How often have you had an idea about something you wanted to do that could possibly change the trajectory of your life, but the idea of reaching for it was so scary that your brain immediately came up with a million reasons why it wouldn’t work?

And those million reasons “why not” seemed so real and true that you turned away from the idea without even trying it on? 

Early in my coaching career, I had a client who desired to start her own business.  She had some fabulous skills and some great ideas about things she could do to use her skills, but each we would start down the path of exploring one of her ideas, she would immediately respond with “Yes, but…”  And the “yes, buts” would discount her ideas right out of the gate.  Every. Single. Time.

It wasn’t her fault. 

Her ideas were scary because they involved Unknown Territory.  That place that requires we step outside of where we’re comfortable.  Where we have to take actions that we’ve never done before.  Her immediate discounting of her ideas was her brain doing its job of protecting her from the “BIG HAIRY SCARY.”

It’s uncomfortable to sit with Possibility.  To think about all the reasons something might work instead of the reasons it won’t work.  To consider how we might feel if it did actually work and how our lives might change.

She wasn’t even aware that she was “yes, but(ing)…” until I asked her to give me one, just one, reason why her idea might work and she couldn’t come up with anything.  So I gave her a challenge.

I said, “For one week only, seven days, I want you to get a jar with a lid on it, and every time you have an idea I want you to sit with the possibility of that idea.  Every time you have a thought why your idea won’t work, I want you to write that reason down on a piece of paper and put it into the jar.  Do this for every single “it won’t work” reason.  Write it down.  Put it in the jar.  And instead, think of one reason why the idea WOULD work.  You’re not throwing those “it won’t work” reasons away. They’ll be right there in the jar waiting for you in one week.  You can read them all then, but I’m willing to bet you won’t want to.”

Changing a belief requires daily practice.  She needed to practice sitting with Possibility. 

She embraced the challenge.  This was her jar.

Can you sit with Possibility?

Or do you need a “Yes, But” jar?