Strategies To Stop Holding Yourself Back

Dec 12, 2023 | Tip for a Terrific Tuesday

Today I want to talk to you about some strategies on how to stop holding yourself back. When I wrote my bestselling book on Dreams Without Goals or Nightmares, as you know, there are four questions you have to ask yourself whenever you’re thinking about a goal. My formula for success that has helped me and many of my other clients reach goals is W  to the fourth power. (W^4) You have to first ask yourself, what is your goal?

This is going to help you know why you want to achieve it. And when you really get focused on why you want to achieve it, the how will come.

The second question is, when is your timeframe? When do you want to accomplish this goal? And then what is holding you back?

Another question to think about is what is your strategy? 

But today we’re going talk about the last question, what is holding you back?

The answer to that question indicates the work you need to do. What I’ve learned from research is that the brain wants to do what you tell it to do. However, the brain cannot understand a negative thing. If you tell the brain, ‘Don’t think of a car, don’t think of a car, don’t think of a car,’ what are you thinking of right now? You are thinking about a car.

One of the things I want people to understand is that you have to be able to promote yourself to succeed. A lot of people think that is bragging which is considered a negative thing.

I don’t want you to think of bragging as negative. I want you to think about it as effective bragging, which can help you reach your goals by showing people your value.

Are you being held back because you never say good things about yourself?

Research shows that a lot of people feel very uncomfortable saying good things about themselves, especially women. That’s why I created The Bragg Factor®.

One of the elements of The Bragg Factor® is learning how to create a 30-second brag. Some people call it your elevator pitch, but this is when you can say something good about yourself in 30 seconds or less. You tell people what is your special sauce and what makes you unique.

As we move into the new year, I want you to write down three statements that define you and what is unique about you. If you are in a business, what problem do you solve?

Don’t think about bragging as bad, but know that effective bragging can help you to move from point A to point B. Tell yourself that not bragging holds you back, but effective bragging can help you move forward.

Again, the brain cannot comprehend a negative thing that you’re saying. If you are a skier and you are learning to ski, there are a lot of trees around. If you tell yourself, ‘Don’t hit the tree, don’t hit the tree’ then you’re more likely to hit a tree. That’s why when they teach you to ski, you’re taught to follow the snow so that you stay on track. That’s what we want to think about.

Don’t say bragging is bad, say effective bragging done the right way can help you show your value.

I hope that this information helps you to stop holding yourself back!

4 Tips To Network Like A Pro

Learn to network like a pro! When you're going to a networking event, a lot of people picture eating cheese and drinking a little wine or drinking a soda. But this is an important time when you are laying the foundation for long term business relationships. I often...

Prioritize Your Life: Create a New Version of Yourself

If you don't like the person that you are, then you have to start creating a new version of yourself. Remember, the world owes you nothing and if you are going to improve yourself, it's up to you. Follow the first step of the Bragg Factor® and start behaving like the...

How to Start Getting Comfortable with Self-Promotion

I think that bragging a little bit on yourself will give you confidence. You could start out not having confidence, but after bragging on your self, you'll gain a little confidence. This is why I tell people that they need to create what I call a Bragg Book about...

Beyoncé: The Power of Never Giving Up!

Like many of you, I watched the Grammys the other night and watched Beyoncé finally win Album of the Year. She had won many other Grammys in her life, but had never won Album of the Year. But she is known for her resilience, and she kept pushing forward. So, what...

How to Fake It Till You Make It

Hi, this is Dr. Bragg from the brag factor.com with a tip for a Terrific Tuesday. I think it is very important for you to behave as if. For instance, when my mother told me when I was in that chemistry class, you just act like this is the Winford Bragg show. So I had...

How to Reach Your Goals? A 90 Day Strategy

As we get ready in this new year, over the next 90 days, I want you to ask yourself 4 questions each day. What is my goal? What is the time frame to meet that goal? But most importantly, what's holding you back? When you think about what's holding you back, write down...

Positive Self Talk

Positive self talk is more important than you might realize. If you're struggling with reaching your goals, have you evaluated what you're saying to yourself? There is great value in self talk. When you get up in the morning, what are you saying to yourself? If you do...

Failing Forward: What We learn from failure

No one likes to fail. I know I don't. But there are some good things that we can learn from failure that will allow us to fail forward. In fact, successful people study their failures so that they can take what they learn from them to move forward. Because if we are...

United Way: Practice Gratitude, Be Happier, Healthier, and Live Longer

Last week I was honored to be the keynote speaker at Women United, which is part of United Way. They had a luncheon where they brought 800 women together. Women United is an organization that comes together to address the critical needs of women in our community. It...

How to come up with an idea for your dream business

Sometimes people have the best business idea that comes from their skill, from their hobbies or their passions, more so than something they were trained for. A young woman who came to see me in a workshop, and her hobby was graphic arts. She was training into...

What To Do When You Have An AHA Moment

In my new book, Dreams Without Goals Are Nightmares, I talk about "AHA moments." An "AHA moment" is when something you read in my book makes a mental light bulb go off, and suddenly you realize, how simple is that? I can do it too.In my book, I have a worksheet where...

What Does It Take To Have Good Relationships?

As we enter into the holiday season, I want you to take out your calendar and just like we write down our goals for our careers and other things at work, make sure that you put time on your calendar to spend time with your family and your friends. Holidays can be...

How to Eliminate Self-Doubt

Our past failures and disappointments can sometimes lead to self doubt. So today I want to share with you 5 tips to help you to reduce self doubt. First, I wanna refer you to a previous blog post where I discussed the importance of daily positive self talk. Secondly,...

Three Tips to Stop Fear and Anxiety

I want to share 3 tips that can help you to overcome a fear — something you are afraid of that causes you to be anxious. First, I want you to learn more about that fear. Why are you afraid? And you may find through learning more about it that your fear is unfounded...

Is Your VISION Clear? How Do You See Yourself?

You have a clear vision of your goals. You would never be able to accomplish your goals until your vision is clear. That's how a baseball player is able to hit a home run, because he can see the ball clearly. Until a player can see that ball clearly, he doesn't hit...

How to Train Your Brain and Have a Good Day!

I'm excited today to be at the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, talking about my new book, Dreams Without Goals Are Nightmares: How to Use the Bragg Factor to Reach Your Goals in Record Time. You know, it is important for you to reach your goals in record time to...

Constantly Acknowledge Your Wins

All of us have had setbacks and disappointments and some failures in our life. When we were a child, sometimes when we did things that weren’t right, they were met with great emotional intensity when we made an error or mistake, more so than some of our successes. As...

How to Finish Strong: Use the NIP Method

So, what is the tip today? Don't get frustrated when you have a roadblock. Just try to NIP it in the bud and use these 3 steps: N — Navigate the possibilities and see the big picture. I — Be inquisitive. Maybe look at the internet and research and see what else you...

Do you have a mentor or coach?

Do you have a mentor, or a coach? Have you ever wondered how you could maximize that relationship? Three things to remember - First, prepare before you meet with them. Read their book if they've written a book or review their website so that you have an understanding...

How to Solve Problems

I want to share with you something that happened to me in the office the other day. An elderly woman went in the bathroom, and when she left the bathroom, she locked the door. When another patient wanted to use the bathroom, she couldn't get in. My receptionist said,...