"I know what I want to do," said Ben. "I've thought about it a lot. I just can't seem to get moving." Ben was a client who actually came to me with a pretty well thought out idea of where he wanted his life to go. But somehow, he just couldn't get it to go there.
For Ben, the barrier was time- and structure-related. He knew what he wanted, he knew what he needed to do, but he couldn't anchor it in his daily practicing reality. Ben needed to learn how to take his ideas and turn them into action. Deadlines and the calendar became Ben's best friends as he overcame his inertia.
But each person has his or her own initial hurdle to overcome, and for each person there's a different strategy for breaking the logjam.
Here's a few ideas to think about. See if one of them doesn't speak to you as a way to break that logjam of action that you've been experiencing.
Write it down. You've heard it said a million times and even so it's still true today that "talk is cheap." By that I mean talk is just that, talk. Don't get me wrong. I'm a talker from way back. I see nothing wrong with talking. It can help you clarify what you have in mind, make your goals more specific and specific goals are easier to accomplish.
But at some point the talk has to stop and action must begin. For many people, the first action that can set them on their road is to physically manifest what they've been talking about. And the easiest and simplest way to do that is write it down. Some clients are most comfortable creating to-do lists. For others, its more important to first write about their hopes and dreams, and then build task lists. But either way, the very act of writing gives your thoughts physical presence – the first step towards full manifestation.
Before you dismiss this suggestion lightly, consider the significance that our US Constitution carries – because it's in writing. There is power in writing, and if you write down your vision for yourself, and what your goals are to get there, you've actually taken the first step of manifesting.
Exercise. Okay, I admit people who know me will laugh that I propose this suggestion. But to me exercise is a very broadly defined word.
Maybe you want to fill that extra 45-minutes that you normally spend sitting in bumper to bumper traffic commuting home from work with a quick workout at the gym near your office. Don't get scared. By "workout" I mean almost anything besides chatting with the desk clerk. Twenty minutes on the stationary bicycle would be a great start. But don't do it with your music earphones on. Don't hide from your thoughts.
Okay, so maybe you're not going to join a gym. Then take a walk. And don't say you don't have time. Park your car farther away from the office. Walk to the post office instead of driving. And again, don't do it to music. You may ask me what I have against music and I have to say nothing. I listen to it all the time. The purpose of these exercises is not to listen to music but instead to listen to that voice inside you that will guide you to the next step you've been searching for.
If you find yourself longing for something to listen to or something to watch while you're walking or riding your bicycle or anything else, perhaps that's a sign that you're uncomfortable being alone with your thoughts. Maybe you need to take some time to get to know yourself a little better.
Volunteer. Sometimes the easiest way to figure out yourself is to stop thinking about yourself and try thinking about others for a change. Volunteering for any kind of activity can take you outside your preoccupation with the challenges that you face on a daily basis and show you other people's challenges. In the process, I guarantee you'll learn more about yourself.
Whether it's for your child's PTA or at the homeless mission soup kitchen, doing good for others always enlarges our view of life and of ourselves. You may be surprised at the skills and talents that you evidence, or the things that you enjoy during your volunteer activities. And these may give you valuable clues to what the next step on your journey should be. Use deadlines. We all like to talk about the proverbial "someday." But we also know that "someday" rarely comes.
For some people deadlines are not problem. They seem to have a natural sense of the flow of time and what they need to be doing when. I remember when I used to watch my Italian grandmother cook, she never used a recipe. She never used a timer. She rarely used measuring spoons or measuring cups. But darn it if she didn’t make the best food I remember ever eating.
But I believe those are truly exceptional people. For the rest of us, a recipe is a necessity. And so are deadlines. Time passes rapidly when you have something to do. You always will have less time than you think. The only way for most of us to keep time from slipping away and taking with it our opportunities is to tack your goals and desires to a spot on the calendar. In other words -- a deadline.
Always remember though, that deadlines are not sacrosanct, they can and sometimes must be changed. But never abandoned. Deadlines can provide the valuable forward momentum that you need to keep on track and on time.
Get out of town. Well maybe not literally, but if you can actually leave town, that would be even better. Lots of folks enjoy a change of scenery and a change of scenery can make a change in you. Perhaps it's as little as driving to the other side of town spending some time over there; walking the neighborhood, perhaps stop and have a espresso at a small neighborhood coffeehouse.
Or maybe you want to get a little bit more ambitious and take a weekend out of town. Drive up the coast. Drive to the lake. Drive to the desert. (By now I'd guess that you see that I love driving.)
Meditate in the desert for a week, observing life all around you. Or go fishing! My point here is that you want to change your surroundings from what you're familiar with for more than just a minute or two.
Let go of perfect. Let's get one thing clear right up front: you're not perfect. Good for you; me neither. Too many people hold back for fear that their effort will not be perfect. And the result is that their effort is nonexistent instead.
Look at Microsoft. No matter how much research and money and publicity goes into marketing Windows, every new release is rapidly followed up with updates and security patches. Why? I mean, isn't Windows perfect when it's released???
Okay I know you understand how ridiculous that question is if you're a Windows user. But you see my point. Today's successes did not get there by waiting until what they had to offer was perfect.
Let's take a more recent example, but still in technology. Google. Nothing Google releases is ever out of beta. Despite garnering some criticism for the practice, Google benefits by eliminating a perception that the product is never completely developed. This gives them the freedom to experiment without risking severe or significant customer disappointment.
So feel free to think of yourself as permanently in beta and forget about being perfect.
Get fit. There, I said it! But let's not panic. I'm not talking about ending up looking like Schwarzenegger. There's lots of kinds of fit, and if you're heading for a major life change you're going to need most of them.
Here's a quick list of 15 ways to get fit in preparation to change your life.
They're all very simple and none of them involve going to the gym. But you'd be surprised at what small things can make a difference. Remember that change is stressful, and stress takes a physical toll on you. Being in good shape physically and mentally guarantees you the better shot at achieving your heart’s desire through change.
Get organized. Whether by physical means or digital, successful people are organized. They keep calendars. These days there's no excuse for not having an appointment calendar and a listing of your important contacts and phone numbers with you at all times.
I'm old enough to remember when carrying a calendar meant adding 20 pounds. And my paper contact listing was hopelessly out of date because it was so annoyingly difficult to keep current. In the end it simply became the anchor point for millions and millions of post-its.Now I carry everything in my cell phone. It's my brain. You don't need to go that far. My point is that it's important enough to be organized that there is little excuse not to be.
Use a coach. Every successful athlete works with someone more experienced than them to help them train to be their very best. We're familiar with an athletic coach, but sometimes it's hard to transfer that idea to one's own life.
And if you've done a lot of Internet research about life coaches, you may have noticed a distinctly "spiritual" aspect to many of them. For many people that spiritual aspect of coaching is an important element, but many more are using a coach, not to assist with their spiritual development, but to make real concrete changes in their lives. And to make those changes in ways that maintain their own personal and spiritual integrity.
As a coach I don't impose my any spiritual beliefs on my clients. Nor do my clients come to me for spiritual guidance. Instead we focus on the client, the client's life, and the client’s desires. I have no secrets to give because there are no secrets.
I have experience, study, and talent. So do you. We put them together to help you create the dream life you've always wanted. Think of the coach who follows Michael Phelps along the swimming lane timing him, observing his form, making notes about what to talk about when the lap is done.
Now you be Michael Phelps, and I'll hold the stopwatch.
http://www.manifestationcoaching.com/
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