[00:00:00] Dr. Nate Salah
Nate, hello, my friend, and welcome to this episode of A Call to Leadership. I'm Dr. Nate Salah, your host, I'm so glad you are here on this episode of the program. We're gonna dive into an area of our leadership journey that has to do with you, your DNA, your beliefs about yourself, and your identity, man, I was recently asked what causes me to have a scarcity mindset. And I was kind of taken aback by that. I was texted that question mark, and the first thing that came to my mind was, what scarcity mindset? I thought I had an abundance mindset that then I started to ask myself, Nate, do you have a scarcity mindset? Do you have self-limiting beliefs?
[00:00:47]
That was really my question. It's a question that we should all ask ourselves and begin to unpack it in the journey toward our personal our professional growth. You know, our mindset, it's such a powerful force, it can either propel us forward or it can hold us back. We were felt like something inside of you was preventing you from reaching your full potential. Well, friend, you're not alone. Many of us, including myself, carry these limiting beliefs. Carry this scarcity mindset, and it makes a difference. It has a significant impact in our lives, but we must understand and overcome these barriers, because for anyone wanting to strive to lead a fulfilling and impactful life, we really need to explore what these limiting beliefs are, and they are these internal convictions that what they do is they constrain our abilities, they constrain our potential, they constrain our actions.
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And they come from the past, mostly societal norms, experiences, insecurities we face. Think about a a moment in your life when you doubted your abilities. Maybe you thought you weren't good enough, you weren't smart enough, you weren't deserving enough. Well, these are the thoughts that undergird this idea of limiting beliefs. You know, a fear of failure is such a big part of this journey for us when we're limited. You know, have you ever avoided trying something new just because you are afraid of feeling maybe you had an idea for some kind of a project or a business, but you decided against it because you feared it just wasn't going to succeed. Maybe you've had a fear of just getting out of bed. You know, there's all kinds of fears we have in life. They stifle us, they stifle our growth.
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They stifle our progress. Truth is, friend. It's natural. It's perfectly natural to feel afraid of failure. Many of us do. I do, but remember, failure is a part of the learning process. If you've watched the program or listened to the podcast, you'll have heard me say failure is not final. It's feedback. It's only final when we give up. So don't give up. Embrace it. Learn from it. You are capable of overcoming these challenges. Each failure brings you one step closer to success. You say, Nate, don't patronize me. I'm not you have to believe in your resilience. You have to believe in your ability to grow. That is an essential of the journey of expanding beyond your limiting beliefs, beyond mine. And I tell you what, I have failed so many times. And you know, it's not the failure that makes you successful, it's continuing to get back up. You've heard this, you know this. It's not a cliche. It's true. The one who is ultimately successful is the one who tries just one more time.
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You find it within yourself. You find it within your resilience, and you find it because you know the reason why you know why you're doing it. It has to be within you, because the cause is worthy. Is your cause worthy? Is there something deep inside that compels you to it, whether it's your family, whether it's your sense of pride, dare I say, in ways that you want to signify that you can do this for me, I found that pushing past fear is liberating, and to remind myself it's okay to feel that way, but don't stay there. Nate continue to find a way through that fear, because that is what's going to propel me beyond. Where I am right now, because I'm not satisfied in my current state. If you're dissatisfied, if you're not satisfied with the way the world is today, pushed past the fear to be an agent of change, to be someone who can improve this world we live in, someone who can make a difference, someone who can bring joy and love and peace and gentleness and kindness into a world so dark and so bleak that it so desires your warmth, your light to shine.
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Fear has no hold. Fear has no bound. Your understanding of fear is based in reality, but the basis in love to drive through and pass that fear is much greater walk in that maybe it's not always. Fear ever felt like a fraud? Have you ever had imposter syndrome? Have you ever had a real concern that others will find out that you're not as competent or as confident or high as character as people think. Imagine being invited to speak at a conference and saying, No, I'm not going to do it. Decline because you felt unworthy. How many opportunities have you missed due to the imposter syndrome, the belief that you're not good enough. Well, you're not alone. It's okay. Imposter syndrome affects so many high achievers. You're not a fraud. Your achievements, your experiences, are real. Recognize your worth, accept that you deserve success, affirm yourself. Listen to yourself. Say this, I am worthy, I am capable, I am enough. I am worthy, I am capable, I am enough. And guess what? If you are not the superstar, keep practicing.
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Don't say you're the superstar, but think of yourself in the timeframe that you will become a superstar and keep becoming developed. Look. When I started this podcast, I was not good at all. I remember those first recordings, and some of them, the sound didn't work, and the breathing and the interruptions, especially when I was interviewing, all kinds of challenges that I faced. I wasn't acting as an imposter. I said, Hey, look, this is a new podcast. I'm learning give me some grace as I hone my skills and eventually I got better. I'm still not a pro. I still have long way to go. There's so many people who are massively better at this than I am, but I'm not trying to be an imposter, saying, Well, I'm, you know, I'm Joe Rogan, or I'm Dr. Jordan Peterson, I'm not. I'm Nate Salah, and it is what it is. I'm thankful to have you listening to me and for us to interact together as I share these leadership principles.
[00:07:55]
And I am worthy to do that. I am capable, and I am enough just as you are in your space, own it. Believe it. You know, to believe something is to be living it. Start living it out and watch as your life begins to change and mold. Sometimes it's not either of those. Sometimes it's a fixed mindset. You know, do you believe that your abilities, your intelligence, it's all set in stone? Do you know when you take this mindset, when I take this mindset, it can prevent us from taking on new and exciting challenges? Listen, it's common to feel that growth is limited, but what if you believe that you could grow and improve with that effort and persistence? I was just talking about, what if you embrace this growth mindset, every skill can be developed with practice. You have that ability to learn and to grow. Tell yourself this, I can learn. I can improve. I am open to new challenges.
[00:09:03]
Friend, I'm not the smartest guy in the room. I'm one of the hardest workers, maybe, definitely, because I will consistently work on improving and growing my mind and my skills and honing them until I reach excellence. I'm going to say that it's easy for me. Some things are but some things aren't, and those that aren't, I know I believe that my abilities and my intelligence are not set in stone. I can push the boundaries of my understanding. I can push the boundaries of my curiosity. I can push the boundaries of my skills, and that is from within, if you believe that you can do that the next step is to begin to achieve, take steps and dispel this mindset of scarcity, that there's not enough, whatever success, money, opportunities, all that to go around.
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You know, this belief is all about competition over collaboration. I stopped using the terms competitors. I use the term colleagues. Now, you know, I have colleagues in my space who are my people. They are not the people who are going after the same dollars I am. They've got their own dollars and their own clients. There's enough clients, enough people to go around. So I don't want, I want you to, I don't want to compete with you. I want to collaborate with you. Find a way. You know, Milton Hershey did that extravagantly. This guy, when Milton Hershey, who's Milton Hershey, Hershey. Fuji, so the chocolate King, back in, way back in the day, early 1900s and to the mid-1900s he didn't have a problem with selling his chocolate to his competitors so they can coat their candy bars with his chocolate. Think of Mars, think of Reese's big, major companies, and he sold them their chocolate.
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He saw he thought, well, you know, I can just make more chocolate and sell it to them. They can make their own candy bars. And if he had a that's an abundance mindset, friend, if he had a scarcity mindset, he would said, no way go make your own chocolate. But because of that, he was able to expand his factories, he was able to increase his margins, he was able to hire more people. It works. I understand. It's okay to feel this way, but it's not okay to stay feeling this way. And what would change in your world if you started seeing your situation, your context around you as abundant where there's plenty for everyone?
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Collaboration leads to greater innovation leads to greater success. There is enough for everyone. Remind yourself of that. Tell yourself this, I live in an abundant world, and there's enough for everyone, including me. I live in an abundant world. There's enough for everyone, including you. Once I years ago, I was listening to a pastor on television, and he was talking about human beings like we're little guppies in the ocean, and we want to take tiny little sips. And of course, guppies don't drink water, but they they get their oxygen through the water. They want to take tiny little sips so they can just get just enough oxygen. And the pastor's talking about God. He says, You know, God says, I've got this massive ocean for you. It's so abundant, and you're taking tiny little sips, drink up, little Guppy, drink up. There's so much abundance. And I think about that for myself. I think about that for you. Perhaps the analogy doesn't play itself out perfectly with the physiology of the gills, as you will.
[00:12:44]
But it plays itself out in that we have so much possibility in the world, and when we apply these limiting beliefs, it affects every aspect of our lives, our influence, our decisions, our performance, our relationships, our overall well being is affected by it. We have to remove them, because when we do have self-limiting beliefs, we make these conservative choices because we doubt our capabilities. Think about an artist who doesn't submit their work to a gallery because they're the fear of rejection. I mean, how might your life be different if you took more risks? I think it was Warren Buffett who said, If you've gone through your entire life not having taken risks or failed, you're not trying hard enough. It opens new doors to new opportunities. You have to trust we have to trust in our abilities. We have to step out of our comfort zones, because comfort is the enemy of progress. Sometimes these limiting beliefs, they can protect us. Yeah, I get that they can shield us. I get that there's harm, there's failure, there's danger out there. Do you think that avoiding risks has kept you safe?
[00:13:58]
I mean, here's the deal. Caution is can be wise. Yes. Can you see how however overly protective and overly protective mindset can hinder your growth? Consider this research from the Harvard Business Review shows that overly cautious decision making can stifle innovation and competitiveness. Have you noticed that learning from your own failures leads to greater resilience, greater success that happens to me? What if you embraced thoughtful risk-taking? Take calculated risks that lead to growth, that lead to innovation, embrace a path that is risk-considerant. I take thoughtful risks that lead to growth. Remember friend you will consider more risk if you believe that the reward is worth you know, think about your relationships. How do limiting beliefs affect how you interact with others? If you don't believe you're worthy of respect, if you don't believe you're worthy of success, we're.
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What happens then consider how your beliefs strengthen your relationships. You are worthy of respect. You are worthy of success. Healthy relationships are built on mutual respect and confidence. I want you to be reassured that you're worthy of respect, and I want you to be reassured that you foster healthy relationships that is a non-negotiable for our well-being. Are you battling stress constantly? Do you battle anxiety? Do you battle them? Because sometimes we have self-imposed limitations. Imagine if you were a talented chef and you felt unworthy of opening your own restaurant because you thought people would be dissatisfied. How would overcoming these beliefs improve your well-being?
[00:15:51]
You got to free yourself, friend from these limiting beliefs, embrace your potential. You know, you might say, Nate, I don't know. I think that scarcity helps us to achieve more. I feel more motivated under pressure, and it's true that scarcity can spur short-term creativity, but it can also lead to burnout. It can also lead to poor decisions, not only that, but it can reduce your cognitive functions over time, a mindset of abundance fosters sustainable success, and so we've got to take this action, friend, take action to overcome the beliefs. It's going to require effort. It's going to require a shift in your perspective. So the first step is awareness. Can you identify what are some limiting beliefs you have right now?
[00:16:39]
Reflect on a time when you felt inadequate when you avoided risk. Maybe it was right after you had a major failure. What patterns do you notice? You know, the first step is recognizing these beliefs and overcoming them. The second step is to begin to challenge them. Once you identify some of these beliefs, like for myself, I had a scarcity belief in terms of what I could accomplish in my own family. I grew up in a family that was broken. I didn't know how to really communicate effectively with my loved ones, especially the next generation, and I was faltering, but it was through challenge, it was through trial that I began to change my tone. I began to let my vulnerability down and my guard and be more vulnerable, and magic began to happen. I began to realize, wow, you know what? You've had a limiting belief all these years that you can't make an impact because there was no impact in your life, because you felt as though you didn't have any direction as from solid, effective parenting, especially my paternal parenting.
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So it's over for you. No. Reject that friend. Reject the notion that the past will be the determinant of the present. Let it inform you to help you to push forward and beyond what was to imagine what can be and accomplish it. Break the chains of the past, hurts of the past, pains and embrace and emerge victorious. Writing a new future, writing a new story. The story of the future is unwritten. You have the blessing to co-author a new and exciting future, an attractive a worthwhile and achievable future without limits, without boundaries, without borders, in how you can reach further and higher than you ever thought possible. Friend, do not embrace the limiting beliefs. Do not embrace scarcity. Release them, release yourself, surround yourself with love, with the care that you deserve so that you too can see the illumination of future state so irresistible that you are drawn without worry of whether or not you will reach it today or tomorrow or next week, because you continue to step forward for every step Forward is a step of progress.
[00:19:21]
Friend and I encourage you keep on stepping Well, my friend, we did it again. I'm so glad you joined me on this episode of A Call to Leadership. If you've been with me on the show, listening in, you'll know this. But if you're new, you may not know that I created a free course for you that you don't need to provide an email address. You don't need to go anywhere but to stay right here in the podcast, I created the very first six episodes of the podcast because I wanted you to have the kind of value that you need to take advantage of to thrive as a leader. So if you haven't done that yet, listen episodes one through six now. See you on the next episode. I'm Dr Nate Salah, and this is A Call to Leadership.