{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"How to stop playing small - three practical strategies (that work!)","description":"\u201cStop playing small\u201d is terrible advice because no-one really knows what it means to play big, or how to approach it! When people talk about playing small, they usually mention things like: Not charging their worth Self-sabotaging Avoiding key projects and actions Not being visible Not going for their dreams!   Does that mean that playing big is the opposite of this: Charging your worth Letting yourself have the win! Tackling key projects and taking difficult actions Being visible and building your brand Going for your dreams!   Probably! But, I think we can go further. In today\u2019s episode, I\u2019m going to break down the psychology of playing small and offer a very specific approach for showing up differently. 1. Grit vs. Campaign Thinking: The Danger of Living in Crisis Mode We often celebrate \u201cgrit\u201d \u2013 the ability to push through, keep going, get it done. Angela Duckworth even made it famous in her work on success, showing that grit (passion + perseverance) is a better predictor of long-term achievement than IQ or talent. But grit without vision is just survival. If you wake up every day thinking, \u201cWhat\u2019s broken? What needs fixing?\u201d \u2013 that\u2019s reactivity, not strategy. It\u2019s a common pattern I see in entrepreneurs: Hustling for last-minute sales. Overbooking and over-delivering. Staying up late to make ends meet. That\u2019s not bad \u2013 sometimes it\u2019s necessary. But if you live there for too long, you\u2019ll build a business around firefighting, not future-building. The Science:  This is partly driven by your brain\u2019s amygdala \u2014 the centre for fear and threat detection. When we\u2019re uncertain or under pressure, it activates your fight-or-flight response. That\u2019s when you default to solving immediate problems instead of building long-term solutions. But playing big requires prefrontal cortex thinking \u2013 the part of your brain responsible for planning, reasoning, and imagining the future. It\u2019s not activated when you\u2019re constantly stressed. The Shift: Playing big means stepping back to ask: \u201cWhere am I going? And what do I need to build this quarter, this year, to get there?\u201d That\u2019s campaign thinking. That\u2019s strategy. Grit might get you out of a hole, but campaign thinking builds your true vision.   2. Passive vs. Directive Thinking: Who\u2019s Really in Charge? One of the hardest ways we play small is by letting our emotions and beliefs steer our decisions. You know it\u2019s happening when you say things like: \u201cI just wasn\u2019t in the right headspace today.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve always struggled with that.\u201d \u201cI just didn\u2019t feel like it.\u201d As someone who\u2019s been prone to depressive episodes most of my life, I know what it\u2019s like to feel low, unmotivated, even hopeless. But I also know this: You are not your thoughts. You are not your feelings. You are the person who notices them \u2013 and chooses what to do next. The Science: In cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), there\u2019s a powerful concept called cognitive distancing \u2013 the ability to observe your thoughts without attaching to them as truth. This is a cornerstone of emotional regulation and personal change. Instead of \u201cI am overwhelmed,\u201d you say, \u201cI\u2019m experiencing overwhelm.\u201d That tiny shift gives you space to choose a different response. The Shift: A passive thinker lets the day happen to them. A directive thinker observes what\u2019s happening \u2013 then acts anyway. They don\u2019t wait to feel motivated. They create motivation using little tricks like going on a walk, promising yourself a reward in exchange for the work, creating a lovely environment to work just so you can get started. Sometimes that means waking up at 5am to do the hard thing first. Sometimes it means scheduling joy, like a movie or coffee out, just to trigger some dopamine and keep going. Motivating yourself to do the hard job is a skill. And it is a skill that can be learned.   3. Tasks vs. Projects: Are You Creating or Just Completing? Let me ask you this: If I opened your calendar for next week\u2026 Would I see tasks? Or would I see projects? Would I see time blocked out for: Writing your book Filming your course Preparing your TEDx talk Building your funnel Practising your speaking Or would I see: Meetings Admin Zooms booked in by other people \u201cReply to emails\u201d \u201cPost something on Instagram\u201d The former moves your life forward. The latter keeps it ticking over. The Psychology:  This is the difference between being busy and being effective. Our brains are wired to love \u201ccompletion\u201d \u2013 every time we tick off a to-do item, we get a dopamine hit. That\u2019s why it feels good to stay in action mode. But it\u2019s short-lived. Creative, meaningful work \u2013 the kind that actually grows your business \u2013 is messy. It\u2019s nonlinear. You don\u2019t get a hit every 15 minutes. You sit in discomfort. You wrestle. And you often feel like you\u2019re failing right before you break through. The Shift:  Playing big means prioritising outcomes over checklists. Not \u201cWhat do I need to get done today?\u201d But: \u201cWhat am I building this month? And have I protected the time to do it properly?\u201d Final Thought: Playing big isn\u2019t louder. It isn\u2019t shinier. It\u2019s not about showing off. It\u2019s about being honest with yourself: Are you building what you really want? Are you leading your own thoughts? Are you creating space for the work that matters? Playing big requires discipline. Not in the punishing, productivity-obsessed way \u2013 but in the \u201cthis is who I\u2019m becoming\u201d kind of way. It\u2019s showing up when it\u2019s hard. Doing the work you don\u2019t yet feel ready for. And backing your dreams with action \u2013 not just ideas. So if you\u2019ve been stuck in the busyness, the feelings, or the inbox\u2026 This is your reminder to come back to your power. What does your version of playing big look like? And what are you going to do about it this week? ","author_name":"The Lisa Bean Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/lisabean.libsyn.com\/website","html":"