Now Available: Join The Bragg Factor Membership Portal for Exclusive Content, Live Sessions, and Member Resources.

Join Now

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!

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...

Control Your Mindset Like a Thermostat and Control Your Environment

It's time to learn how to control your mindset to control your environment. Sometimes when we don't feel good and don't feel happy, we want to blame others for how we feel. The truth is we have to control our own happiness. You know, you could either be a thermometer...

How To Overcome Your Fear?

I want to share three 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...

Let’s Work Together to Make America Safe

As Americans, we have always worked together to reduce public health problems. And now, gun violence has become a major public health problem. Since January 2022, there have been more than 233 mass shootings in America. It is time for us as Americans to unite and...

Why You Should Count Your Blessings

I want you to think during these holiday seasons, the importance of just counting your blessings. Sometimes we don't think that we have things to be grateful for. Earlier I was in the airport, and yes, I was complaining about the long security lines, and a lady...

Do you know what millionaires do every day?

Did you know what successful people do every day? Let me give you three tips. They wake up early every morning. Secondly, they read a lot. Research says they read about 30 minutes every day. Warren Buffet, a self-made billionaire says that reading has been the most...

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...

What you think about yourself matter

Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." This is true. Whether you achieve your goals or whether you don't achieve them all comes down to whether you believe in yourself. The Bragg Factor teaches you how to own and...

Think Like Lebron James – 5 Keys To A Winning Mindset 

Let's talk about what it takes to have a winning mindset. We can learn a lot from a basketball game if we apply the principles to our life. Recently, I was watching LeBron James as he and the Lakers played the Clippers. It was in the 4th quarter and the Lakers were...

Set Confidence Targets

Sometimes to develop your self-confidence you have to set potential confidence targets. A confidence target might be starting a task or project that you've been putting off for a long time. Often we put off starting an important task because they seem overwhelming....

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...

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 want maximum confidence?

You know, we’re living in difficult times, and when you hear the news, read the paper, read a magazine, we hear nothing but painful, awful things. And so it makes us feel gloomy. It makes us feel like there is no good. And as a result, I want to encourage you to...

What is your purpose? Learn from Jalen Hurts

Henry Ford once said, there is no failure except failure to serve one's purpose. Jalen Hurts, the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles once said that he had his purpose well before others had their opinion that he could not be a starting quarterback in the...

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 Spend Time On What Matters

I want you to think about how we spend our time on the things that really matter in the course of a day. We can't do everything. Here are some tips that you want to think about.   1. You want to first think about not comparing yourself to others. When we spend...

Stepping Into Discomfort Increases Confidence

Self Confidence can diminish over time if you don't practice your skills or if you hit setbacks. As you become more confident you should continue to practice your skills to maintain and boost your confidence further. Set yourself confidence targets that require you to...

It’s March Madness — Defeat Self-Doubt and Triumph in Life’s Tournament

It's March Madness this month, and we want to get mad about the things in our life and get rid of those things that have been holding us back. Let's follow seven steps and get rid of seven things this month that have been holding us back. M - Making Excuses Let's stop...

You must unleash the power of goal setting

Before you can fully unleash the power of goal setting you must write down your goals and be clear of where you are now and where you want to go. Take time to jot down what's holding you back. But it is equally important that you decide what you want and understand...

Prayers for the University of Virginia Football Players Families

Today, I'm sending my condolences and prayers to the families of the three University Virginia football players who were killed in a shooting on Sunday night. I'm also sending prayers that the two other students who were injured will recover fully. Our thoughts and...