Do you remember “the pause that refreshes?” That’s the tag line for a Coca-Cola ad campaign that ran years ago.
I happened to read about it and saw an illustration of a happy guy drinking a Coke. I wondered where he was in his project before he took a break and had a Coke.
If he was at a natural stopping point (such as halfway), I can see taking a break. However, if he was running headlong toward the finish line, this pause would not be “the pause that refreshes.” In fact, if he was that close to success, a pause might ruin everything!
Why? The closer you get to success, the more your intensity should peak.
Have you ever worked on a project and found yourself picking up momentum as you got closer and closer to completion? Have you ever smelled the finish line and felt your focus sharpen, your energy level rise, and your pace quicken?
That’s not the time to stop for a Coke! Yet, curiously enough, it happens.
Have you ever seen someone on the verge of success and then suddenly lose interest, change direction in mid-stream, or start something else and abandon the almost-completed project?
A strong finish is a hallmark of success. Every achiever I’ve ever observed builds momentum that rockets him or her through the home stretch.
What causes the would-be achiever to halt in mid-stride and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? It’s not the fear of failure. It’s the fear of success.
The fear of failure is easy to understand. Who wants to be disappointed and risk possible ridicule?
I’ve discovered that the fear of success is the fear of failure delayed. If we succeed and can’t effectively manage the new level of success, we will be doubly disappointed and look even more foolish later instead of sooner. The fear of success is an understandable retreat from the unfamiliar into the familiar. It’s essentially a “comfort zone” issue.
It’s the old saying, “the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know” applied to success. In this matter, I’ve discovered two distinct psychologies. We either move away from limitation or towards success.
Either way, this is the simplest way to overcome fear and expand your “comfort zone.” Particularly at the end of a cycle of accomplishment, the thought of moving away from what you don’t want or moving towards what you do want sparks extra emotional power.
When faced with this situation, I ask “Does it feel more compelling to feel ‘sick and tired’ of feeling ‘sick and tired’ of limited success?” or "Feel excited, energized, and charged-up about enjoying a new level of anticipated success?”
Either one works. Try both and sense which one generates the most intensity and emotional voltage.
If you want to move away from your present limitation with great emotional intensity, harness that energy to propel you through your “comfort zone” and over the finish line.
Suppose the idea of moving towards an exciting level of success sparks emotional intensity. Harness this energy and let it catapult you past your boundaries and into a new experience of achievement.
Then have a Coke. You deserve a break because you have succeeded.
And that’s the pause that refreshes.
Tony Papajohn coaches excellence and specializes in money. If you are a real estate investor, financial trader, entrepreneur, or want money to treat you like its new best friend, check out Tony’s free e-courses at http://www.WelcomeMoreMoney.com .
