Is this ONE thing preventing you from crushing your goals in 2019?
It’s almost the end of January, you’ve created your vision board, set your intentions, chosen your quality for the year and you’re feeling the excitement of creating something new for the year. A new habit, a new routine, a new way of being, a new vision, you’ve told yourself that this is MY year (..and babe, I know it will be for you!). While you’re excited, there is also a subtle pressure to accomplish everything. You’re scrolling through Facebook or Instagram and you’re witnessing all your friends who are off to the races. It can feel a bit lonely and daunting, but you pull yourself out of that and keep moving.
You have done all the preparation to set yourself up for success and now it’s time to move into action. This is the point that the big “R” word moves in. RESISTANCE. It shows up in the form of excuses, negative self-talk, fear, procrastination and it knocks you out of the game before you ever had the chance to play. For me, it looks like doing EVERYTHING on my to do list and then creating more things I HAVE to do. The self-talk sounds like, “I need to take my Christmas cards down”, “I need to go to the flower mart to get a new plant in my house. It’ll help with the air quality and then I’ll be able to work better”, “I need to do all the laundry”, “I need to redesign my ENTIRE house”, “I need to Marie Kondo my closet” on and on… the list never ends or at least it feels like it will never end. This is the egos funny way of trying to keep us feeling safe and playing small, but girl, I know you left that pattern behind in 2018.
So if you’re wondering where do I go from here?” Here are my top four strategies for moving past the resistance and moving into action, so you can turn your dream into reality this year:
Acknowledge the resistance: the bigger the vision, the bigger the resistance. Having the awareness that with big dreams comes big resistance helps to move through it. Everyone experiences resistance. You are not alone and by calling it out, you diminish the power it holds over you.
Let go of the pressure of trying to get it right: We’re aiming for progress not perfection. Give yourself permission to start, to play, to try something new. You don’t have to get it right, you just have to start. Ask yourself, “What is the next step I would take if I wasn’t afraid of getting it right?”
Use the three-foot tosses: Break down your goals into small, actionable items. What is the next tiniest step you can take to move a little bit closer to your goal, and then what is the next step, and the next.
“Put your ass where your heart is”: I LOVE this advice from Steven Pressfield author of The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. The point is, if you want to paint then get in front of an easel, if you want to write then get in front of your computer to write. Putting yourself in the environment is half the battle.
If you know someone who could benefit from this post, please share.
Big love! Xx