Facing our Demons

Thanks to Ark for the photo.

Lately I have been thinking about getting out of our own way, facing the fear monger and dealing with the 'demons', self doubts, fears and insecurities that keep us stuck. Hands down the first thing clients say to me when we meet for the first time is "I want to figure out where to go next, I have no idea what to do with my career".  So we figure it out, through assessments and worksheets and talking we figure it out.  And inevitably we get to the point where they figure it out the 'aha' moment comes, and they decided this is it.  You might thinks we are done..but that is when the real work starts.  Because that is when the fear monger, jumps in and starts hammering with all the doubts, insecurities, and fears he/she could possibly dream up.

Recently Ted Williams, made it back in the news.  For those that don't know the story...he is a homeless man from Columbus, Ohio (my hometown) who was discovered on a street corner by a reporter because of his amazing radio voice.  Check out the video clip below.  He immediately became an overnight sensation appearing on the Today Show, Dr. Phil, David Letterman etc.  And then a few weeks later it came out that Ted has an addiction to drugs and alcohol and soon those demons became to much for him and he fell back into obscurity.

So here is this guy...has an amazing talent, knows he has an amazing talent, has others telling him what an amazing talent he has and offering him jobs yet his heart isn't singing with this amazing career...the demons were too much.  You might be thinking, well this is an EXTREME example.  And yes, it could be...but I would argue that Ted's demons just happened to be a disease called addiction that is easily identifiable as a problem.  For many of us our demons and fears are more hidden, they come up through procrastination, half-heartedy approaching something, and other forms of self sabotage not as prominent as addiction.

When Ted was first discovered last January people were saying that they were jealous wishing they had this chance, that someone would discover them and that they knew what made their heart sing.  Ted's story is a great one because it illustrates that we all have fears and self doubts.  This process is not easy...even if your dream job is handed to you...you still have to get out of your own way to make it a reality.

Fortunately for Ted, he has found a new support system, has completed rehab, found trusted partners and is starting over one small step at a time.  I hope he succeeds. I hope he lives a life that makes his heart sing.  I hope that for everyone...but in order to make our heart's sing we need a support system and a plan.  Fortunately that is something I get to do every day...help people figure out what makes their heart sing and then figure out the plan to make that a reality.