Are you settling for ‘great’?

In what areas of your life are you settling for great? I’m not talking about settling for bad, I’m not talking about settling for good. I’m talking about things in your life that are really great, but they’re not mind-blowingly extraordinary. In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about why you shouldn’t settle for great in any area of your life.

Hello, and welcome to The Clare Wood Podcast, where myself and incredible guests share about money mindset, financial successes, and how to manage your money in a fun and practical way to create wealth and abundance in both your business and your life. I’m your host, Clare Wood. I’m a business coach and a money mentor. I strongly believe that money has the power to positively change the world. I can’t wait to help you transform your mindset around money, create a love of numbers, and build the business of your dreams so you can live a life of financial freedom, giving, and global impact.

Questions to ask yourself about your life

I’d love for you to do some thinking. And this can be really challenging, but I want you to go really deep and have a think about all the different areas of your life, your family, your relationship, your business, your clients, your car, your home, where you live, the kind of clothes that you wear, the trips that you go on. And then I want you to think about each of those areas on a scale of 1-10, 1 being it’s terrible and 10 being it is impossible for it to be any better. Now, as you think through each of those categories one by one, some of them might be a one. You might think, I hate my house at the moment, I really don’t like where I’m living, or you might think, I’m actually pretty happy with where I’m living, it’s an 8/10. And when you are thinking about an 8 or 9/ 10, it probably feels pretty good, I mean, it’s not terrible, it’s not even just good. An 8 or a 9 is really quite great, right? But the problem with settling for an 8 or a 9 is that you’re not stretching for a 10.

How staying in great can hold you back

There have been so many different areas of my life over the years that have been great, really quite great, and yet there was this tiny part of me knowing that there was something more out there. I’ve had numerous relationships which were really great, really wonderful. I was very happy, very fulfilled, but there was this tiny part of me that knew there was something more and I couldn’t even articulate what it was. I could have stayed in several of the relationships I’ve had in my life and gone on and led a very happy life because they were great. And don’t get me wrong. I’ve definitely had a sprinkling of terrible ones in there as well. But the point I’m trying to make is that if you are happy to settle for something that is great, then you miss out on something that is wonderful. And particularly in the area of relationships, I know how amazing it is to be with someone that truly makes you feel like you’re leading an extraordinary life. It is so worth walking away from great to experience something extraordinary. And this can apply in any area of life. There have been many times in my life where things have been great. I think about my corporate job before I started my own business and I’ve really loved that job. I had a fantastic boss, I was doing work that I enjoyed, but there was this part of me that didn’t feel fulfilled on a soul level. I knew there was something bigger and that I was destined for more.

I think about the house that I was living in before my current home by the beach, which I’ve just bought, and the house I was living in before was great. In fact, in many ways, it’s a much nicer house than the house I’m living in now. It was certainly much bigger and much more modern. I had beautiful neighbors, I was living in a really nice suburb, I was close to family, and it was really great. But again, there was this something inside me that knew that I wanted more. So I challenge you to really start to think about the areas of your life that are great, but where you’ve got a tiny niggling feeling that there is something more out there for you.

How to create an extraordinary life

Now, here’s the thing. If you are wanting to create an extraordinary life, you can’t set up for great. It’s like having one foot in each camp. It’s like holding onto a relationship that isn’t quite right until the next person comes along. But the truth is, as we know, a lot of the times, if you were staying in a not quite the relationship, it’s a lot less likely that you will get to find that extraordinary experience when you’re staying somewhere else.

So how is this all relevant to business? What I see a lot is that people are happy to settle for great in their business. They grow to a certain point and they think, I’ve got a nice, stable, consistent income. This is terrific. If this is you and there’s a feeling deep, deep down that there is more available to you, it is available to you. But you can’t reach the extraordinary when you are in the area of settling for great. Creating extraordinary outcomes usually requires taking really scary steps. Like I said before, I’ve walked away from some really wonderful relationships that I’ve been in. I’ve left jobs that were really fantastic. I’ve let go of a very healthy looking savings account to spend a year traveling the world.

One of my favorite sayings is from Brooke Castillo and she said, “People want to have big things from taking small steps” but the truth is to create big outcomes in your life, you need to take big steps. And yes, that involves taking chances that most people aren’t willing to take. The very fact that you’ve started a business means that you are bolder than most people are out there, but what areas are you playing safe in now? Perhaps you know that that new level looks like you’re taking a big scary step making an investment that terrifies you. And there are no guarantees when you do take a big leap, when you walk away from happy relationship, when you move to a new town, when you start a family, but if you want to lead an extraordinary life, you do have to take courageous steps that most people aren’t willing to take.

I think about the way that I’ve invested in my business and I’m sure my family have thought that I’m mad at times. In fact, there’s a lot of people outside of business that I simply don’t talk to about some of the big and scary investments that I’ve made because they just wouldn’t understand it. They can’t see what I can see, but I am so sure of my success, of what is possible, and of what is destined for me that I feel confident making big investments. I feel confident taking big and scary steps in my business because I know that my success is inevitable. And even if a particular decision I make or investment I make doesn’t pay off in the short term or the long term, I know that it’s shifting me closer to where it is that I desire to be.

So today I want to ask you, are you wanting to create an ordinary life or an extraordinary life? And once you’ve answered that, I challenge you to really think about the big and scary steps you need to take to shift from ordinary to extraordinary.

Thank you so much for tuning in to this week’s episode and I look forward to chatting to you again next week.

Thanks so much for listening. If you love this episode, please share it with your audience. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @clare_wood_coach. And also make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. Have an abundant week. And I look forward to talking to you again next week.