Facing your Demons

Often I find that when I hear a voice telling me I can’t do something, it is my own. Worse still, I often find that I am the only one who can hear it... 

I used to find wherever I went, I was accompanied by my demons. So much so in fact that I am surprised they didn’t insist on me purchasing them a plane seat when I was travelling. Maybe they were concerned for my finances? What they were not concerned about was my mental health. 

When it came to my work, my demons filled me with doubts, fears and insecurities so regularly that I might as well have put them on the payroll. My demons were persistent. They worked round the clock, evenings and weekends with the enthusiasm that you could only dream of finding in a colleague. My demons were both incredibly loud and totally invisible, like an angry ghost. In this episode, we are going to be talking about facing our demons. So I hope you’re all listening. Welcome, you and all your demons, to The Andrew Sillitoe Show. 

In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed his nation as the 32nd President of the United States of American and said “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”

What Franklin D. Roosevelt didn’t know at the time was he would soon have to lead his country into a World War and he would die in office. I wonder if he knew how his presidency would end he would have started it with those fateful words... “There is nothing to fear but fear itself”. 

Fear is an essential part of the human experience. Doubts are useful. The voice that said “this seems scary, start running away.” was vital when the thing in question was a tiger. The little voice that says “I’m not sure you can do this” was helpful when the “this” was fighting with a mammoth. The little voices that make us question an outcome before we do something is the reason you are all able to listen to this podcast today. Those little voices have allowed the human race and each individual that makes up the human race, to survive…

Those voices can, however, stop us doing something we really can achieve. The warning signs that were essential when we were hunting and gathering and cave dwelling are less necessary when we are working and relaxing and power-point-presenting. We have been listening to our doubts and our demons to our detriment. Today we are going to start speaking back to them…In today’s episode of The Andrew Sillitoe Show we are talking about facing our demons. 

Many of you listening will know why I do what I do. My journey to becoming the business man, coach, husband and father I am today, has been accompanied by my own demons. My father died far too young. He died too young because he was working too hard. Too much, too young. Both an incredible song and a terrible reality. 

My father had his own demons and when he passed away I am certain some of my father’s demons started hanging out with me. There is no easy way to face them. There is certainly no easy way to deal with them, but as we have touched on before, nobody said it would be easy. Most things that are worth doing are difficult. The fears and doubts might be telling you to run away. I am telling you to stop and to face those demons that tell you, you can’t. 

If you have listened to my previous episodes you will know that there are 4 foundations on which I believe you can build a successful business without sacrificing your health, well-being and personal relationships. The four foundations; do the work, no excuses, always ready and speak the truth are not without challenges and if you are anything like me they are not without a voice telling you your time is better spent elsewhere. My promise to you is I live and breathe these foundations. Upon them, I have built my life but in order to do so, I have had to face my demons. 

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