The will and the won't

Hi friends,

This is step two on the road to making changes in your life. I am sure that by now, you would have all realised that these steps can be adapted to make any kind of change and not just in communication skills.

Step two is to believe that you can make the change.
Often in many of my sessions I get at least one person, who has all the prerequisites to making the change, but somehow does not. The one simple reason is the lack of this belief.

There are two sides to this coin.
If you believe you can then you will.
If you believe you cannot then you won't.
It is just this simple.

You might say 'Gayatri, this seems something that no one can change. After all it takes a long time to change such belief.'

Yes, you are right.

However, there is a way out of this seemingly impossible situation.
Follow the British... divide and rule.

No..no..no.. this is not a lesson in history. Divide and rule may not have worked for the British in the long run, but it can work well for us in developing a positive belief about our abilities.


Imagine this: if you tell a child that you need to walk so many million steps in your life and that you better be prepared to walk through flooded streets and hot pavements; how many children do you think would ever walk with that kind of pressure?
How do children learn to walk? By taking one step after another.

The trick is not to look at the big picture of improvement, but just look at the next step. You do not have to even consider the long term view. You don't even have to consider whether you want to become a good speaker. All you have to do is to look at the next step and believe that you can do it.

Most often, if you are in a classroom, it just means that you believe that you can follow the instructions given to you, step by step. When you are working on your own, use the divide and rule policy.
If your ultimate goal is to address your board of directors, tell yourself this: I am going to practice speaking clearly; NOT: I am going to give a presentation to the Board of Directors in the next two years. Once you have practiced speaking clearly, you can practice handling questions or whatever is the next big thing on your list.

It is just that simple.

See you in a week in these pages.

Gayatri