Hot flushed face. Sweaty palms. Shaky voice. Embarrassment.
We’ve all been there. Whether we did it to ourselves or someone else is to blame.
Isn’t it the worst?
We do everything in our power to avoid feeling embarrassed. Whether it’s making sure we are not the only one walking into the party alone or giving excuses as to why Susie Q is dressed the way she is.
Just thinking about being embarrassed for half a second makes my stomach churn.
But what if we could use embarrassment to our advantage?
When I was training for my very first half-marathon with Team In Training, I learned how embarrassment could actually become my friend instead of that dreadful nemesis.
I was committed to raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphomas Society so I asked for donations from all my friends and family to support me.
After sending out a ton of letters I realized there was no turning back. I was stuck! I had to follow through with my commitment; otherwise I was going to be completely embarrassed.
No matter how tuff training got I refused to give up. People had donated money to support me. My hands were tied. There was no way, no how I was going to be a quitter. I wanted to honor my word and of course their money!
By putting myself out there, to the point of embarrassment actually worked to my advantage. It kept me motivated. It kept me accountable. And procrastination was nowhere on the radar.
From this experience I learned a simple tool that keeps me accountable today.
Social accountability.
When I really want to achieve a goal, I will put myself out there every time. I will announce it to the world, even though it makes me want to throw up at first!
But hey, it works! It keeps me accountable.
Social accountability pushes me out of my comfort zone and soaring into great results.
I want to challenge you today friend.
What goal are you ready to achieve? You know the one that makes you a little queasy when you think about it.
I’d love to hear about it. Everyone who comments will be entered to WIN a special devotional book from Lysa TerKeurst, What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.
Journal with God: Write to God in your journal and tell him what you’re most afraid of when it comes to your goals and dreams.
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Linda Kuhar is a Certified Christian Life Coach, Board Certified Life Coach, Certified Human Behavior Consultant, Author, Speaker and Mentor. Click here to learn more about coaching with Linda & frequently asked questions about the experience.
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When we dare to put our REAL selves out there – the ones that can fail, be embarrassed – we allow others to feel ok with their REAL too.
I agree Lee. When we are REAL with each other we gain deeper connection which empowers us and therefore follow through on our goals as well.
I’m ready to get serious about making goals and give God my attention like He deserves. I’ve wasted so much time and haven’t accomplished much in His name.
That’s exciting Sharon! When we are ready to make a change things will happen.
My goal is to become a MK sales director this year!!
That’s awesome Melanie! I love Mary Kay!!
Social accountability also builds connection. We all need it. I have a three month goal and have had to build in multiple points of social accountability so I don’t quit. Failure is not an option!
Connection works, especially when working towards a goal. Isolation is the danger zone.
Thanks for this! I went to a meeting this morning to learn about a mentoring program I had signed up for. I hadn’t done this before but knew God had called me to it. We were asked to share a little about ourselves and what experiences we might bring. When it was my turn I became very nervous and my voice was shaky and I began to cry. It was like an out-of-body experience for me. Most of these other mentors I did not know and I felt embarrassed. I hate to cry in front of others and honestly I really don’t think that my past experiences are that bad or that helpful. Anyway, this was very encouraging for me. I had thought about giving up before I even started but I feel encouraged by this and am going to push through because this is what God wants me to do. Thank you! Sorry for the rambling… Hope this makes sense.
Cheri what a beautiful story!!! Thank you for sharing. It makes perfect sense. What God calls us to He will equip us to do. This warms my heart that you were encouraged by this today. There is no shame in tears. God created us with all kinds of emotions. I bet many people there were touched by you sharing your heart with them.