September 8, 2025

Your biggest performance boost is hiding here…

We all want to get better at what we do. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: your next level of performance probably lies beyond the very thing you’ve been avoiding.

What are you putting off that keeps you stuck? What excuse or ‘barrier’ do you use to rationalise that avoidance? “I can’t do xyz because of [barrier].”

Here’s the challenge:
• Shine a light on that barrier. Is it genuinely real, or just something that feels real to you?
• Ask others how they’d get past it. Would they go round it, climb over it, or drive straight through?
• Change your inner dialogue. Instead of “I can’t because of [barrier],” try “Despite the barrier, how can I…?”

I will make a little prediction… When you undress the barrier and see it for what it is, you will discover that regardless of how it manifests ‘out there’, it is a belief you hold ‘in here’ that is disempowering you.

Athletes deal with this by visualising success. You can too. Picture yourself on the other side of that barrier and notice how your energy shifts.

Look back from that future vantage point and see what you did to get there.

Hmmm…..

So, what’s the one thing you’ll stop avoiding this week?

My best wishes, Paul

Paul Matthews

CEO and Founder of People Alchemy

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