Page 40 - Free Yourself From

Taking Action for Knowing and Being Yourself 23

his employees and I understood that much of his success was accom-
plished by these people who believed in and trusted him. That has
stayed with me and formed my principles and beliefs as an entre-
preneur. And that lesson has played a big part in SHAMBAUGH’s
success.
After the women complete their lifeline exercise, they have some
“ah-hah” moments of their own. Once they do that we ask them to
dig deeper and identify any beliefs about themselves that are nega-
tive, but also no longer true (if they ever were to begin with). This
helps them to understand where and how their self-perception can be
needlessly limiting.
I love seeing the light bulb turn on as they begin to write down pos-
itive affirmations of who they really are or want to be. It’s an important
and powerful exercise that can open up new doors, and empower you
to move beyond your own obstacles and start on a new, positive path.

Exercise: Create Your Own Lifeline

Here are some simple steps for creating a timeline for your own life:

1. Think about significant events in your life (from childhood
to the present) and rate them on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 for
severe challenges and 10 for great events.
For example, losing a loved one would be rated a 1, while
a great love or an adventurous trip abroad is rated a 10. A pro-
motion at work could be an 8, 9, or 10, and the loss of a job
might be a 3, depending on the emotional uplift or pain you
experienced. These events don’t have to be big or momentous,
but should loom large in your memory and be formative.

2. Once you have a good timeline, answer the following
questions for each event: