Between already and not yet...
...lies the space to become who you were always meant to be
Julia Child couldn't cook when she graduated from Smith College. She spent time working in advertising and later worked in government intelligence. During that time she fell in love with French cuisine and started to cook it when she could. Do you know she published her first cookbook at age 50 after which she became one of the top French chefs in the world?
She had this to say about the mindset that made her successful:
“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to
have a what-the-hell attitude.” -Julia Child
I can certainly identify with fear of failure, can you? The older we get, the more reasons we come up with for not reaching our potential. You embrace the status quo when you tell yourself this is as good as it gets. The cake is baked. I tried that once and it didn’t work. People made fun of me. I’m phoning it for the rest of my life. Imagine what you could accomplish if you didn't put mental limits on yourself? I call this the space between the “already” and the "not yet."
Here are 3 practical habits that have helped me push toward the “not yet”:
Bathe your brain with positive messages. I'm not talking about Stuart Smalley!1 Listen to great thinkers who view life from a positive point of view. Borrow their beliefs if you have to until they become yours. If you want ideas on who to listen to, send me a note or post below!
Give yourself whitespace. I rarely feel better after scrolling through others’ lives on Instagram. Take a walk instead. My best ideas come when I'm outside, appreciating what I have and anticipating what is next. Give yourself the gift of time to think without distractions.
Journal. There aren’t many mornings that I miss this practice. There are no rules on how to do this. The goal is to process what’s going on in your brain by getting it on paper2 or in an electronic tool like I use.3
Your “not yet” is already inside you!
Your "not yet" is already inside you. You just have to give it space to grow. What voices are you allowing to speak into your life these days? Are they the ones telling you that you can or you can’t?
Tomorrow can be better than today. Grow yourself on purpose. Make it an outstanding week!