I recently listened to an interview where Jack Welsh, the former CEO and chairman of General Electrics, told how he was teased and ridiculed as a kid growing up because of a speech impediment. He shared how it was his mother who encouraged and motivated him to stand tall. She would often ask him, “why not you?”.  His mother’s support empowered him with confidence despite of his stuttering which inspired him to go on to do great things in his life.

I love how asking this question stopped Jack from believing that he was different than anyone else, or less deserving, or less qualified which, in turn, enabled and ignited him to pursue his dreams.

This simple, yet profound question – why not you? – can be a useful question to ask ourselves too, especially when fear and doubt starts getting in the way of us pursuing our dreams.

When fear and doubt, and that negative self-chatter that I comically refer to as the gobbledygook, step in to run the show, it causes us to unknowingly self-sabotage ourselves from reaching our true potential and obtaining all that we desire.

It is what Gay Hendricks, author of The Big Leap, calls our “Upper Limit” problem. Each one of us carries ingrained, unconscious ideas of just how happy and successful we can be. When we learn to identify and go beyond these self-imposed “Upper Limits,” we can expand our potential for happiness and abundance in extraordinary ways.

One of the gems from his book that I still use today is this daily mantra that can be used to elevate your upper limit problem:

“I expand in abundance, success, and love every day, as I inspire those around me to do the same.”

I highly recommend this book. Want a quick overview, here is a link to an article written by Gay Hendricks summarizing the book.

The next time fear and doubt starts creeping in, you may want to ask yourself “why not you?” and see what comes up. Is it just an old Negative Nellie tape replaying that may need to be revisited? Or is it a real concern that once brought to the surface can be worked out? Take the time to check in so you can address any limiting beliefs holding you back.

This “why” question reminded me about the five W’s from English class – remember those? These questions can help us investigate what causing the fear in the first place. They are also helpful when it comes to creating and setting goals which is perfect for this time of year.

Here are some ideas.

So the next time you get a visit from the “I’m not good enough” witch and your confidence get rattled, ask Why not you? and remember that you got this!