Healthy Ego Work: Edit Your Beliefs

Whenever you think about the proverbial mountain you want to climb, what assumptions run through your head?

What messy beliefs keeps getting in your way?

I don’t fit the classic profile of a [leader].

Getting noticed is just harder for people like me.

I can’t afford to mess up.  

The process of editing these kinds of thoughts and beliefs starts simply.

Step 1: Choose one and write it down.

Step 2: Ask yourself: 

• How does this belief make me feel?

• Can I name the emotion?

*If you want some help naming the emotion, this EQ resource is really useful. 

Step 3: If you can name the emotion, ask yourself:

• If I stay in [emotion], what am I even more inclined to believe about myself?

Step 4: If you find that the emotion-belief cycle is undermining your ego, ask yourself:

• What would I rather believe about myself?

• If that belief were powerful enough to support me and my people, what would it sound like?

Step 5: Once you hear a new belief come through, write it down and ask yourself: 

• Am I willing to practice this new belief?

Step 6: Recite* the new belief several times each day and notice what new experiences and relationships become available to you as a result.

*Recitation can be done out loud or in your mind. You can do it in the shower, in the car, or on a short walk. What matters is that YOU can hear it.

COACH’S NOTE: If this process feels awkward at first, that is normal. Stick with it as best you can. The more you repeat it, the easier it becomes, and the faster it can reset your ego for coherent and impactful leadership.