A Few Tips If You Want Something More
It’s a rare, gray day here in Southern California. With rain so scarce over the past few years,
we relish these teasing skies. Will
moisture drop from the heavens? Will our flowers and trees soak up every last
drop to nourish their existence? Does
the water quench their thirst or leave them straining for more? That strain
would be akin to what we feel when we activate the gap between where we find
ourselves and where we long to be.
Internally, there is a continual nudge to move toward our
goal. Externally, we may provide all
manner of excuses for why we cannot take action. Or we may begin to complain
and allow criticisms to dominate our thought process. Both of these approaches are detrimental to
achieving our goals. The subconscious
mind will not support your efforts if you are thinking with two minds, for
instance, saying that you want money and then condemning anyone who has made
more than you or saying that you want to start your own business and then
complaining that you don’t have the time.
So what’s a body to do?
Nip those negative thought habits in the bud. Take out your journal or a notebook and write
down the answers to questions like the following:
What has brought you to this place at this time and
why? There is a reason that you have
activated the gap at this moment and when you listen to what your insides are
telling you, you know what it is.
Although I am by nature impatient with what may feel like slow progress,
it is more likely to be something inspirational or threatening that makes me
feel so uncomfortable.
What are you telling yourself? If your thoughts are filled with criticism,
doubts, fears, or resentments, it’s time to flip your thinking. Divide a page in your notebook into two
columns. Write down all your complaints
and negative feelings on one side. Then
note what you would prefer next to each item on the other side of the
page.
Your discomfort comes from the contrast between what is on
the two sides of the page. For right
now, I want you to focus only on the side where you have written down your
preferences. As you reread them, do your
preferences fit into your dreams of what you want to do, be or have?
What are your dreams? Take as much time as you’d like to describe
what you want to bring into your life.
It could be a bucket list of places to visit, friends and family you’d
like to see, a pet project you’d like to undertake, a foundation you’d like to
support, a life work you’d like to pursue or all of the above. Write it all down in as much “technicolor” as
you can.
How do you feel as your put this on paper? How do you want to feel when you can look
back at all that you have achieved? Feel
those feelings now.
What one thing can you do today that will help you feel the
way you want to feel, right now. Perhaps
you have a vision of feeding the world’s homeless, but the closest you can come
at the moment is donating time and/or money to a food bank. Then do it now and cherish that first feeling
of taking a step toward your dream.
At times, we may be unaware of the source of our discomfort,
however, when we stop and honestly look at the situation, we can begin to
notice where to start right now, make a plan and experience some relief as we
begin to move through the steps we need to take to bridge that gap. Once we
begin to move, we may begin to be what my friend Sandra Daly calls
“successfully midair.” May you take off
and soar today!
To Your Successful Flight,
Susan