Are You Waiting for Permission?

A friend and client of mine is an amazing life coach. I have been working with her for a few weeks on her personal branding, and she recently shared a fantastic idea with me: “I want to give all of my clients t-shirts that say, Permission Granted. I want my clients to know that they don’t need permission to play big in the world.” Zing! It hit me like a universal two by four.

We are waiting for your brilliance and your contribution.

You don’t need permission to do your great work in the world. From a very young age many of us were told to respect our elders, listen and obey authority. Unfortunately, this can squelch creativity, stifle independent thinking and cut you off from your own voice.

In school we were told to play by the rules, do our homework and follow the leader. Surely there were repercussions if we didn’t color within the lines.

Our peers told us how to dress, how to speak and what it looked like to be cool. If we strayed from the so-called norm, we risked ridicule, or even worse, ostracism.

Our own parents were often disturbed and quick to anger at our attempts to exert our independence.

Is it surprising that we often default to asking for permission?

You don’t need to ask anyone permission to live your life.  But sometimes this little thing called Fear creeps up and sabotages your best laid plans and dreams. It can take many forms, such as procrastination, addiction, boredom or distraction. Whatever it takes to pull you away from your great work; the work you know deep down you are meant to do in the world.

What if waiting to ask for permission is just an excuse? What if it’s nothing more than an internal ploy to keep you from stepping into your power?

Society rewards those who play by the rules and color within the lines. Your trophy? Acceptance. And acceptance can be a very powerful motivator. In fact, it’s even biological. We all want to be a part of the tribe; to belong. But the tribe operates on fear and if you wait to ask for permission, your opportunity may just pass you by. If you want to succeed, you can’t wait for the world to give you permission.

The Truth is, you have all the tools and permission you need.

Give us the best you’ve got.

Permission granted.

©2011 Liz Dennery Sanders