Seamus Fox, The Mindset Junkie: The Real Virus that's holding you back!

And no, it isn’t what you are probably thinking and it hasn’t got anything to do with the last 18 months because these viruses most probably kept you in fear for some time before that.

Thought viruses - the negative self-imposed beliefs, limits, values and perceptions we have of ourselves that prevent real growth and stop most people from doing what they really want, being who they really want to be or having what they really want in life. And I get it because for such a long time these thought viruses kept me stuck too.

I remember around 15 or 16 years ago now starting out as a personal trainer in the old 'Fitness First' gym on the Strand Road in Derry. Before that I had been working as a gym attendant and just before that I was dispatching in a taxi office for £3 an hour and no I wasn’t around 15 years old, I was a grown man stuck in a rut with a lack of belief in my potential. That changed and I was offered the chance to become self reliant and create my first business through personal training.

It almost didn't get off the ground and might not have if I didn't look at myself properly. So I want you to imagine a busy gym and it was the days before social media had really kicked off . . . can you even remember that? Well, anyway I was lacking confidence and was very shy but here I was on the gym floor being given the chance to grow my business.

All I had to do was go and speak to people, introduce myself, create some conversations and offer my services. There was no such thing as a post and 'tag' on the good old 'bakebook' back then. It was about real time conversations, face-to-face. Crazy or what?

But I literally struggled to do this and I would actually avoid it. I would head into the coffee shop at the back and make a cup of coffee pretending I was busy because I felt embarrassed to go and offer my services. At that time I thought I didn't have the confidence to really do this and grow this business until I really got angry with myself and took a step back to realise just what I was thinking, feeling and doing.

I had worked hard to get off the building sites, to get away from earning £3 an hour doing 12 hour shifts dispatching and I was now going to throw away a fantastic opportunity because of what people might think or how I might be viewed by going and putting myself out there so that I could grow.

I had a young step son and a partner to support and it was this and the thought of going back to do what I hated that propelled me forward again so that I could overcome those self imposed thought viruses and limitations that literally was keeping me stuck.

Once I quit the bullshit and stepped up and took action each day I began to fill my diary. More and more people wanted to book in and my business really began to grow and that kept growing in so many different ways for years to come and still continues to this day.

But imagine if I didn't take that step forward and overcome those fears. You most likely wouldn’t be reading this and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to help and coach thousands of people to be better versions of themselves.

I want you to think about what stories are keeping you feeling unfulfilled right now. What stories are keeping you stuck in the same position right now? What thought viruses do you need to pluck out so that you can take action? We all have them as we have been conditioned in so many different ways. We pick up all sorts of information, we internalise it we believe it, and we very rarely do the work to question the concepts that we have followed for so long. We've been operating on automatic. Well, for me, that's not how I want to live.

These days I question absolutely everything. I do not blindly follow what I've been told. I don’t allow my mind to be conditioned by anyone or anything else that does not support my growth and evolving awareness so that I can control my actions and decisions and have a hand in the life I am proactively creating.

I coach and empower others to do the same. To live a life that is in line with their highest values so that they can be who they want to be from a place of authenticity.

The viruses buried deep in our minds is what has always kept us stuck. Those self imposed traps are what we all need to really break free from so that we can live a life that has meaning and fulfilment.

I want to leave you with this affirmation. I would encourage you to say it daily and embody it whenever you feel fearful of taking action.

“I walk through the darkened doorway where fear lurks, and I turn on the light.”

Your coach,

Seamus Fox