We all tell ourselves stories.

It’s just one of those very human things which we do naturally and habitually.

Our entire past is a story we’ve put together.

And just like any good storyteller, we edit out stuff…. embellish bits…. invent things… and come up with a kind of ‘thread’ or ‘plot’.

It’s our way of organising our past and getting a grip on who we are – creating a version of the ‘self’ that we can cling onto.

Eventually we assume that everything in the story is 100% true and unchangeable.

This can be very limiting.

Because in our self-told story we usually build a narrative where there are:-

• things we are good and things we are not good at
• things that we like and things we don’t like.
• things we are prepared to do and things we are not prepared to do.

But the truth is more complex than the story, though,

We’re actually much more capable and adaptable than we think, too.

And our version of the story is not the only one possible.

Let me give you an example.

Why I had to change my own story

There is a story I used to tell myself.

It went a bit like this…

“I am a shy introvert, who doesn’t like the limelight, and I work better in the background.”

This story came with a load of assumptions like this:

“I can’t present videos.”

“I can’t do public speaking.”

“I can’t be the face of my products.” 

“I can’t be on social media”

So for a long time, that was that.

For a while I was able to figure out clever ways round this, by delegating these responsibilities to other people… avoiding presentations… or making excuses about why it was actually better if I didn’t do these things.

It worked for a while…

But there came a point when I realised it was stopping me from reaching more people I could help and also stunting my growth as a person – and as a business owner and course creator.

If I didn’t get out there on social media, communicating with my students… and if I didn’t get on video to coach and educate people… then I was doing them and myself a disservice.

I had to accept that while I didn’t ‘like’ doing videos, public speaking or sharing my (tiny portions) of life on social media, I had to try.

So I did.

And it was really tough…. at first.

But then something remarkable happened…

The more I practised and repeated these awkward tasks, I began to realise I was actually okay with them, and could even ENJOY them.

As you’ve no doubt seen, these days I do videos all the time, I speak in webinars and at (very very occasionally!) live presentations, and my face is all over my course website.

So my story has changed.

I no longer say, “I am a shy introvert and I work better in the background.”

Now I know it doesn’t have to be that way.

Which is the story I am now telling you!

And the reason I am telling it to you is that I am sure there are aspects of course creation or running a business that you don’t like, or believe you can’t do.

But remember that this is a story and it can be changed.  

It just takes the boldness to try something new, and the persistence to stick at it for a while until you get better at it and more used to it.

When drawing lines in the sand can hold you back

Now I’m not saying that you can’t have preferences…

I know that while it would be great for me to get on the speaker circuit and do more live presentations it’s something I limit as it’s not a joyful experience for me 😉 and I can do other things instead.

There might be things that you absolutely WON’T do.

For instance, my own line in the sand is that I don’t share information about my kids on social media. 

I know that if I did this, it would create engagement with my followers and increase my reach.

But my children don’t want me to, and I respect that. 

If you have a core moral objection to doing something, then that’s absolutely fine.

However, with GOOD course creation, you should never have to do anything immoral, like lying to people or cheating them.

All you need to do is be yourself and share information that will help other people to improve their lives.

I promise, they will thank you for it!

So please be aware that drawing too many lines in the sand can hold you back. I’m talking about things like:

I can’t do tech…

I don’t have the right accent to present videos…

My English isn’t good enough to write….

I am too old to start a course…

I am too young to try a course…

I am too shy to promote myself online.

These assumptions encourage you to shut off whole avenues of exploration that could lead to your success.

So I’d urge you to dare to cross the line sometimes.

As Jim Rohn says, “For things to change you have to change.”