I’m cooking up something pretty big over here (details to come later this summer — I’m aiming for July) but in the meantime….whoa mama!
It’s fascinating to me how quickly you forget about the power of Resistance and the Illusion…and how surprising it feels when Resistance and the Illusion smacks you in the face when you’re getting ready to uplevel your business and your life. It’s not like I haven’t been at this rodeo before, but yet every time somehow feels like the first time. (And not in a good way.)
Right now, what seems to be having it’s way with me is the Illusion.
I first heard about the Illusion through Lisa Sasevich (and, in fact, I pulled a Backstage Pass clip from her recent Speak-to-Sell LIVE where she beautifully shares her experiences with the Illusion from the stage — yes, even someone has successful as Lisa Sasevich runs into the Illusion from time to time).
The Illusion is what happens when you’re getting ready to make a leap in your business (or your relationships, health, life) and “crap” starts popping up all over the place. This “crap” can range from frustrating annoyances, like you rush over to the dry cleaner to pick up the clothes you want to pack for an event, only to find out the dry cleaner is running late and won’t have your clothes done until after your flight is in the air — or it could be something bigger like a major illness.
Typically what makes the Illusion the Illusion is all the crap seems to be lining up to prevent you from taking that next step you know in your gut you need to take. So, going back to the business trip, the dry cleaner doesn’t have your clothes ready, you get to the airport and your flight is cancelled, and as you’re scrambling around looking for a new flight, your husband calls you at his wits’ end with the kids fighting, a burned dinner and now the dog just threw up in the middle of the living room.
It’s a very human response if, at this point, you’re ready to throw in the towel and go home.
Maybe you even think “this is a sign from the Universe that I really shouldn’t go.”
And this is precisely when you need to stop, take a deep breath, and realize what’s probably going on is the Illusion is having its way with you.
Now, that’s not to say you aren’t dealing with very real issues. It is quite real that your flight is cancelled and your husband is overwhelmed and unhappy and would probably prefer you to come home. But, the story behind what’s going on is an Illusion.
Although to us it feels like a preponderance of evidence that we shouldn’t be doing what we’re doing, chances are it’s not. You’re not thinking about how you immediately figured out a backup option to the dry cleaning issue, and the backup may be better then what you originally planned, or how you were able to effortlessly clear your schedule so you’ll be able to focus 100% of your attention on the event, or how you had no problems driving to the airport and finding the perfect parking place. All of those things could be signs that you are absolutely on the right path.
But all we’re seeing is the negatives. And that’s probably because we’re terrified about the step we’re taking and we’re looking for reasons to not take that step.
I’ll talk more about what to do when you are in the grip of the Illusion (including more about my own Illusion) in future blog posts, but for now, I just want you to know if you recognize yourself here, just know you’re not alone.
And be gentle with yourself. The Illusion can be a bitch. But if you keep telling yourself it IS just an Illusion, it’s amazing how quickly you can start to see through it.
