Performance = Potential – Interference

Why haven’t you met some of your goals both personally and professionally? What are your roadblocks to success? 

What is holding you back from your full potential?

A million and one excuses. 

It may be a feeling of jealousy over people that have “made it”. 

-“Why am I stuck in this dead end job that I loathe getting up and going to everyday?” 

-“Why is it that other people seem to be able to have their lives together and I can’t catch a break?”

The truth of this is that YOU are the only one that’s holding you back. 

It’s about mindset, it’s about perseverance in the face of adversity, it’s about pushing yourself EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. to be a better version of yourself. LEVELING UP. Believing that you have the potential that others see in you. 

“Interference” generally means emotional interference. We may understand our true potential, but our performance suffers because our emotions get in the way. Some of MOST interfering emotions are fear, guilt, and worry.

They are usually old narratives from childhood. Or things we’ve been told about ourselves that no longer are true and definitely no longer serve us. 

It’s a judgment from other people in our lives that is then negatively integrated into our psyche. 

• “Too sensitive” 
• “Too lazy”
• “Not smart enough” 
• “Will never amount to anything” 

Let’s look at these more closely- where do they come from? 

• Fear – The most obvious and most inhibiting emotion is fear. While some fear has a basis in reality, many of our fears are unfounded. Our minds play negative tricks on us to keep us “safe”, but also keep us unchallenged and, probably, unfulfilled. Fear is old. Fear is usually unfounded in reality. 

“It may take time to deal with your fear of a situation, event, or action, but it’s hugely beneficial to do so. You may have to do some digging into your past with your coach to figure out WHY you’re afraid, but the emotional interference of fear does not create success. It’s my job to help you target and eliminate the fear. Entrepreneurs jump. Or need a little push“

Amy Schillinger – Executive Performance Coach, LMFT

Once your coach helps you identify and discuss your fears, you weaken the power of those fears to hold back future activity and performance.
Likewise, it can be useful to anticipate some worst-case scenarios – such as losing an important sales contract or even losing your job – because it lets you see what other options are available. 

THE UNDERLYING BENEFIT- Perhaps the sales contract wasn’t as profitable as other contracts you could pursue if you had time to spend with new customers because you lost that contract. There may be a silver lining. 

Perhaps losing a job is the first step toward a new career, even within your current organization. Dealing with self-doubt and fear of failure is one of the most valuable areas to explore. 

• Guilt – This is one of the key emotions driving inappropriate work-life balance. If someone routinely works later than other people, it’s often evidence of not being able to say no – which, in turn, is typically based on some form of guilt for not having accomplished what was asked for. Guilt can lead people down a dark path. The truth is that life is ALWAYS a balancing act but feels less so when you’re doing something that you’re truly motivated by and passionate about. 

• Worry – This is another key emotion that gets in the way of good performance. Some people seem to worry about everything, including the fact that they’re worrying! Worry can lead to physical problems such as poor sleep, bad eating habits, and ultimately, exhaustion. We can’t be effective for very long if we worry all the time. 

SV Performance Coaches see their clients’ true potential and eliminate the effect of interfering emotions. Processing emotions during coaching will help. 

Entrepreneurs should be thought of as athletes who want to move to the next level in their game. 

• Half of the coaching experience is listening and understanding what drives people, and helping them identify and organize what emotions they’re feeling. 

• The other half of the job is working with clients to stretch their performance and explore the skills and resources they need to be their very best.