Whack a mole is my favourite arcade game – it consists of a mallet and 6 moles that alternate surfacing from a hole, as it surfaces you hit it down with the mallet and gain points for how fast and how many you hit (no real moles are hurt in the playing of this game!).
What does this arcade game have to do with chasing your dreams? Going after your goals?
This week I’ve had 2 separate clients talk about their goals and objectives. They both want to push out of their comfort zone and into their stretch zone, to feel the excitement of potentially achieving their dreams. When I coach them around their hopes, dreams, and aspirations – these clients light up, they smile, appear passionate, talk faster, and feel lighter. This continues as we talk. Until I start to ask about what are they going to do – what action do they want to try to move towards those goals?
At that point when reality clashes with the dream, their gremlins pop up! The gremlin or saboteur as many coaches call it, is a little voice in their head that says, “who are you to think you can do this?”, “what makes you think this is possible for you?”, “why do you deserve this?”. It’s the negative self-talk that many people have running in the background, often on autopilot, not detectable because it happens so often. Its goal is to keep you safe, not get hurt or be disappointed. These are noble to a point – until the voice starts holding you back from living your full potential, living your dreams or at least shooting for them. Often these voices come from our past, people keeping you safe around a certain situation or age, which often isn’t applicable anymore.
That’s where whack a mole comes in. When you hear that gremlin, those negative voices saying you can’t or aren’t able, imagine them as moles and whack them into oblivion! Chasing your dreams should feel fun and exciting (most of the time) so have fun when dealing with those saboteurs by whacking them and moving forward.
What moles would you whack to go after your goals?
