Ep #35: Thinking Into Possibility

You are listening to The Life Coach Business Podcast, episode number 35.

Welcome to The Life Coach Business Podcast, a show for coaches who are ready to up-level their business and take their impact, leadership, and results to a whole new level. If you’re ready to start taking powerful action and become the leader your business needs in order to grow and thrive, this show is for you. I’m your host, Amanda Karlstad, certified life and business coach, and entrepreneurial leadership expert. Now, let’s get down to business.

Hey, everyone. I hope you are well. I hope you are safe and healthy and I hope that your loved ones are safe and healthy too. So, I wanted to take a minute before diving into this week’s episode to talk for a minute about the tragic events that have happened and that continue to happen in our country.

And I want to first start off by saying that I am incredibly heartbroken over what has happened. I have been incredibly heartbroken over George Floyd’s murder and I’m heartbroken over the countless others that have come before him. And I want to unequivocally say that Black Lives Matter.

And so, over these past couple of weeks, I have been grieving. I have been doing a lot of reflecting and I’ve been trying to process what has happened and what is happening. And I will share that through that process, I have found that it’s been important for me to listen and to start educating myself and learning ways that I can contribute to positive change, both as an entrepreneur, but also as an individual.

And I want you to know that for me, this is about being the best human that I can be. It’s about becoming an even better human for my community, for my family, for my clients, for the impact that I am making, for everyone.

And so, with that, I realize that this process is going to be a journey. It’s going to require education. It’s going to require time. But through that process, I’m committed to creating a space where everyone in my community feels safe.

I’m committed to being a student and learning and opening myself up to what I don’t know. I’m committed to growing through this and also supporting my community in any way that I can. And I want you to know that I’m committed to living in integrity with myself and encouraging those around me to do the same.

And most of all, I am more committed now, more than ever, to my mission, to my real work in this world, which is helping others step into and to fulfill their true potential. And I help them do this through the vehicle of entrepreneurship.

And so, my mission, my goal with my work is to help my clients, now more than ever, grow and expand their businesses ad their brands so that they can create real and positive impact through their businesses and create real financial wealth and ultimately create a positive ripple effect in their own lives, which then becomes a positive ripple effect in their community and in their families.

So, my mission is and will continue to be helping my clients to greatly transform their lives and also their businesses through the vehicle of entrepreneurship, through cultivating a winning mindset, through implementing both smart and intelligent strategies in their business, through building, growing, and scaling successful and sustainable businesses, real businesses that can allow them to make an even larger impact in their communities and in their families.

And so, I want you to know that I recorded this episode previously to the tragic events that have unfolded, but I wanted to release the episode this week as I feel very strongly about the message, which is thinking into possibility.

And so, with that, I invite you, no matter where you are in the world, to listen to this week’s episode and to consider the possibilities for yourself, consider the possibilities you have in front of you, consider the possibilities that you have in terms of your own impact. And know that I’m sending you, I’m sending your families, and I’m sending your communities love.

I hope this episode serves you. Let’s get to it.

So today, we’re going to talk about thinking into possibility. And I want to talk about what that means to me and what I think that means to you as a business owner, and to the overall success of your business. And it’s something that I think is really important if you are growing a business.

And I’m really looking forward to bringing the conversation to you today because when I take a step back and I really look at what my overall purpose is with my work, when I really unpack everything that I do and I get to the real core level of what that is, it really is all about helping others fully see and fully step into their full potential.

So, my work really is all about human potential. And so, I am hugely passionate about this topic. And it’s a term that I created to really encompass what a big part of this process is. Which is being able to think into possibility. And so, I’m coming at this from the lens of being able to think into the possibility of your business and think into the possibility of your life.

And one of the reasons that I’m so passionate about it is because I think, for the vast majority of us, and really the vast majority of our society, I do believe that we’re actually taught the opposite. So, we’re taught in so many ways to not get too big for our birches, so to speak. We’re taught not to dream big.

And when I look back, that’s definitely been part of my own story, my own journey to today. And so, I love being able to work with coaches and other entrepreneurs on this, on stepping into their potential through the vehicle of entrepreneurship. And one of the ways we do that is through building, growing, and scaling a business so that we can create real wealth, so that we can make a big impact, and so that we can create lasting transformations both in business and in life.

And so, one of the things that I love most is empowering clients to break through limitations, to break through the conditioned ways of thinking that for most of us are so strong, that really do influence the overall levels of success that we have in our business. So, I do a lot of work around not only the conscious level, but also on a subconscious level and really working to shift the paradigms that help us to create real and lasting change so that we can become leaders our businesses really need us to be.

And I do this in a number of ways. But at the base of this is, in order to grow a business, we have to first grow the leader of that business. And I firmly believe that any business growth, the results that you have in your business is in direct correlation to your own level of growth as the business owner, to your own growth as the leader of your business, even if you’re a solopreneur.

So, I love working with clients through this vehicle of entrepreneurship because I truly believe that is where we all have the ability to make real impact and real positive change in the world. And what I will say about all of this is that that in and of itself has been the result of me thinking into what is possible for myself and for my own business.

And this has been the direct result of me believing what is possible. And I truly believe the growth that I’ve had in my business is in direct correlation to me thinking big, to me believing what is possible for me and possible for my business.

But here’s the thing about possibility. So, the vast majority of us, the vast majority of our society as a whole, no matter where you grew up, most people are not taught how to really think big. We’re not taught how to think into possibility.

And instead, our society is mostly set up for us to actually think the opposite. And here’s what I mean by that. Most people do not grow up in an environment where they’re taught to think big, where they’re taught on how to truly think into possibility.

Yet the funny part is, when you look at a child, it’s actually part of our natural state. So, for example, when you look at a young child before the age of eight, as humans, as children, the fact of the matter is that we’re essentially living in a state of consciousness where we’re using our imaginations most of the time. So, this is why in those early years, why children have such strong imaginations.

And when I look at both of my kids, who are both under the age of eight, it’s fun to watch their strong imaginations. It’s fun to see where they spend the majority of their time, whether they’re playing or doing an activity, when I really stop and listen, it’s really all the conversations are coming from their imagination.

And so, what happens is, at that age, our subconscious is essentially wide open. And so, we take in everything within our environment and we then use that to then create our world as we move forward. So, this is one of the really fascinating things that I love to watch.

And what happens is, as we start to get older and we start to mature and move into our teens and we start moving into early adulthood and we start making decisions and we start operating more as an adult, all of those decisions and all of those things that we’re doing are based on that conditioning. They’re based on our environments that, in a lot of cases, aren’t supporting us to be thinking in terms of possibility.

And instead, what happens is, we tend to base our thinking on the belief systems of our parents, for instance, of our family, of the people that were around us, the people that took care of us. And for most of us, that means that we’re never really challenged or taught to see others in our lives that really help us learn this skill or show us how to really truly stretch our minds or think into possibility.

So, even though I believe that, as a society, we are waking up, I do believe that the vast majority still is unaware, is really operating from a belief system that literally has been passed down from their parents, who quite honestly learned it from there parents and it’s really become a generational thing.

So, what does this all mean? What this means is that for most people, for most of our society, we only think as far as we’ve been conditioned to think. And for a lot of us, that’s meant maybe going to college, getting good grades, graduating, getting a good job, saving for retirement. And for a lot of us, if we’ve done that, then we’ve, in a lot of ways, we’ve made it, right? That’s kind of the ultimate goal.

And what I will say is, while there’s nothing wrong with that – and in many cases, probably, if you’re listening to this podcast, and for myself and my clients, that’s where many of us started. We went to college, we got the grades, we climbed the corporate ladder. We were responsible in our lives and we never really questioned any of it. It was kind of what we were supposed to do.

Yet now, we’re in this process of building and growing a business and realizing that, in order to do that, it essentially requires that we question all of it. And so, that’s what I’m talking about here. This is what I think is important to recognize because what I believe is so powerful is the fact that there truly is infinite possibility available to all of us.

I believe that there is so much more available to us beyond the levels of how we’re conditioned to think. There’s so much more available to us that’s possible beyond what we might even consider. And so, in order to create a business to that level, we have to learn how to think and tap into that possibility.

And I believe that it’s absolutely key to this process and it’s absolutely key if you want to have big results in your business. And so, in order to do that, one of the things that I love most about it is that it requires a profound level, a profound skill of emotional management to be able to think big and have big dreams in your life, to really be able to think into possibility.

And I believe that, as coaches and entrepreneurs building a business, I believe that this journey is a spiritual one and it’s a spiritual journey because it requires a tremendous amount of personal evolution. And the reason it requires such an extreme amount of personal evolution is because who we are at the start of this process is not the same version of ourselves that grows their business to a high level.

So, the version of me that built my business to six figures is not the same version of me that is building my business to a million. And I think this is really, really important to recognize and it’s an essential part of the process. And we’ve been given such a gift to have the opportunity to build a business where we can do work that we love, where we can create financial abundance, where we can make a huge impact in the world with our work. It’s truly a gift and it’s one that I know I don’t take lightly.

So, in and of itself, being an entrepreneur is being in a position where we have the ability to create, where we have the opportunity to think bigger for ourselves, to think bigger about our missions is such a gift and it’s something that I love helping my clients do. And so, the reality is that thinking into possibility and believing into possibility will take work. And it will require a lot of intentional thinking.

And for most people, when they start to stretch their thinking beyond the, quote unquote, norms of society, when we start to really challenge those old belief systems, our brains immediately start to offer us all sorts of narratives and all sorts of stories and things that essentially if we listen to them will keep us stuck, they’ll keep us in that status quo.

And that keeps us at a certain level in our lives and in our businesses. And the reason for that is because our brains like certainty. Our brain’s number one job is to keep us safe. So, when we do start to challenge and when we do start to stretch our thinking beyond what we might currently believe is possible for us right now, our brains will immediately try to pull us back into our comfort zone.

It’s going to try to immediately keep us in a place where it feels safe, where it feels known. And this is why there’s a real skill that’s involved, a real skill that we have to develop in order to be able to think into possibility.

So, I want to break this down a bit more because I think it’s important to understand what’s happening with all of this from a cognitive level. So, one of the things that I work with clients on right away, one of the first things we get to work on is getting them clarity. That is so, so important; clarity in their business and clarity in their life.

And I’ve talked about this in several different episodes about the power of clarity and having that in your life, in your business, and the impact and the importance of having this, if you’re growing a business. And I’ve talked about it in a number of different ways.

And the reason I’ve talked about it so much is because I see such a lack of clarity and it becomes such a roadblock to newer entrepreneurs. And in so many cases, even entrepreneurs that have had some levels of success, there can also be a lack of clarity once you reach a certain level in your business.

So, it’s something that I believe you have to be continually evaluating, you have to continually be cultivating in your own business. And it’s an absolute must. And I don’t think – in fact, I don’t believe that you can build your business to a significant level without it. So, it’s really that important.

And so, what tends to happen through this process, as we develop more and more clarity and we really start to build the foundation for where we’re going, which does require us to think more seriously about what is possible, in most cases, the brain will immediately seize and go into uncertainty. And it goes into uncertainty because what we’re creating doesn’t currently exist. It’s literally unknown to the brain.

And the brain doesn’t like that. So then, what happens is the brain starts to go into almost overdrive and it offers us reasons, it offers us thoughts and essentially starts arguing with us and goes against what it is that we’re thinking that doesn’t fall in line with what is known.

So, this is why, for most newer entrepreneurs, for most coaches that are trying to build their business to their first six figures, this is why in almost every single case it’s an excruciating process. And it’s because in order to do that, it literally requires forming a new and reforming your identity. And it’s an identity shift that you must go through in order to build your business to that level.

And that is because you’re creating something that doesn’t exist yet. You’re creating an entirely new business from something that doesn’t exist. And I’ve talked about this in depth before. In fact, this was actually the first podcast I did and I highly recommend, if you haven’t listened to it, that you go back and listen to it. It’s all about the identity shift that we have to go through.

And so, when we’re creating this new identity from the future, from a place that doesn’t exist yet in the physical form, when we start challenging our current identity and we start challenging what we’ve always known, immediately our brain goes into uncertainty. And so, the reality of this is that for every one of us, we’ve created these identities of ourselves that have created the current levels of results that we have in our lives.

So, as we venture out and as we step into entrepreneurship and we move into new and bigger levels in our business, what happens is, our perceived security is threatened. And the reason for this is because when we can operate from the past and what we know to be certain, our brain likes it. Our brain likes to operate from certainty.

So, as we start to challenge this current identity, as we start to challenge what is possible beyond what we currently know, our brain gets very nervous. And what happens then, that nervousness then creates all sorts of stresses. And that usually comes in the form of disempowering thoughts and disempowering narratives and stories that, in a lot of cases, we know intellectually aren’t true, but they still feel true to us. They feel like actual facts in our lives, but they’re not.

So, it’s important to recognize this and I know so many of you can relate to this. and I know so many of you are in this process right now. And so, for those of you that are in this process right now, I want to encourage you. I want you to understand from a cognitive level that this is what’s happening. And I want you to know that this is just part of the process.

And so, here’s why thinking into possibility, thinking big in your life and in your business, why I believe this process is so important. Because thinking into possibility is going to require that you think and you evolve into a much higher version and level of yourself. It’s going to ask more of you. It’s going to require more of you.

But that’s also the beauty of the journey with all of this. It’s the becoming of the real you. And I know, for me, this is one of the best parts that I have learned in growing my business, that this becoming process, this shift into these next levels of myself and becoming this higher version of myself, it’s one of the best parts of this. and I will say, it’s the same for all of my clients.

So, I want to encourage all of you to not shy away from this. I want to encourage all of you to be open to this process and I want to encourage you to start thinking into more and more possibility for yourself and for your business and start to believe what could be possible for you.

And here are some recommendations I have on how to start doing this. I recommend that, number one, you start thinking big about your future. I recommend that you start thinking big about the future of your business and also your life.

And I want to be clear that I’m not saying this in a way where we’re lost in fantasy land and there’s really no belief about what’s possible. But this is really getting serious about, “What could be possible for me?” despite the evidence that we might have about what’s possible. This is truly thinking big and starting to practice the actual belief in it.

Practice feeling into that result now and practice acting on the things right now that will lead you to that overall result. And so, I want to give you some questions that you can ask yourself right now to help you get started with this.

So, first off, I want you to think about that result. I want you to think about that big vision that you do have. And I want you to ask yourself how it would feel to accomplish that, to bring that big vision to life. And it’s really important to feel into that.

And once you know that, I want you to then ask yourself, how would you be acting from that place, from that place of already having done that big thing, whatever that is for you? So, ask yourself, if there was no question to you being able to achieve what it is you really want to accomplish, how would you behave right now?

And really think through this. I really encourage you to get specific. And one thing I want you to recognize and one way you can start to know that you’re on track with this is that you start to become less concerned about the little things.

So, for example, you become less concerned when perhaps your Facebook ads or maybe an event you’re doing or maybe a webinar you’ve done, or whatever it is, that didn’t produce or you didn’t get the results that you wanted, it’s not as big of a deal, essentially. And what happen is, is you also start to become less in a hurry, meaning you’re not questioning whether or not things are going to work out or whether or not you’ll be successful.

It’s this knowing when you just know that you will. That’s when you really start to believe. And what happens is, once you’ve practiced, this, once you develop this in your own level of thought and you create these new neural pathways, when you start to truly think into possibility and believe in the possibility for you, a really interesting thing happens.

What happens is, you start to feel so much more confident in what you’re doing, and you require less validation and you stop spinning in confusion and you stop treading water, so to speak. And instead, you focus on building your foundation. You focus on the things that are most important to your business, the things that will actually move the needle in your business.

And once you start to develop the belief, that becomes the bedrock of all of that. And your brain, as you spend more and more time thinking into that possibility and believing it’s possible for you, your brain starts to calm down. And over time, it’s going to stop sending warning signs and start showing you evidence of the possibility. It will start to show you evidence of this becoming truth in your life.

So, I want to leave you with this. there is so much available to us, my friends. I really invite you to do this work. I invite you to start thinking into possibility for yourself, into possibility for your business, and practicing your belief in this future possibility.

Because the truth of the matter is, whatever it is we’re creating in our minds will be what we create in our reality. It’s a natural law of the universe. What we think about will come about. So, I invite you to create your future by deeply thinking into your own possibility this week.

Alright, my friends, have a beautiful week. I’ll talk to you all again next week. Take care, bye-bye.

Hey, before you go, I have something amazing I want to share with you. To celebrate the launch of the show, I’m going to be giving away three free VIP Strategy Sessions where I’ll be diving deep into your business and helping you put a strategy in place for the next 90 days, so you have a real game plan on how to create results in your business, and finally gain momentum.

I’m going to be giving away one free VIP Strategy Session, the same VIP Strategy Session I offer to all of my highest-level clients, to three lucky listeners who subscribe, rate, and review this show on Apple Podcasts. Visit amandakarlstadcoaching.com/podcastlaunch to learn more about the contest and how to enter. I’ll be announcing the winners on the show in an upcoming episode. Thanks so much.

Thank you for listening to this episode of The Life Coach Business Podcast. If you want to learn more about how to build, grow and scale your business and accelerate your results, visit amandakarlstadcoaching.com.