Rooting For Growth with Fiona DaCosta

Whether you are just starting off on your personal growth journey, or you are already situated on a path of recurring and intentional growth – you may come across “buts” in your daily life.

As common as they are, as conjunctions in your speech and writing – “buts” have uncommon forces when paired with your goals, aspirations and growth.

It is the type of word that can kill your dreams before they are born. It is the type of word that not only makes you doubt your ideas but also doubt yourself.

Of a fact, it is useful where sentence structuring is concerned. However, when used as a power word especially in limiting your growth – it nullifies and renders your capabilities useless.

Therefore, “buts” are sabotaging and you need to learn how to stop boosting your buts now.

Practice Positive Self Talk

A part of positive self talk is knowing your worth. Understand that you are enough and deserve good things, including your goals and growth.

When your mindset takes that shift you become more positive with yourself and capitalize on the potential of your personal growth. Following this, you become better suited to practice positive self talk daily.

In essence, you are your cheerleader. Every positive affirmation is spoken by you, to you. If you have projects to work on, people to meet with, goals to accomplish or just a day to get through – your positive self talk fuels you to hone your worth and do those things well.

A major part of practicing positive self talk is believing the wonderful things you tell yourself. Knowing you are worth it, coupled with the belief in the positive things you tell yourself, makes you powerful.

As a result, “buts” seldom interfere with your growth. As soon as you begin to think big, dream big and curate big ambitions – you will know for a fact that they are possible and you deserve them. Any limitations that arise, may be external factors outside your control. Not “buts” in their limiting capacity – dampening your self talk and growth.

Believe In and Validate Your Ideas

On many occasions, there are excited persons who express their ideas to others, only to have them shredded to pieces. Sometimes, the people you tell your ideas are not deliberate at doubting you nor the ideas.

However it happens and you feel crumbled. This may result from their very own limitations on self and even the possibility of you attaining such massive heights. Sometimes too, their doubt is as a result of fear or ignorance.

In believing in and validating your ideas, they become robust to withstand the limits and fears of others.

Your “buts” can easily surface in your mind and conversations if you are not validating your ideas. They become penetrable and fickle, form the viewpoint of others, then ultimately from yours.

Ensure the ideas you come up with are ideas you love, that compliment your values, growth journey and you will stick up for them at all costs.

This doesn’t mean you will become tone deaf to the constructive criticisms of those you seek advise from. As a matter of fact, sometimes it is in your best interest to hear from others you trust or who have expertise in a particular area.

That way, you get needed insights and direction to go to the next level.

Notwithstanding, once your ideas are passions of yours and your intuition and guts keep you hinged to them – then by all means, believe in and validate them. After all, there must be a reason you thought of them in the first place.

Do Your Research

Surely, being uninformed can contribute to feelings of doubt and give rise to many “buts”.

You may want to start an online business “but” you do not know how to. You may want to enroll at a university “but” you do not know the procedures.

Resultantly, the next step is blocked. Not knowing is not the enemy here. Not seeking to find out is.

Essentially, when you do your research you become empowered with knowledge. This in turn allows you to take the next and necessary steps based on what you found out.

Resultantly, you limit your “buts” where knowledge is concerned. You become equipped, more confident and charged.

Without even realizing it, you open doors of knowledge for others. Think about it, how many times have you turned to someone else to expound on a topic or area of lacking for you? How did you feel when you got answers you sought?

You too, can be that source of enlightenment for others. Two “buts” out the window!

Listen More

Additionally, through listening you may get information that you would not have otherwise received. Interjecting with “buts” doesn’t always mean you have value to add. Sometimes you are on the defensive end or simply being defiant.

Take time to practice active listening. Ask questions or make recommendations from what you have heard and assessed. That way, you learn more and you consciously practice self control where conversations are concerned.

Likewise, listening gives you an opportunity to flush your mind of preconceived notions that may be holding you back on your growth journey. Instead of holding on to the notions that do not serve you, apply the insights you garner from listening.

Sometimes, it is after reflecting that you really get the gist of what was being said. While it may not be too late to apply the lessons, it may have been better – applied earlier.

All in all, you are the very last person who should consider limiting yourself. While but is a common word, avoid making it a common belief when it comes on to your potential. Incorporate positive and growth enhancing words and actions on your growth journey.

You’d be surprised how significantly impactful limiting your “buts” can be. Don’t let the “buts” limit you.