Outrunning Doubt

I was wrapping up my radio interview with John Yokoyama, owner of renowned Pike Place Fish Market, when he shared a valuable insight.  

Yokoyama was explaining the process he and his team went through to uncover their vision of being world famous. Then he took a breath, paused a few moments and continued, “I have to make a choice every day to show up in a way that’s going to make a world-famous difference,” Yokoyama said. “My regular limiting internal conversation is, ‘I don’t want to. I don’t want to live my vision of creating a world-famous difference or world peace.’ or, ‘I don’t want to solve this employee argument right now.’ In the early days when I was working more at the market, I would often think to myself, ‘I don’t want to get up and go to work.’ ” 

I was struck by his comment — even dumbfounded.  Here was someone who had succeeded hugely with his business, and yet 23 years later, Yokoyama admitted he still faces internal resistance. Every day, he chooses to override those limiting conversations and align himself with the commitment to make a world-famous difference. 

That really stuck with me. 

We may choose and create an extraordinary vision for ourselves or our business, but the truth is, we’re not always connected to that inspiration. It fades. It falters. We fall back on familiar internal narratives.

When I started my business, my default internal conversation was, “I can’t do this because I don’t know how.” 

When I earned my coaching certification, it became, “I don’t know how to coach leaders and run a successful business.”  

Fifteen years ago, when I began hosting a call-in talk radio show, I thought, “I don’t know how to be a talk show radio host.” 

And when I became a regular columnist for a monthly magazine? “Who do I think I’m fooling anyway?” 

Just like Yokoyama, I was being called to live my vision, which was to show up for my clients, friends and the world with an open heart and the intention to create rich, meaningful experiences that make a real difference. 

That required a choice: to lean into the voice of my higher vision instead of the limiting voice of “I don’t know how.”

When we commit to a higher vision and purpose in our work or business, we are continually called to release our old internal conversations — the ones that tell us we’re not ready, not capable, not enough. Instead, we must recommit, moment by moment, to living the vision we chose.

This is what carries us into uncharted territory, helping us stay on course — guided by our values and aligned with our true north.