Time to Start Popping

If you know me, you’ll know that I’ve been talking about bubbles for a few years now. 

It’s not because I had a crystal ball and could see the future when bubbles would become part of our everyday vocabulary. It’s obviously because my company is called POP.

In the work that I do, I talk about how we often try to protect ourselves in bubbles when we feel threatened by challenges in our lives: 

• when we face a career crossroads

• when our self-worth has taken a hit

• when we feel less than compared to others

• when we feel like our true value isn’t being recognised

• when we feel unfulfilled, unsatisfied and unsure about our future

That’s a long list. Which means there’s a lot of hiding going on.

As we now know, of course, hiding in our bubbles can be a reasonable response, but only in the short term. Because our bubbles can end up trapping us if we don’t have the courage to pop them when it’s time. 

These are the most common bubbles that I’ve seen people get stuck in:

• feeling paralysed by fear and doubt

• having no words to express who you are and what you want 

• having no clarity about what steps to take next

Are you trapped in one of these bubbles right now?

Or can you identify a different one that may be holding you back?

While the idea of popping those bubbles may sound easy, it actually requires courage. Because to do it, you have to step outside your comfort zone. But if you can’t find a way to do that, it means you’re stuck in a no-confidence zone. That is not where you live your best life.

For the past few months, we’ve had a real reason to hide in our bubbles: to protect ourselves from the Coronavirus. During that time, you may finally have had the time to reflect and reassess how you spend your time and energy, and realised it’s time to change.

Or you might have no choice but to change, because you lost your job or are in an industry that’s been especially hard hit. As we continue to drop down in alert levels, you may be ready to or are being forced to redefine who you are, realign what you do or reinvent your life in some way. 

Not sure where to start? That’s why I wrote my new ebook, Make Your Life POP. It offers a step-by-step guide, including tips from how to pinpoint your strengths to do what I like to call “gentle networking” so you can position yourself authentically but strategically. 

Right now, however, I’m going to share something that can help you take your first step today.

Are you ready? Here it is:

Start saying out loud exactly what you want to change in your life, to people you know, and especially to people in positions who potentially can help you.

I know. It sounds so simple. But so few people actually do it. 

I was working with the client the other day who put it perfectly when she said, “I thought if I just did a good job, eventually I would be recognised and rewarded for it.”

That’s not normally how human nature or life works. You actually need to pipe up and guide people to see your value and let them know exactly what you want. Otherwise we’re essentially expecting others to read our mind. And who’s any good at that? 

All too often we keep what we really truly want to ourselves, like a little secret we hide inside the thought bubbles above our heads. Now is the time to pop that bubble and say out loud, “This is what I would like to do next”.

When you start sharing the specifics of what you want, and when you begin to brainstorm who you can sit down with for coffee to talk about how to achieve it, things start to shift. 

1) First, the message gets out. People will know exactly what you’re looking for and keep an eye out for opportunities. 

2) Second, you reinforce the message to yourself, priming your brain to look for opportunities that match your expressed desire. 

Now, I know that when it comes to making your value clear, a lot of people start to find that message gets stuck in their throat. It feels uncomfortable to point out your strengths to others. But there’s a way to do it, that feels comfortable and natural, and has to do more with making a connection rather than an impression.

If you want to know how, click here.

As I mentioned at the start, and if you don't already know, my company is called POP. It stands for the power of passion, purpose and personality.

Everybody can lead a life that POPs unless they end up trapped inside their bubbles.

So now’s the time to start popping yours. 

(Photo credit: pietervoorhout.nl at Unsplash)