#315: "I Should Be Further Along" Is a Thought, Not a Fact

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"I should be further along by now."

Notice what that sentence does to your shoulders. That reaction is your clue.

Charlotte Smith calls this success expectancy, and it is one of the most expensive thoughts her clients bring to coaching calls. It feels like an accurate description of your life. It is a mindset, and it is the thing standing between you and the result you want.

In this episode you will hear real coaching examples: the client who stopped marketing for weeks, and the client planning 18-hour days to hit a deadline she invented. You will learn the four expectations hiding underneath the thought and the three-step protocol to replace it.

Your only assignment this week is to notice whether that sentence is running in the background.

What You'll Learn

• Why "I should be further along" is a thought you can change, not a fact you have to live with
• How expecting success can actively prevent success
• The four hidden expectations underneath the thought: timeline, effort, skills, and investment
• The three-step thought protocol Charlotte uses with clients to build a mindset that holds up in month nine

Key Takeaways

• Feelings drive actions. Nobody has ever felt defeated and then taken big, strategic action. Defeat produces quitting or frantic busywork.
• The lens distorts everything. With that thought running, your business, body, home, and website all look broken. Most of them just needed more time.
• Check the source of the target. If you did not set the deadline from a plan and self-confidence, you are not behind.
• Awareness first. Catch the thought, label it, and stop rearranging your external life to fix an internal problem.

FAQ

Q: What is success expectancy? A: Expecting you should already have it. That expectation creates frustration, and frustration drives the actions that keep you stuck.

Q: Isn't expecting success the point? A: Believing you are capable opens you up. Being frustrated it has not happened yet shuts you down. Those are two different thoughts.

Q: Why does "I Should Be Further Along" feel like a fact? A: Repetition. You said it enough times that it stopped sounding like an opinion.

Q: What do I think instead? A: "I'm giving this all the time it takes."

Resources Mentioned

• Free masterclass, October 5th: How to Say No Without Losing the People You Love. Live coaching included. Last time this year. Sign up at: charlottemsmith.com/class
• Profitable Mindset Academy. Weekly coaching and the goal setting training from this episode. Registration opens once more before year end: charlottemsmith.com/coaching