potencia – POTENCIA

Overcoming Fear with W.I.T.

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”
Jack Canfield

Fear. It’s intangible, and yet, at times overbearing. It keeps us from putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations and thus keeps us from growing and fulfilling our potential. And it’s completely normal. Without the ability to feel fear, we would be unable to feel its opposing emotions such as exhilaration and confidence. But how do we push fear to the side when it comes to our goals and aspirations?

Here’s one way: by creating W.I.T. statements.

A “What if – Then” statement, or a W.I.T. statement as I call it, allows you to address your fear by answering what would happen if it occurred. By doing so, you can mentally prepare yourself for your “worst” possible scenario and get fear out the way of your ultimate goal. Here’s an example: you want to go to the gym but are afraid of people judging you. Your W.I.T. statement could look something like this:

“What if I go to the gym and people laugh at me for not knowing how to use the machines? Then:

I’ll use their laughter as motivation to figure it out; or
I’ll put the music volume up in my headphones to drown out my surroundings; or
I won’t care because I don’t know who they are anyways”

Hopefully, by creating your W.I.T. statement, you can work get one step closer to overcoming your fear of both judgement and the gym and achieved your goal of working out. Fear is normal and expected when challenging yourself. But it’s important we don’t limit our potential our of fear of the unknown. We all have it in us to push fear aside and crush our goals!

Quit holding yourself back – It doesn’t work unless you try!

I’m always working to be a better version of myself and hope my tips can help you on your journey. I’d love to hear back from you – comment below!

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Saving vs. “Living Life”

“Don’t save what is left after spending; spend what is left after saving.”
Warren Buffet

With social media at our fingertips 24/7, it’s easy to get caught up in the lives others are living (or pretending to live). With that, there’s been a shift in the mindset of young adults from saving their money to spending it as soon as they can, or “living life”.

“Well what’s the point of working if I can’t spend the money I make?”

If you’re asking this question, you have the wrong idea of the purpose of saving. For me, there are two main reasons to save:

To have a rainy day fund – you’re on your way to work and your tire pops; the washer in your house starts leaking; you’re playing your favorite sport and break a tooth or leg – things happen when we least expect it. The best way to combat these situations is to be prepared as best you can by saving your money ahead of time. Otherwise you’ll be left scrambling, stressed, and broke.
To spend on things I truly want – you’ve been so busy “living life” – buying new clothes every week and eating out at fancy restaurants (that are out of your budget) everyday, that when it comes time for that big purchase of something you truly do want, you don’t have the money to get it. Think twice about the smaller purchases you’re frequently making because that money could be saved towards a larger and more desirable purchase in the future like a trip to a new place, an opportunity to see your favorite singer, etc.

The truth is, you don’t have to choose between saving your money and “living life”.

Instead, choose between being responsible and irresponsible with your finances. It is possible to be responsible with your finances, save your hard earned money, and also live life by spending it occasionally on the things you really want. It’s time to quick holding yourself back by thinking for the now instead of the future. It’s true, tomorrow isn’t promised; but just in case it comes, it’s better to plan for living it as well.

I’m always working to be a better version of myself and hope my tips can help you on your journey. I’d love to hear back from you – comment below!

Pessimism vs. Realism – Get Real with Yourself

“Pessimism is an excuse for not trying, and a guarantee to a personal failure.”
Bill Clinton

I’ll get straight to the point – your outlook on life is the deciding factor of your life’s trajectory. There’s a spectrum of outlooks, from overly optimistic to dangerously pessimistic. Pessimism, or the tendency to only see the worst in life, will fill your mind with negative thoughts that prohibit you from developing aspirations and maximizing on your potential. The problem is that most people who are pessimistic falsely interpret this outlook as being realistic – it is not.

Realism is defined as the attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly. Whether you’re a realistic or unrealistic person is not the same thing as whether you’re optimistic or pessimistic because you can accept a situation for what it is and still have a negative outlook on what caused the situation and thus how to handle it “accordingly”.

Let’s say you arrive at work and your manager randomly asks to speak with you. As a pessimist, your initial thoughts might be that you’re in trouble because you assume they wouldn’t want to speak with you otherwise. By allowing these negative thoughts to fester, you’ve unconsciously gone into your meeting nervous, insecure, or even angry (which is probably a defense mechanism for your vulnerability). This perspective snowballs into negative thoughts, negative attitudes, and ultimately negative perceptions of who you actually are.

Quit holding yourself back. It’s possible to be a realistic person with an optimistic perspective on life so that you can motivate yourself to work towards your goals no matter the hurdles you face. And if this article doesn’t really apply to you, share it with a friend who could use the wake-up call!

I’m always working to be a better version of myself and hope my tips can help you on your journey. I’d love to hear back from you – comment below!

The Power of Affirmations: Choosing Confidence

“One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.”
Dalai Lama

Confidence – a concept rarely spoken of as a choice and often spoken of as a “either ya’ got it or ya’ don’t” trait. The truth is that confidence lies within each and every one of us; and it’s up to us to decide whether we want to allow it to help mold us.

“If it’s such an easy choice, then why aren’t more people confident in themselves?”

The answer is simple – consistent practice of affirmations.

Let’s face it, we live in a time of instant gratification– instant responses, instant media, instant food. But for those who are not given confidence from our environment (family, friends, society, etc.), learning to believe in yourself and be confident in the qualities you uniquely possess requires the consistent practice of affirmations. This means training yourself to rely on your own opinion instead of those around you. Don’t wait for a certain number of likes on a photo to decide whether you’re looking good or not. Don’t rely solely on the support around you (though you should always be grateful) to help talk you down when you’re overwhelmed with work and life and losing confidence in your abilities. Don’t decide what traits you like about yourself based on what your circle thinks. Instead, rely on yourself – yes, it’s possible!

How do you do this? Here are a few tips:

Replace your negative thoughts with positive ones – when you’re feeling down over your quality of work, stressed over deadlines, worried about falling behind in school and feeling hopeless, stop and take a deep breath. Remind yourself of the characteristics you love about yourself and how they’ll help you get your tasks done. Then segregate those tasks into manageable steps!

Make an affirmations list – keep a list of positive statements about yourself, either in your phone or journal (whatever you keep with you most of the time). When you’re feeling down immediately read this list and give yourself a reason why these statements are true. Examples of affirmations include listing the traits you’re proud of or noting your accomplishments that remind you of your capabilities.

Face yourself when speaking – it’s a lot easier to let your negative thoughts consume you when you’re not facing yourself so take a good look in the mirror every morning and remind yourself of your unique qualities and the immense opportunities that lie behind discovering that confidence.

The key is to be consistent. By constantly combatting your negative thoughts with positive and resourceful ones, you’re improving your state of mind – the most essential component to navigate through life. Over time, what used to be a conscious task will become effortless – giving you the realization that confidence is a choice and anything we strive for can be achieved with confidence, commitment, and consistency.

I’m always working to be a better version of myself & hope my tips can help you on your journey. I’d love to hear back from you on your thoughts/ journey – comment below!