Reach your greatest potential by answering this one question

“What would you do if you COULD NOT fail?”

In January 2016, I was taking Sonia Ricotti’s Unsinkable course when she asked that question in a lesson called “Step Into Your Greatness.”

I didn’t want to answer it at first because it sounded like a trick question. Because of course there would be challenges and setbacks and really dark moments...it’s LIFE, right? And following your dreams does NOT make the roller coaster ride of life any smoother.

But...the wisdom in the way the question was phrased was that it released me from answering based on what was within my reach. The beauty of the question was that it addressed my heart and soul. The question gave me freedom and safety to speak truthfully. The question asked me to be limitless.

The question asked me to be limitless…

So I answered. The first few times, what came up was aspirational but still superficial. I answered with labels and milestones: I would be a best-selling author, I would be a world-renown speaker, I would be a billion-dollar brand...blah blah blah.

Then Sonia asked the question one final time: “What would you do if you could not fail?” She asked us not to think but to respond. I finally shut out the logical and egotistical voices and asked Kristin, at her core, what she would do. What would I do if nothing could possibly stop me? The answer was shocking:

I would heal the world.

At first I cried because my answer resonated so strongly. Then I laughed because it seemed so ridiculous. Then I panicked because to follow this path would require me to grow waaaaay past my comfort zone and fail in a major way. Total crazy pants situation.

How the heck was that going to happen? And what did “heal the world” even mean? Did I have to become a doctor or a missionary now? What am I supposed to do with this answer???

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Then that wise voice broke through again and encouraged me to just sit with my soul-shaking response.

It asked me to welcome in Ms. Heal the World as I would welcome a guest to my home—make her comfortable and reserve any judgments until I got to know her. See if I wanted to continue the friendship and welcome her into my life. I didn’t have to do anything right away or commit myself to a decision. Just be open.

So I gave myself permission to see my incredibly audacious Heal the World answer as a curious new friend, and allowed myself the freedom to imagine how this could play out.

Eventually, some answers bubbled up that addressed the “how” of my desire to Heal the World. Like:

• Continuing on my journey of self-discovery so that I could be my best self in order to help others one day.

• Listening and being there for the people I care about because I could make a difference in someone’s life right now.

• Getting good at catching negative self-talk and choosing supportive talk instead.

• Uncovering the limiting beliefs I was hanging onto because they were “comfortable” but keeping me from the life I wanted.

Each choice and each step I made toward the concept of healing the world made that idea more comfortable, and more importantly, possible in my mind.

That tiny shift in allowing my soul’s desire to be possible started the ball rolling. Instead of pushing away my “crazy” idea, I gave it the freedom to stay, play, and grow. It wasn’t a physical action, it was a mental one. And incredibly powerful.

Any change you want for yourself requires you to think about things differently than you have before. Change starts with you, from within, and begins with a mental choice.

I lovingly challenge you to CHOOSE to allow yourself TO BE LIMITLESS.

Don’t ask HOW right now. Ask WHAT.

What would YOU do if you could not fail?

Declare your answer in the comments and share your reaction to seeing it written out.

I’d love to support you!

Kick Your Perfection Habit and Watch Your Dreams Come to Life

“Perfection kills dreams. Progress is what brings dreams to life.”

When I was asked in a recent interview what one message I wanted the audience to hear, that was it.

Why?

Because many of us are waiting for the PERFECT time to take action on our big dreams and goals. That’s why I said perfection kills dreams because the hard truth is…

If you’re waiting for the perfect moment, you’ll be waiting FOREVER. THERE IS NO PERFECT TIME!

I’m not yelling, I promise.

I’m just really passionate about this point. Perfectionism used to be a huge problem for me. I was really good at rationalizing reasons to stall or stop when things got murky/scary. I’d tell myself that I didn’t know enough, wasn’t skilled enough, didn’t have enough money or time, didn’t know the right people or have the right degree, I needed to wait for a sign or the perfect moment or a bulletproof plan or….

Yada yada ad nauseam.

I thought I was being smart for waiting until I was ready. I was saving myself time, effort, money, and sanity. Right?

But really, I was making excuses that came from fear.

It was fear of failure.

What if I find out I suck at this? What if I embarrass myself in front of others? What if I lose people’s respect or confidence? What if I have to face the fact that my dreams will never come true?

It was also fear of success.

Yes, even though it seems counterintuitive, I feared things going my way! Why? Because then I’d have to keep delivering. My status quo would—poof!—change and I’d have to navigate new territory. I’d face more responsibility, more pressure, more stress. Who knew that imagining success could be this overwhelming!

But here’s the thing. Whether I ended up “failing” or “succeeding” wasn’t the point. It was about trying and not having to wonder “What if?”

Making the transition from Perfectionist to Progressionist didn’t happen overnight. It started with catching myself stalling on moving forward in the name of “getting it right.” I asked myself: Could I start this now and figure it out as I go? If I finish this and put it out into the world, would that be better than waiting on the slim chance I could improve it in a way that actually matters?

It's about Progress, not perfection.

— Marie Forleo

One of my Big Dreams was to be a published author. Even after pushing through many obstacles and having a final draft of my book, Meant for More, I still had to deal with fear. What if there are mistakes? Did I share too much of myself? What if people don’t like the book...or me?

Those doubting voices could have stopped me. They might have in the past. But this time? Heck no! And guess what? I did later find some mistakes in the book. There are some sections of my book I’d write differently.

But guess what also happened, even though the book isn’t “perfect”?

I became a bestselling author and created a business to help others amp up the fulfillment and vibrancy of their lives (something I love!). I’ve also been invited to speaking engagements, attracted coaching opportunities, and expanded my network of like-minded peeps!

Dreams don’t happen when you’re comfortably ready. Every time I go for another inspired goal and exit my comfort zone, I have to practice the mindset of progress over perfection.

So just do it. If your gut is telling you that you have a great idea, solution, plan, or vision….for the love of all things holy, DO IT!

You owe it to yourself to take at least the tiniest step toward bringing that goal to life.

Do what you can. Start today. And remember...

Put your focus on progress. Not perfection.

You won’t regret it.

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What’s 1 thing you can do to shift from perfection to progression? Share in the comments below. 🙌Your idea could inspire someone! 🙌

Stress is killing your dreams. Here’s how to stop it.

Photo by Isaiah Rustad on Unsplash

Stress is killing our dreams.

Okay, maybe not literally. But if we’re dealing with constant stress, any goals we have that lead to a life we love are fighting an uphill battle.

How so?

Stress interferes with our decision-making skills. In a typical day, we face a lot of decisions—what’s important to do for that day, how we prioritize those tasks, what we say yes or no to, how we react to issues when they come up. When we’re stressed, the negative emotions we’re feeling—worry, panic, fear, anger—are influencing our choices, which means the decisions we make and the actions we take aren’t going to be their best.

Stress gives us tunnel vision...and not in a good way. When we’re stressed, we tend to only focus on doing what’s necessary. We have no energy to spend on anything that isn’t making us money, demanded of us, or we feel responsible to do...which means our dreams are likely taking a back seat.

Stress creates a vicious cycle of stress. Our confidence and belief in ourselves suffers each time we fail to follow through on our dreams, which piles on more stress!

So how do we STOP letting stress run our life

 so we can START slaying those #lifegoals?

By setting ourselves up for stressless success. When we treat our body and mind right, before a stress meltdown happens (and do it consistently), we stop stress before it starts.

1. Have preventative measures in place to keep stress at bay

For a Less Stressed Body:

• Quality input = quality output. You’ve heard this before but it’s so important, it can’t be glossed over: What you put into your body affects how you perform and handle life. Which means if you’re nourishing yourself with the right food and keeping hydrated, you’ll be better equipped to handle challenges.
• A tense body welcomes stress. There’s a correlation between how your body feels and your mood. When your body feels good, you’re more likely to feel good too. So keep your body flexible and tension-free with exercise and movement that makes sense for you.
• Utilize your built-in reset button...deep breathing. Since breathing is something our body does automatically, it’s often underestimated and underutilized as a de-stressing tool. Deep breathing is a quick and easy way to re-engage with yourself and melt away tension. It helps to get you out of your head and into the present moment.
• Schedule in your self-care. Yes, schedule it...just like you would anything else important in your life. Why? Because if you don’t schedule it, it’s probably not going to happen. It’s so easy to let self-care slip just like anything that isn’t making us money or is something we “have to do.” But think of it this way: Self-care actually does have monetary value and leads to greater productivity in the long term because when you’re in your best mental and physical shape, you’re going to do everything better! Ca-ching!

For a Less Stressed Mind:

• Catch negative chatter. When we think negative thoughts, we immediately start to feel crappy, right? So when your mood is going downhill, notice what you’re thinking about. Awareness of negative chatter is the first step in preventing a stressed out mind.   
• Ditch the drama for detective work. When you notice that your thoughts have turned sour, try looking at your situation like a detective would. Separate the facts from the story. Ask questions instead of jumping straight to conclusions. What do you know is true? This fact-centered approach helps reduce unnecessary anxiety and tension by providing emotional distance and objectivity.
• Know your power. You have the power to choose a different thought—look for what’s positive and what’s possible. While we can’t change what happens to us, we CAN control how we think, how we feel, and how we act. And that knowledge is power.

In my book, I go much further into why the quality of our thoughts is so important and how to make them work for you in creating your dream life. If you’re interested in a deeper dive, check out Meant for More: Create Your Dream Life, Plan Your Path, and Start Living It Now.

2. Have a plan for avoiding a stress spinout

While the above tips serve as preventative measures for unnecessary stress, they can’t prevent stress entirely. Since obstacles and challenges are a part of life, it makes sense to have a game plan for when life throws you a curveball.

Don’t have one yet? I’ve got you covered.

I created a FREE guide that will help you take down stress when it strikes. It’s called The Stress Less Guide: 4 Steps to Take Back Control of Your Life.  

It’s not that things won’t affect you any more or that you’ll become immune to stress or stressful situations, but it really does help change your perspective and reaction, which can lead to a better outcome.

Download your free guide now to get clearer, calmer, and more confident for dealing with stress.