Many of us enter the New Year tired, overweight, out of
shape, and generally out of control in the aftermath of
the holiday frenzy. New Year's Resolutions are often a
stern attempt at forcing ourselves into discipline and
compliance with a long list of energy-
draining "shoulds". That's why our resolutions tend to
lose their steam well before the end of January!
It's so much more effective to approach change from a
place of joyful vision and energizing, positive
expectation. When you're tired, burned out and
generally frustrated with your quality of life, how in the
world do you get to a place of "joyful vision"?
If you attempt to jump into making a significant change
when you are tired, gripped with fear and self-
sabotaging behavior, or battling low self-esteem, your
chances of succeeding are greatly diminished.
Desire for change and impatience are usually two
sides of the same coin. Very often we expect
ourselves to perform like a finely tuned racecar,
accelerating from zero to 90-miles an hour in a matter
of seconds. Nice idea, but we are all human and our
expectations for overnight change are just a little out-
of-whack!
I'm often heard saying to my clients, "Slow down, you'll
get there faster!" And by "there" I mean the place you
truly want to go and not some place you feel
you "should" go.
When you allow yourself to slow down and really
reflect on who you are and what's most important to
you, the vague idea for change, and the rigid
constructs of old and outdated expectations, give way
to clarity of conviction - a place from which positive
change flows with ease.
During the course of my own personal quest for
change, I discovered a series of Seven Stepping
Stones that led me to a very satisfying quality of life.
Today, I'll share a bit about the first four stepping
stones that are essential for building a strong
foundation for change and will start you down a path
towards an exciting new vision for your life.
One: Take time to refuel your tank and renew your
spirit. By shoring up your energy for change you
will
increase your mental, physical and emotional stamina
to go the distance necessary to achieve the change
you desire. Give yourself a nurturing gift by making a
conscious choice to rejuvenate your body, mind and
spirit. Embarking on a big change when you are
depleted of energy and enthusiasm may get you
somewhere, but probably not where you really want to
go.
Two: Get in touch with your deepest desires
and
resurrect the dreams you left behind. As we go
through life, the treadmill we are on gets more
relentless and harder to step away from. Making
heart-felt changes requires taking some time to
explore just exactly what it is your heart is asking for.
The best way to do this is to spend some quality time
alone with your thoughts and a journal, writing about
your needs, your desires and your dreams. Getting
away from it all for just a little while will do wonders for
clearing the cobwebs that block your connection to
what is really important to your happiness.
Three: Believe you can have what you want!
Just as
soon as you allow yourself to dream again and begin
to acknowledge and honor your needs, the ugly inner
critic starts to get really noisy. It wants to nip this "flight
of fantasy" thing in the bud. Pay attention to the
negative, critical messages of your inner critic
because these are the limiting beliefs that will stop
you from taking steps in a new direction. Become an
observer of your inner dialog and decide who you want
in charge of your life: your inner critic or your inner
coach? Allow your inner coach to expand your belief in
what is possible.
Four: Find joy in the journey. We tend to get
caught up
in the "I'll be happy when" cycle of thinking. Again,
impatience is at work here. We can get so focused on
the goal that we forget to enjoy the journey. And if that
goal is a ways off in the future, we can get
discouraged to the point of giving up. The secret to
enjoying the journey is to choose to consciously dwell
in positive thought and feeling. Positive feelings such
as gratitude, appreciation, love, and compassion for
yourself and others will energize you and make each
day brighter as you continue to take steps toward your
goals.
The four stepping stones I've just described are set to
beautiful pictures and music in a 3-minute experience
you can view at www.TheWingsMovie.com. Enjoy your
journey as you spread your wings and fly!
If you'd like to explore the entire Seven Stepping Stone
journey and put yourself on a path to positive and
permanent change, consider buying a copy of my
book, Give Wings to Your Dreams, available at
bookstores, on amazon.com or at
www.InspiredLifeDesign.com.
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