Thursday, November 7, 2024

The Power of Acceptance During Challenging Times: The HSP’s Path to Progressđź’–

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Hello Sdfsdf,

Have you ever found yourself striving for perfection as a way to try to control your nervous system and keep yourself from being sucked into visceral HSP overwhelm? I know I have. What if you could let go of the pressure to be perfect and allow acceptance, knowing that 'good enough' is precisely where you need to be right now? As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), you already possess the strengths to achieve more without the weight of perfectionism holding you back.

It's easy to fall into the trap of setting impossibly high standards for ourselves, which can lead to frustration, anxiety, and burnout. But what if I told you that breaking free from perfectionism and accepting where you are now as "good enough" could be the key to keeping your nervous system calm during challenging times?

Perfectionism is one of the 12 Highly Sensitive Shadows™. It often leads to either/or thinking, where we see things as all-or-nothing. As a result, we get stuck striving for unrealistic goals, or goals that don't even matter to us to try to please someone else, losing sight of what truly matters.

Let's start an important conversation about how shifting to a "both/and" mindset and embracing your journey as a work in progress can lead to deeper success—both in your personal and professional life - especially in those all too familiar moments when it feels like the world is swirling into chaos around you. Acceptance is not only the defined opposite of perfectionism, it's the alternative to the HSP tendency of avoidance.

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What's Happening with Heather

I'm sure I'm not the only HSP who is deeply feeling world tensions right now. Am I right? We are continuing to live through extraordinary times. I've often been asked, especially over the last 5 years, how do you keep it all going?

Well, there are 3 cornerstones 21 years in business as an HSP has taught me:

  1. Everything in my business and life is happening for me, not to me.
  2. I am the master of my nervous system.
  3. Taking even the smallest action vs. avoidance will always bring my nervous system back online.

So, yes, we feel things deeply as HSPs. Yet, as HSPs committed to empowerment through business and leadership, we know the power of nervous system retraining to be able to accept rather than avoid that deep feeling to wield it into clear, decisive action in service to greater impact. As Oprah Winfrey shares in her book, Build The Life You Want, "Optimism is the belief that things will turn out all right; hope makes no such assumption but is a conviction that one can act to make things better in some way." That is Highly Sensitive Leadership.

Today's HSP Business Tip: How To Allow In Acceptance

Perfectionism isn't just about high standards; it's an attempt to control and protect yourself from uncertainty. But in truth, nothing is certain. Perfectionism fools us into believing that if we just get it perfect we will be safe. Meanwhile, it creates more anxiety. By shifting from either/or thinking to both/and, you can break free from the HSP Shadow cycle of perfectionism.

Here's how you can work through it:

  1. Use the AUK Process: Begin with awareness (this is the "A" of A-U-K. You can learn more about the full process on this podcast). Acknowledge when you're caught in perfectionism and recognize its role in your behavior.
  2. Neutralize the Energy: Before it escalates into avoidance and procrastination, neutralize the pressure by placing your hand on your heart and giving yourself a gentle command: "Correct, neutral, now."
  3. Flip the Switch: Reframe your mindset from either/or to both/and thinking, allowing room for and accepting progress rather than perfection in service to being able to take even the smallest of next actions forward.

As part of the AUK Process, these steps are designed to rewire the perfectionistic tendencies hardwired into the HSP nervous system.

Give this a try…

Identify: What's one area in your business or personal life where perfectionism keeps you stuck?

Let Go: What's something you need to release to make room for progress?

Commit: For the next 7 days, take one small step each day. It could be as simple as starting that task you've been avoiding because it didn't feel perfect.

Business Miracles Members Making An Impact:

Nancy Smith

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I'll never forget the moment Nancy first joined our community. She had the drive and determination of a true leader, but like many of us, she carried the weight of perfectionism. She was launching into public speaking and coaching, but the fear of not being perfect was holding her back.

We worked closely together, and I watched her transformation unfold. In one of our sessions, she told me how perfectionism would take over after interviews. "I felt like I could have articulated my points more clearly, and then I'd start stressing and judging myself," she said.

Through our Self-Assessment process, Nancy learned to navigate those intense feelings of self-criticism. She said, "I welcomed the feeling of failure and imperfections, two emotions that used to feel like death. I realized that the only way to move through these emotions was to actually experience them."

That's when the fundamental shift happened. Not only did she sign a new 6-month client without lowering her rates, but she also felt a spark to get back into public speaking. Nancy's journey has been a beautiful example of what happens when you embrace your HSP strengths and let go of the need to be perfect.

Remember to embrace progress and celebrate growth rather than striving for perfection at every turn. Each step you take is a victory in itself. It's this approach that will keep you moving forward even through challenging times.

If you're ready to let go of perfectionism and master the art of acceptance to support you with being able to stay flexible and fluid through challenging times, I invite you to explore our Survive to Thrive Starter Kit. This kit is designed to help Highly Sensitive Entrepreneurs® (HSEs) and leaders like you stay balanced, unlock your full potential, and continue to create no matter what is happening in the world around you.

XO.

Heather


PS. Growth is a journey of transformation, not perfection. If you're ready to step into a new way of operating and break free from what no longer serves you, explore our Survive to Thrive Starter Training Kit. It's designed to help HSEs and leaders move forward more clearly, confidently, and efficiently even through challenging times. Visit Survive to Thrive to learn more and take the next step in your HSP business journey.

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