photo credit:   Jean-François Chénier via flicker

I recently read Iyanla Vanzant’s, “Peace from Broken Pieces.” It was hands down, one of the most powerful books that I’ve ever read. Iyanla reveals that even amidst her greatest success she believed that she was unworthy. Because she felt unworthy, she was unable to recognize her success. This foundational mistruth led to much of the fallout that followed, her departure from The Oprah Show, among other things.

“I kept wondering when my time of prosperity would come. I had no idea that I was sitting right in it.”     -Iyanla Vanzant

Iyanla’s story is not my story, but the “personal lie” is a disease that plagues almost every human.

What is your personal lie?

For some, this may be an easy answer. For others, not so much. Your “personal lie” may shift according to your life stage, the people in your life, current challenges, or even your financial situation. No matter how it reveals itself, there is one thing to remember…that a “personal lie” is just that, a lie.

A personal lie may tell you…

You aren’t worthy

.

You will never be good enough

.

You can’t succeed

.

Things will never get better.

Don’t let that lie get in the way of life.

Giving life to these lies will limit your ability to reach your fullest potential. Your free time and mental space will be absorbed by doubt. Living your “personal lie” can also get in the way of maintaining a healthy work life balance in the following ways:

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Living a personal lie hinders productivity, wasting time worried about what the lie says you lack.
• Living a personal lie leads to unnecessary stress.
• 

Living a personal lie makes it difficult to embrace reality, even a promising one.

There is no such thing as work-life balance when you are living a personal lie because no matter how hard you work, it’s never enough because you believe that YOU are never enough.

How can you get around it?

1. Recognize the lie and don’t give it more attention than what it’s worth.

Every time you hear your inner lie, refocus on specific situations in your life that prove the lie wrong. For example, if your lie is saying that you aren’t good enough to start a business. Think about how you overcame old challenges in your life that once seemed impossible.

2. Make an active effort to acknowledge your successes.

The lies that you can’t, you won’t, or you are not good enough, will always overshadow your success. Because you continue to dwell in your lie, you are distracted from reality and will never recognize your success.

How do you deal with your personal lie? Share your story below.