Overwhelm can hit anyone at any time. Any person who has a dream or goal will experience it at some stage of their journey and, if your business is centred on creativity… it’s the quickest way of blocking that creativity.

So what exactly is overwhelm and, more to the point, how can you deal with it if you’re currently experiencing it?

Overwhelm is the rising panic and worry you experience when you’re feeling snowed under. It’s the thought of not knowing where to start when you look at your “To Do” list. It’s when you have lots of great ideas or project to work through; but feel as though you’re getting lost amongst, and drowning under, the weight… it’s when you don’t feel in control of yourself or your business and your creativity has run a way and is nowhere to be found.

Stop and give yourself time

When you’re experiencing these types of feeling, it’s important that you actually give yourself time to stop and assess the situation. Take time to find the facts – are you taking on too many tasks? Have you given yourself enough time to complete a project? What’s causing the stress behind the overwhelm?

Discover your belief patterns

Is it a feeling or thought that is causing overwhelm? Do you feel as though you’re not good enough? Do you believe you’re not capable of achieving the desired end result? Make a list of what you think and feel around the situation – then write a list of how you want to feel and think about it. Self belief and having confidence in your own abilities is a great slayer of overwhelm… and is great for reconnecting with your creativity.

Prioritise and take action

Finally, break down the tasks and projects you have and put them into manageable chunks. Prioritise them in order of importance and… take action! Keep your focus only on the immediate task at hand and take baby steps towards the end goal of completion.

First, you’ve got a split second to decide if they are one of those people who want the facts – what do you actually do, not the marketing babble about what you do for me; or actually will their interest wane the second you tell them you are a coach, consultant, accountant etc. Even worse, once you’ve decided which way to answer, perhaps the story comes out jumbled, apologetic or vague. The result, you lost your moment to make the impression you wanted to.

I was at an event the other day and someone asked me a great question – What are you about, what’s your thing? How fabulous, this gave me an invitation to talk about what I love – what you expect of yourself.

When you read pop psychology, inspirational quotes and the like, the views are mixed. It’s easy to find people who say ‘expect less and you won’t be disappointed’, ‘lower your expectations you’ll be happier’, ‘the route of all heartache is expectation’ etc etc. If you are away from motivated, ie you are driven by what you don’t want to happen or fear of something, then this may work for you to some extent. It isn’t a great way to achieve what you DO want though.

The mantra of many successful leaders and business people is quite the opposite. It is very much about expecting more of people, believing in their ability and expecting them to come up with the goods. Yes, sometimes you will be disappointed, more often you’ll be amazed at just how good they are. Rightly or wrongly, most people are influenced by what others expect of them and raise or lower their performance to meet that expectation.

This is also true for what we expect of ourselves, we live up or down to those expectations. The difference is, and this is key, we have total control over what we expect of ourselves. Yes, it might take a lot of conscious effort and some time to change our expectations but it is possible. We can also choose not to live our lives by other’s expectations of or for us.

While we have an infinite capacity for self-deception, why would you settle for less than you want, then spend your time trying to convince yourself that it’s OK? Next time this happens to you, stop & think for a minute – are you really ready to give up on this particular dream or aspiration?

Change your expectations:

1. Pay attention to what you are thinking and the results you get.
2. Be clear about what you do want and focus on that, not on what you don’t want.
3. Remember that you can’t control others expectations you can only surpass them.
4. You can think you way into success just as easily as thinking your way into failure.
5. Practice, practice, practice – and don’t wait for perfection!

For those who hate networking, ask yourself what you are expecting. Do you expect to get tongue tied or vague when asked what you do? Do you expect to find it difficult to meet interesting new people or even potential clients? Do you expect to see someone you know well and spend the meeting with them?  Most critically, do you get what you expect…..

Perhaps this is a good place to start changing your expectations, be clear about why you are going to the meeting, expect to meet interesting people, expect them to be interested in you and ask good questions – ones that encourage others to talk with passion.

So my thing ….. Expect more – of yourself and for yourself, you may just be surprised by your own brilliance!

If you liken this to your life, your dreams, or your business the same is true – except that experiences, expectations, and self-belief often conspire to restrict the size of your ocean. They may not even be your experiences and expectations, but those of the people who influence you, care about you and spend time with you.  Before you know it the vast oceans you saw as a small child have shrunk to a safe area by the beach, or worse a swimming pool.

What I mean is, we start out with great plans and great expectations for ourselves, but as things become difficult or doubts creep in we start to review our plan and create all sorts of obstacles and reasons why we can’t do something, or why it’s different for us. So eventually we settle for swimming in a smaller safe area.

There are three kinds of obstacle in my ocean:

1. The lighthouses
2. The currents along the way
3. The sharks

Lighthouses

These are material obstacles are that can make pursuing your dream practically difficult. They are things you can’t just plough through; you need to navigate around them.

They might include things like:

• Financial constraint
• Family commitments
• Your health or fitness
• Your current skills and knowledge
• Profile and contacts in your industry
• Access to your ideal clients

None of these are insurmountable if you work them into your plan. Remember lighthouses are there to illuminate the way, and keep you from crashing against the rocks. If you believe they are impossible to navigate round it might be your obstacles are sharks not lighthouses.

Currents

The second group of obstacles are the currents you run into on your voyage, the things that might throw you off track, or even worse drown you if you don’t take action to keep safe. These are things you hadn’t planned for, or expected to encounter, they change the horizon, even if temporarily.

The key to navigating the tides is in the way you react; your behaviour, your attitude, and, most of all, the action you take. We all perceive circumstances differently and that perception can make all the difference in how we ride the waves. Our responses, the energy and the passion (positive or negative) that we put into the situation, impacts on how those around us react too. Choose to interpret obstacles and events in a way that empowers and reinforces your path to success. This may be by navigating a different route, it may mean going back and learning how to navigate this particular current or it may mean maintaining focus and direction and riding out the storm. It doesn’t mean ignoring what’s happening and swimming against the waves as this will eventually exhaust you.

Again if you really can’t find a way to navigate the currents you should check they are not sharks.

Sharks

The sharks are the thinks that appear in your ocean, the beliefs, expectations and experiences that keep you close to the shore, in safe water – or your comfort zone. These are the most dangerous of obstacles because they are internal, somewhere in your subconscious. They stem from fear, a perception of lack, or your attitude and they can stop you from taking action all together.

Big fears include:

• Failure
• Success
• Ridicule
• Lack of money
• Not being good enough, etc.

A huge amount of energy and time is wasted worrying about the what-if’s, and because we overthink stuff, we imagine so many variants and different scenarios, we can finish up confused and paralysed. In other words afraid to go into the oceans in case the sharks get us. The only real way out of fear is to take action and move through the fear. Before you can do this you need to understand what, specifically, you are afraid of, where it comes from and what you are prepared to do to resolve it.

The good news is that by developing your Success Mindset you will identify this and tackle these obstacles. To learn more about Lynda Holt’s 7 Steps to a Success Mindset visit http://www.lyndaholt.co.uk  or get her latest book ‘Get Out Of Your Own Way – how to stop sabotaging your business and stand out in a crowded market’  available on Amazon