by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 24, 2024 | Leadership, Resources
99% of us avoid discomfort. ๐
Itโs not a weakness. It’s a fact.
Itโs how our brain reacts to ‘threats’, even if it is just the discomfort of the unknown.
Itโs because when we step out of our comfort zone, we are confronted by our fears – of failure, judgment and not being good enough.
This fear leads to excuses, procrastination, and self-doubt, pulling us back into our comfort zone.
So, why is it so difficult to push through the ‘Fear Zone’ on our own?
๐ญ. ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐น๐ณ-๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐:
When thereโs no one to challenge our negative thoughts, we start believing โIโm not readyโ or โWhat if Iโm not good enough?โ
Over time, these limiting beliefs become our truth.
๐ฎ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐:
When faced with the unfamiliar, we find excuses such as
โIโll do it later,โ or โI need more time.โ
These may feel valid but we know we are holding ourselves back.
๐ฏ. ๐ก๐ผ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ:
We avoid uncomfortable actions when no one pushes us.
Without accountability, we take the easy options and avoid the REAL work.
Overcoming fear alone is tough. ๐ฉ
๐ But what if living in that comfort zone comes with opportunity costs?
As a Growth Mindset Coach, I work with my clients to take small, intentional steps toward overcoming their fears.
After 100 coaching sessions, Iโve identified 3 effective ways to help you navigate fear and toward your goals:
๐ญ. ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐:
When you start making excuses, itโs a sign youโre on the edge of comfort. Instead of retreating into comfort, ask yourself, โWhat opportunity does this fear bring?โ
๐ฎ. ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ:
Start with one small, uncomfortable task this week.
Completing each step will build momentum and over time, you will learn to trust yourself more.
๐ฏ. ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ถ๐ป๐:
Each time you push past fear, your confidence grows.
Leverage your strengths to remind yourself of what youโre capable of.
The results you want are often on the other side of fear.
With the right support, you can push through fear to reach your goals.
So, are you ready to take that first small step towards your #ICAN?
The power is in your choice to start.
๐ Have you ever faced this fear, and what helped you push through it? I’d love to hear your story.
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 24, 2024 | Career, Resources
Recently, I spoke to several individuals affected by the latest wave of layoffs.
Amongst them were former colleagues and clients.
News from Samsung, Dyson, Love Bonito and META reminded us that 3 years after the pandemic, a new norm is here.
As companies chase cost efficiency relentlessly – faster, better, cheaper options will always win.
At the rate of AI advancement, knowledge-based roles risk being automated.
Itโs reasonable to ask, โWill my role be replaced by AI soon?โ ๐ต
If thatโs you, Iโd like to offer my perspective.
AI is a powerful tool.
However, it relies on past data and requires clear instructions to perform.
Without clear and precise instructions, it canโt produce the desired results.
๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐น๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐๐น๐ฒ?
โ Do you also lean on your past and require clear instructions to deliver?
โ Or are you proactive in seeking answers and driving improvements?
Hereโs the fact.
โ In todayโs competitive landscape, the passives will be overlooked.
You canโt get ahead by thinking in the same way as everyone.
It requires a different mindset.
Those who stand out anticipate needs, solve problems and add value without being asked.
They are proactive, adaptable and always looking ahead.
โ Developing a Career Growth Mindset moves you from passive to proactive.
Itโs about continuous learning, embracing the new and adapting to changes.
25 years of corporate experience shows me,
โ You donโt advance in your career by protecting what you know.
โ You get ahead by pushing yourself to learn what you donโt.
You canโt stop technology, but you can be competitiveโฆ
by offering what AI canโt (yet) โ that is, by being proactive in adding value.
Developing a Career Growth Mindset is like having an ice-cream sundae – you get to add colors, toppings and flavors to create a career uniquely yours.
๐ What was your #1 career advice?
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 24, 2024 | Career, Resources
Some moments change the course of their lives.
These are moments of pride or regret.
Back in 2013, I had the chance to pursue my career outside Singapore.
It was an opportunity I couldnโt ignore, but also one that I was afraid.
Taking up an overseas assignment in my late 30s wasnโt a decision I took lightly.
In my mind, I was doubting โAre you ๐๐๐ผ๐๐๐ sure?โ
โ “You haven’t led a team in 6 years!”
โ “You don’t even speak the language!”
โ โAnd you will be overseas alone for 2 yearsโ
It was a choice between โplaying it safeโ in Singapore or leaping into the unknown in Indonesia.
My stakes were high, and the risk of failure was real. 
But I knew I didnโt want to look back and live with regrets, so I took the leap.
Settling into my new role in Jakarta wasnโt easy.
I had to learn the language, adapt to the culture, and work hard to earn the trust and respect of stakeholders.
It was tough at the beginning.
But it taught me humility, patience, and showed me the beauty of human potential through the people I worked with.
What started as a 2-year assignment turned into 4 of the most rewarding years of my career.
That experience taught me lessons I never would have learned had I โplayed it safeโ.
It even led to a new opportunity in the e-commerce sector later on.
Looking back, I supposed my leap of faith paid off.
——–
Change is never easy.
Instead of seeking guarantees, we can learn to take calculated risks
and put our best efforts into making failing a non-option.ย ๐ช
The point is โฆ
โ When nothing changes, nothing changes.
Sometimes, we just have to trust ourselves instead of giving in to fear.
When we do, we give ourselves a chance to succeed.
And our next chapter might turn out to be the best one yet.
ย ๐ Was there a time when you took a leap of faith too? How did that turn out?
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Aug 3, 2024 | Mindset, Resources
Psychologist Thomas Curran explained perfectionism is not the quest of perfecting a task.
It is an act of covering up the โperceived imperfectionโ in ourselves.
I have never regarded myself as a perfectionist.
It came as a surprise when perfectionism emerged as my chief saboteur when I took a self-assessment test developed by Positive Intelligence (PQ, link in comments) recently.
As I reflect on my results, I can see truth in it.
My fixation on getting things ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ.
My tendency to self-judge when I fail to meet ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ.
My habit of pushing myself even harder for ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ๐จ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ.
This haunting feeling of โ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐๐โ has continued to weigh down on my shoulders subconsciously.
I should know.
The perfectionist in me took up to 5 hours to draft 1 LinkedIn post when I started posting this February.
I wasted considerable time over-thinking and over-tinkering.
I undermined my self-confidence, mistaken fulfilment lies in perfection.
๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
The first step to harness perfectionism is to acknowledge its existence in us.
The desire to be better has given me the strength to strive.
It has empowered me to overcome the ‘impossible’ in my life.
It fuels my motivation towards lifelong learning and personal growth.
Recognizing my perfectionist traits has allowed me to be self-compassionate.
Instead of being frustrated with myself, I learned to understand the origins of my habits. This has given me the confidence to be less than perfect.
We can achieve more and find joy when we choose to put down our baggage. ๐
We can find peace when we recognize no one is judging us other than ourselves.ย ๐
โฉ PS: Would you put down your baggage?
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Aug 3, 2024 | Mindset, Resources
Most of us recognize the transformative power of having a growth mindset.
Does having a growth mindset stop us from going down the slippery slope of a fixed mindset again?๐ฌ
Last Thursday, I had an interesting conversation with an ex-classmate over dinner.
When I updated Wendy about my current work as a growth mindset coach, she went, โ๐ข๐ฉ! ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด๐ฆ๐ตโ.
โ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ’๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง-๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฃ๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ค๐ณ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ.โ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ.
Everyone experiences doubts and anxiety.
But we can learn to manage them better.
Here’s what I learned.
5 lessons you may consider to shift towards a growth mindset.
โจ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ญ ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐บ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฝ.
Make progressive changes.
Every small change = many small wins!
This rewards your brain to work harder to adopt new habits over time (neuroplasticity).
โจ ๐๐ณ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป’๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ, ๐ป๐ผ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ.
Your mindset influences your life.
Start by tracking 3 tasks that you accomplished each day and see your confidence grows.
โจ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป:
As my mum taught me, ๐ฆ๐ง๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ = ฬถโIฬถ ฬถdฬถoฬถnฬถโtฬถ ฬถkฬถnฬถoฬถwฬถโ.ฬถ
Your aptitude for learning is your ONLY KEY to becoming your best self.
โจ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐:
Everyone makes mistakes!
There is no failure from trying new things and learning. Ask ‘๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐๐๐ 1 ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ?’ They are meant to show you the way forward.
โจ๐ง๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ช!
YOU must first learn to trust ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ, before others can trust ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ. 100%.
Recognize times when ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ showed up and take responsibility.
Be THE source to inspire others’ trust in you.
Our mindset exists on a spectrum instead of a binary trait. ๐
In her book โMindsetโ, Dr Carol Dweck PhD explained that we will experience both fixed and growth mindset tendencies in different situations. ๐๏ธโ๐จ๏ธ
This is how your brain is hardwired to keep you safe from unfamiliar situations or perceived risks.
Through self-awareness and consistent effort, you can shift from a fixed mindset towards a more predominant growth mindset over time.
While you can’t change your mindset completely, you can make the shift. ๐
โฉPS: How did you shift your mindset? Share your success!
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Aug 3, 2024 | Mindset, Resources
Last November was the mid-term of my 6 months Professional Coaching Certification program.
It was a special milestone that I looked forward to. A timely opportunity to measure my development and competency as a coach.
The 2-day mid-term workshop was packed with practice drills.ย I started the workshop feeling confident.
As the drills progressed, my confidence started to dip. I was called out for gaps in my listening and questioning techniques.
The foundational skills of a coach.
By the end of 2 days, it became clear I was not as competent as I had ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ of myself. I began to see I was not as good as I ๐จ๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐.
To realise I was ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐๐ struck me hard. Very hard.
A voice in my head questioned โ๐๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ, ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ค๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด? I had let myself down.
My mind space was completely clouded in doubts the following week.
I couldnโt coach. Neither did I want to.
That Friday, I presented my issue as a โ๐ค๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ตโ during a team practice session.
A peer coach asked โ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ (๐ฎ๐บ) ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด?โ
It came across as a redundant question.
โ๐ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅโ, I answered as a matter of fact.
Somehow, her question stayed in my mind that night.
Now, โ๐๐๐โ sets those expectations, I pondered.
I finally understood ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃย by the next morning.
In that instance, everything made sense!
It became clear my parentsโ expectations of me as a child had stayed with me. It has shaped my self-expectations to this day.
This new clarity showed me where my self-judgement came from.
It gave me control to change my narrative.
That I donโt have to prove my worth to anyone.
Not least, to ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ซ๐ค๐๐๐ย in my head.
This realisation changed my perspective about my self-doubts. I became less afraid and learned to appreciate that they exist for a reason. ๐
In my case, it was protecting me from the stress I experienced as a child from not meeting othersโ expectations.
I shifted from being deflated to gaining control of my negative self-narratives. ๐
Fast forward 4 months.
It was pleasing when a master coach commented last week that I had improved by leaps since the mid-term workshop.
๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐๐
Self-doubting is normal. Everyone experienced it at some point.
It doesnโt mean you are weak.
Recognise this voice is ๐ก๐ข๐ง you.ย โ
When ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ detach from it, you gain the power of control.
Our narratives give colour to our lives. ๐
When you understand yourself better, you start to give your best self to the people around you. ๐
PS: What ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ can you attach to your doubts? โฌ
