Success is ALWAYS ahead, IF we CHOOSE!
Hello Friend,
Have you noticed that when you start a thing – a project, a relationship or a new habit – the adrenalin and excitement of starting is generally enough to keep you on track and on task for a period of time? It’s called the honeymoon! Staying on track beyond the honeymoon takes some serious commitment…and a healthy dose of maturity.
As time passes, in this human condition of ours, we tend to lose our excitement and enthusiasm about what has become familiar. This is why it takes work – commitment and maturity, to make things work: like great marriages and relationships, lasting personal change and successful businesses. To achieve any goal we need to be able to stay on track and GET THE WORK DONE!
Here are 3 steps to take today, to get back on track if you are faltering, even a little:
1) The Feelings! Achieving goals is NOT about your feelings. Stop allowing your feelings to take you off track. Feelings like impatience, anxiety, doubt, fear, pessimism about achieving the goal and guilt about being off-track can really snow ball and create havoc with daily action steps. We get bogged down with these little feelings and before you know it you can be so weighted down, you “feel” stuck and paralyzed!
So, make a decision to take action daily IN SPITE of how you feel about. Moving forward is essential – commit to this premise and TAKE ACTION – even if just a little, every day regardless of feelings to the contrary. “Stay in motion,” especially when there is a tendency to get bogged down with old or negative feelings should become a ready and powerful affirmation. Of course sometimes feelings need attention and we do need to stop and tend to our self. Let your wise inner guide take you where you need to go. Be smart – if something is a fear-based, self-sabotaging emotion that pops up just when you’re trying to do a new thing, please see that as a sign you need to keep moving forward.
2) The Reason for the Goal! Remember the reason for the goal. Why are you trying to achieve this goal in the first place? Who will it help and how? When you set the goal, what was your vision? What is it costing you to not achieve this goal? How will it help your life to achieve this goal? Reflect on the answers to these and other personal questions you can ask to get to the deeper motivation and reason for the goal.
Create some reminders – strategically placed signs, post-its, pictures and reminders to ensure you are reminded daily of the reason and motivation for and behind your end goal.
3) Forgive yourself!
For all that has been left undone, forgive yourself.
For all that you are responsible for causing or not doing, forgive yourself.
For all that you promised to do, but (even if for the umpteenth time) did not do, forgive yourself.
For all the ways you have sabotaged yourself, forgive yourself.
There is no moving forward – and staying in motion, without complete forgiveness. The weight of guilt, shame, disappointment, regret and all things negative is too much to carry AND be creative, productive and effective at the same time. You have to drop the load to pick up your blessings. This Daily Forgiveness Ritual will be helpful.
Remember, feelings LOVE patterns of familiarity! They love doing the same things and running the same script. They thrive on pressing the ‘repeat’ button.
Look out for them! Have a plan in place to deal with them. When the adrenalin and excitement of newness is not there to propel you into motion, you need to rely on a pre-conceived plan to keep yourself in motion.
Plant the benefits of achieving your goal in your emotions and psyche, and then nurture them daily.
Don’t trust your ‘feelings’ – they are designed to trick you into tending to them and only them!
Also remember, doing a new thing, achieving a goal or stretching into new success habits and changing the behaviors of ‘bad’ habits is uncomfortable, at first. It’s how we’re wired. We love patterns and routines! So be prepared with a plan to stay on track when you start a new thing.
Oh, but the glory of sweet success! 🙂
Wishing you an abundance of peace, joy and productivity,
~♥~
photo credit: marsmet544 via photopin cc
