Courage Builder: Most Likely Self
By Jacey Eckhart
I wanna quit. When I am standing on the brink of the Next Door Project that is COMING SOON, I don’t wanna do it. I wanna quit. I wanna climb back under the covers with some Graeter’s mint chocolate chip ice cream and use the word “wanna” a lot until the Next Door Project goes away.
Which is the problem with Next Door Projects. They are COMING SOON for you and they don’t usually care whether they are welcome or not.
If you find yourself in bed with the ice cream, let that be a sign unto you that you need to build up some courage. One of the best ways to do this is to remember your Most Likely Self. This is your best self, your rockin’ self, the self that is most likely to get the Next Door to open.
Annnnnd it is also the self you probably lost the minute you entered the long, dark hallway between where you used to be and where you are going. This is usually due to the dim lighting the Dogs of Despair installed when you were not looking.
That’s okay. To gather your courage, I put together my Most Likely worksheet for you. Give this one a try:
1. At work. Think of a time where you were doing something at work and then scribble down some words that describe it in the box marked “I am my Most Likely Self when I am this…”For example, at work I am my Most Likely Self when I am thinking on my feet, sharing new ideas, and pursuing the next thing.
2. At home. Next, think of a time where you were doing something in your home life that made you feel like you were firing on all cylinders. For example, I’m my Most Likely Self at home when I am empathetic and organized and I can see the big picture.
3. Now stop. Read the list. Enjoy it. Feel your courage build. You have been these things in the past. You are these things now. You can be that best self in the future. Feel free to add any other Mostly Likely things to your list.
4. Then turn it around. In the box next to your Mostly Likely Self list, write the opposite of each of those things under the heading “Not this.” For example, I might write this:
I am my Most Likely Self when I am thinking on my feet, not hiding in the bed.
I am my Most Likely Self when I am sharing good ideas, not agonizing over thinking up perfect or totally unique ideas and putting out nothing.
I am my Most Likely Self when I am empathetic, but not swamped by everyone else’s feelings.
Seeing your Most Likely Self contrasted with your Least Likely Self makes it so much easier to do things that move you forward AND to recognize the stuff that is holding you back. Try this easy worksheet and hang it where your Most Likely Self will see it every morning to give you the courage you need to pursue your Next Door.
