William Travis, the 26-year-old cavalry Colonel from South Carolina, took over command from Jim Bowie who fell ill and held off the attacks from Santa Anna.  As it became apparent that no help would be arriving from the US or Texian troops, Travis 'drew a line in the sand' and offered his men a final choice: escape with his blessing while there was still time or step over the line and give their lives to freedom's cause.

All but one crossed the line. 

Recalling this event left me pondering, to what am I that committed?  To give one's life is the ultimate sacrifice.  Even if the question is not 'To what would I give my life?', it's still a useful inquiry to ask 'to what am I supremely committed?  How far would I reach to achieve career success?  What would I do to ensure the success of my business?  What would I give to ensure my family's happiness - or my own?

I invite you to engage in that inquiry about the things you say are important to you.  Are you giving your dreams lip service or are you willing to 'cross the line' and play full out? I'm not promoting that life be hard, just encouraging you to stay the course and not give up on what you believe, desire or stand for.

Even if you tell yourself, "Oh, that's just the way it is" or "It doesn't really matter", if you are afraid of certain situations and that fear keeps you from being all that you imagine you can be, it's time to stop glossing over your issue.

I've had conversations with a couple of clients this month about situations they felt were hampering their career progress.  One highly intelligent woman was deathly afraid that she would be interrupted during a formal presentation with challenging questions from her audience.  Another was a business owner who spent too much of her time working on others people's 'projects' than on her own. 

Even I have a situation that leaves me feeling start to feel powerless and afraid; it happens when someone gets angry at or with me.

The particular issue isn't relevant.  What's important are the disempowering (sometimes irrational) feelings that accompany the situations.

Now none of these might not be your particular 'issue', but I'd like you to bring to mind some situation that causes you concern or worry and follow these steps:

1.  Recall the earliest time that you experienced those negative emotions.  It might have been when you were a child.  Don't disregard any images that come to mind even though they don't seem to make sense.

2.  Describe in detail the exact situation you were in when those emotions first arose.  I suddenly thought of being on the school grounds of my elementary school where Cecelia was picking a fight with me.  Cecelia was much taller and heavier than I was.  She hit me, I swung back and we ended up on the ground with her sitting on top of me.

3.  Write down exactly how you felt. Make sure the words you write are as potent as you can describe and in terms that are appropriate for the age you were when the situation happened.  Words like scared, terrified, helpless, mad, hurt, ashamed are the strength we're looking for here.

4.  Identify any decisions or conclusions you reached at the time. "It's no use", "I can't do it", Nobody cares or loves me" "I'll never be any good at this".

5.  Recognize that you now have capabilities that you didn't possess when you were younger.  With your wiser, more mature mind and skills, look back on your younger self with love and tolerance.  Forgive yourself (and the other person) so you can more on. 

6.  Make a new decision or create a new belief with today's skills and abilities.  "I have everything I need right now to succeed", "I'm fully prepared and read to take on all comers", "These people are actually afraid of me and I can help put them at ease".

Let me know how it goes.  If this exercise doesn't give you any release and you're serious about getting rid of the issue, email me to schedule a short consultation.  For $150 and 30 minutes of your time, you could be free from your fear.  Everyone I've taken through this process has either made enough significant progress that they could resolve the remaining 'leftovers' on their own or completely released their issue!

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."

People continue to rave about the insights they gain from the simple concepts in this book.  Over and over I hear "I can put these ideas to work today!"

Order your copy now and get relief from those idiots who are stressing you out!

Leadership that Transforms People & Delivers Profits and Harvesting and Valuing the Wisdom of Diversity, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Annual Conference, Pre-conference workshops. November 15- 19, San Antonio TX. WWW.IFEBP.ORG

Leadership without Limits: Inspiring the Best in Yourself, Your People and Your Organization, The Awakening Conference: A Voice for Change, May 15- 17, 2009.  Call 602.347.7799 or visit: TheAwakeningConference.com to register.