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...

How to Finish The Year Strong!!

As we move forward into a new year, I want you to reflect upon last year and take the time to analyze what you accomplished. Recognize those achievements and celebrate them. Don't spend any time feeling guilty about the things that you didn't accomplish, because...

Eliminate Excuses: Unlock Your Path to Success

Last week, I outlined seven steps to get past the things that are holding you back, and I said that this month, we are going to stop that madness. So today, we're going to talk about step one: making excuses. Let's commit to making no more excuses. Have you ever...

Are You Tired of Being Stuck?

Are you tired of Being Stuck? Do you understand Your Value? As another year comes to an end, leaders and other professionals who are committed to their continued growth are looking for effective ways to enhance their performance. As a Certified High Performance Coach,...

Start With What You Can Do For the Client

If you really want to have a successful business, when you enter into that business relationship, instead of focusing on what you can get from the customer, enter into it asking, “What can I do for you?” When you think about how you can serve your customer, serve your...

Achieve Your Goals With These (3) Simple Steps

I'd like to share my three simple steps on how you can achieve your goals. Don't get frustrated when you have a roadblock. Just try to NIP it in the bud, and use the 3 steps. N, navigate the possibilities, and see the big picture. I, be inquisitive. Maybe look at the...

It’s OK To BRAG

I'm sure that when you were growing up, like when I was growing up, people said that you shouldn't brag. Except Bragg is my father's name, and my maiden name, so my dad told us it was okay to brag. So we probably were the only household in the city where it was okay...

How to Unlock Your Potential: The Power of Being Intentional About Your Personal Growth

Today I want to talk about the value of being intentional about your personal growth and development. You know, oftentimes when we reach certain milestones, we feel like that gives us permission to stop learning. But we need to stay committed to learning and personal...

How to Handle Rejection?

Have you ever been rejected at work or in a relationship? I know I have. So how did you handle that rejection? I want you to understand this tip. So the next time you are rejected, you won't feel depressed, overwhelmed, or become very anxious. I want you to understand...

Access Your Goals: We’re at the Halfway Mark for 2022

Hi, this is Dr. Bragg from TheBraggFactor.com with a Tip for a Terrific Tuesday. As you all know, we're well past the halfway mark for the year. Take a look at your goals that you made at the beginning of the year and make sure that you're on track. If you're not, I...

Why You’re Not Reaching Your Goal

As you evaluate your goals for this year, I want you to look back at your goals for last year and see which ones were on your list that you didn't accomplish, and then do some self-reflection and ask why did you not accomplish him? I think that it may be because of a...

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...

How to Overcome Failures and Succeed: The Prune and Grow Strategy

Today I want to share how I overcome failures and succeed. I'm often asked, what do you do when things in your life don't work out? Well, one thing I've learned is that success is not permanent. Even though you may be successful in one part of your life there's always...

What to do when life gets you down

Often I may ask, what do you do when life just gets you down? Well, that happens to all of us. And what I have found, and what I coach others to do, is to step away from that situation for a while and give yourself a chance to have a fresh perspective. Sometimes it's...

Do You Have the Heart of a Leader like Harriet Tubman?

In celebration of Black History Month, we want to pay tribute to Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was a freed slave who went back and forth through the Underground Railroad over 19 times and freed 300 slaves. When we think about a leader, many times people ask, "What is...

Good Habits – The Key To Your Success

I'm excited that I have a new book coming out, Dreams Without Goals Are Nightmares. It's a guide to use the Bragg Factor to reach your goals in record time. One of the things that I teach in the book is about the power of habits — how your success is the product of...

The Power of Visualization

In my best selling book, Dreams Without Goals or Nightmares, I talk about the importance of visualizations and how visualization can help you to reach your goals. We know that well trained athletes use visualization all the time. Simone Biles has even said that she...

Why You Need to Grow Your Gift

I want to talk about the fourth step of the  Bragg Factor®. Step 1: Behave as if Step 2: Resist the urge to complain and quit Step 3: Accept no limitations Step 4: Grow your gift Step 5: Gratitude Today we're going talk about that fourth step, grow your gift. I think...

How to Unlock Self-Belief

Are you reaching your goals? What are you doing in the morning when you wake up? I've told you before that it's important to look in that mirror in the morning, to believe in the person that you see, and to tell that person that you can accomplish your goals. Write...

You Know How to Own Your Value with Authentic Confidence?

July 31, 2025 A lot of people think confidence comes from how loud you speak, how firm your handshake is, or how many degrees you have on your wall. But real confidence is about knowing your value and being able to communicate it with clarity, consistency, and...