The other day I received my weekly newsletter from Rob Shore, an investment industry sales coach. His newsletters are always short, but inspiring, and this one was no different.
He spoke about anchors and how they can hold you back. What are anchors? Well, basically, the bits of information we hear and hold on to as truths that keep us from moving forward. For example, say you are unhappy in your current work situation and you want to switch careers. You tell your sister your plans and she says, “You have no experience in that industry. No one will hire you, you should just stay where you’re at. Besides, you’ve been there a long time, you have seniority and lots of vacation time. Why throw that away?”
You love your sister and believe she wants the best for you, so you decide not go for the new career. That’s your anchor. Your belief that your sister is right so you stay fixed where you are.
How does your sister know it won’t work out for you? Has she spoken to every industry hiring manager across the country? Does your sister know that some managers prefer to hire outside of their industry to spur innovation and creativity? Does she know that you have a ton of transferable skills that are relevant in any industry?
Probably not.
Anchors can be fear-inducing, life-sucking, paralyzing pieces of information. And let’s be clear about this, anchors have nothing to do with you or your abilities. These little tidbits of information are mostly fragmented opinions pieced together from multiple sources designed to shape your perception with one goal—to keep you in your place.
Anchors can be new ideas or deep-seated beliefs passed down from generation to generation. The fact is, anchors are supposed to weigh you down and keep you in one place. While there is nothing wrong with staying where you’re at and enjoying the beautiful cove you’ve found, don’t let someone else throw your anchor down in a place you aren’t in love with. Wind it up and keep moving. Your perfect cove is waiting.
Do you have any anchors weighing you down? If so, let me know.
