you might say, oh yes, this is something I definitely want to do. Really excited about it, I'm taking actions, I'm progressing towards it. But deep down you don't really see it. Deep down you don't think this is who you are. So it doesn't matter how many actions you take, you'll sabotage and go three steps back. I'll be like four steps forward, three steps back, and you won't really see the progress. And this is where coaching is really powerful because obviously I'm a coach, I'm very passionate about coaching. I've had almost maybe ten coaches in the five years I've had my business. And so I've really seen how it works and why it is so powerful. And this is because instead of only.

[03:42] Challenging you on your vision and your.

[03:44] Action plan, your goals, they do all of this coaches, and I do all of this with my clients too, but they also look a level deeper. And people call it mindset, which is your thought patterns and what you're used to thinking or doing. But more than just mindset, it's identity work. And this is looking at what do you believe you are capable of? Who do you believe you are? Can you see yourself? Can you project yourself? Talking on stage, having your own business, running a marathon? And if you can't see it, how will you achieve it? If you don't think this is the sort of activity that you're capable of doing, then your brain will block it, it will sabotage it, it will prevent it from happening. You'll move forward, but then you'll regress and you might still progress, it might still happen, but it'll be really a struggle instead of it going sort of fluidly and easily and comfortably. So how do you shift this identity? How do you shift this level of belief? A couple of things, but the main thing is you start to take these baby actions that prove to you that you are that person that you would like to be, or that you are that person that would get those results. For instance, if you want to be a marathon runner, you will look at what are the actions that a marathon runner does every day. Maybe they run, maybe they exercise full stop, maybe they take care of their nutrition, maybe all of these things. And you will start to take these actions to prove to yourself that you are that type of person. Because it's not enough to just reframe in your mind, oh, I'm a marathon runner, or oh, I'm a startup founder, over and over again, if you're not taking any action, your brain will think it's not true. So we want a combination of you're gradually taking action and progressing in that direction of your future identity. And at the same time, you're reframing to yourself the way you see yourself. So it really is a combination of the actions and the thought pattern. And if you just do one, it won't work. If you just think, oh, I'm great at this, or I'm a marathon runner, or like I said, startup, founder, entrepreneur, but don't take any action, your brain is going to say, not true, I'm not seeing any results. You're not doing any of those things that a startup founder would. But if you just take actions but deep down you're not changing the way you see yourself, you're not thinking in a different way, you're not generating the sort of emotions that go with it. The actions, they'll go, but after a while they'll die down. So you want to be doing both. And this is really a cycle. So you'll start to take a baby action, then you celebrate, you acknowledge it and you see how it's contributing to your future vision of yourself, your future version of yourself. And then you take another baby action and small step and you think, oh wow, this is really how other people are doing it. And then you'll start to see, oh, I am actually becoming that person I wanted to be. I'm actually becoming an entrepreneur or a marathon runner or whatever other identity or person you'd like to become. And then you start to believe it. And as you believe it, then the results will grow exponentially. So this is really how it works. So if you're looking to be more successful in an area of your life, whether it's health, relationships, business, start to think, what would that person look like? Be very clear, because though I say clarity isn't enough, it's still a prerequirement. If you're not clear on who you want to be and how you want things to look, then definitely this will hold you back. So start being really clear what would that person be like? What would they do every day? How would they act? Who do you have as a role model that has a successful relationship or is super fit, always a great business person? And then start taking steps in that direction. And as you do this, start to think of yourself that way. That could even be in the way you describe yourself. I know that when I started as a coach, I hadn't quit my full time job and I was already telling people I'm a coach. So the way you talk about these activities matters. Recently I've shifted from saying I kind of speak Swedish, I'm learning Swedish, I'm not fluent yet, to I speak Swedish. Shift the identity, take the actions. And I'm listening to audiobooks in Swedish and practicing, I'm taking the actions and I'm shifting the identity because otherwise you'll just plateau to that level. So it works in really all areas of life. Just know and notice that your level of self belief and your identity is what really is maintaining that plateau wherever you are in your life. So if you want to shift, if you want to level up, shift your identity, shift your self belief, take these actions to build this new sense of identity and build on it and celebrate the results as you're progressing.

[08:41] Hope this was useful for you.

[08:43] If you enjoyed the episode, sign up to the podcast or the YouTube channel. Leave a comment. Thanks a lot for tuning in today.

[08:54] Thank you so much for tuning in today to the Focus V show. I would absolutely love to hear your feedback, so let me know in an Apple review or YouTube comment what was most valuable for you, and feel free to share this episode with a friend or a family member wishing you a wonderful, magical and focused day ahead.

[09:23] You close.