For many this is an exciting time of year - a renewed enthusiasm for life, the feeling of starting anew on a clean slate and setting new goals.
But for some of us it's a time when we find ourselves unmotivated and lost - not sure what to focus on and what goals to set.
👍 This is all GOOD NEWS because you get to ask some great questions and discover more about yourself.
Today I'm sharing a mind-hack to help you move past the roadblocks on the way to achieving your goals. (Read through or just skip to the bottom of this post for a free Goal-Setting practice PDF I’ve created just for YOU!)
We always feel excited and energized when we set goals.
We love the idea of a making a change - start a business, set healthier habits, have better relationships, being happier with our mind and body.
But as we start setting on the journey toward this change our enthusiasm quickly starts to wane after the first hurdle, failure, or regression into old patterns
What all of us tend to do in this moment is throw hands up in defeat and think:
∙I’m too old to change.
∙I’m not smart enough.
∙I have nothing new to say -It’s been done before.
∙I’m not talented.
∙I don’t have time.
∙It’s not the right time.
∙I don’t know if I can do it.
∙I don’t have the discipline.
When we’re having any of these thoughts we take them as absolute truths, as proven as gravity, so we stop going for our goals.
🪄And THIS is biggest trick our mind plays on us.
Anytime you try to change and grow, your mind will feel like you’re leaving your zone of safety, security and comfort, and in a way you totally are.
But because your mind is still playing out the old patterns of your cavemen ancestors: it thinks that whatever growth you’re going for is putting you in danger, like you are leaving the cave to go hunting, or explore new territories.
Fast-forward to your goals today, this old mind-pattern is no longer protecting you from anything- it's only keeping you from growing and being a happier and more fulfilled version of you.
Your mind is brilliant at finding creative ways to convince you to stay safe and not attempt any kind of change that it’ll use every tool it has to keep you from leaving your comfort zone.
It’ll bring up FEAR, INSECURITY, SHAME, ANGER, and anything just so you don’t come out of that damn cave.
But your mind’s most powerful trick of all is to make you believe that all these thoughts are true and that they came from you, so you can’t question and doubt them.
This is why the biggest mind-hack to help you outsmart your primitive brain is to QUESTIO IT!
Here’s my Step-by-Step Mind-Hack Practice to help you move through this resistance and towards your goals:
1. Notice the thoughts that come up when you think you’ve hit a roadblock toward your goals.
2. Know that having these thoughts is perfectly normal and instead of thinking that something
is wrong, expect and welcome them as a sign that you’re growing.
3. Disassociate these thoughts from your own thoughts.
For example replace "I'm not smart enough.” with “My brain
wants me to think I'm not smart enough.”
4. Have compassion for your brain that just wants to keep your safe.
5. Thank it for wanting to protect you.
6. Remind yourself WHY your goal is important to you and why you want to achieve it in first
place.
7. Rinse and repeat! These thoughts are your companions for life, and will show up anytime you attempt to do anything out of the ordinary. The more you practice this process the quicker you’ll be able to move past them.
Think of an example when you set a goal and achieved it.
What were the roadblocks? How did you move past them?
Make it a daily practice to remind yourself of as any examples as you can think of of any past achievements, big or small - from learning to ride a bike, to tie your shoes, or to cook, to learning a new language, learning how to live with a partner or how you treat yourself with more love and compassion. Remind yourself of your own strength, power and beauty daily.
You are your own best role model!
Stani
🎁 P.S. I'm SUPER excited to share with you a free PDF I’ve created just for YOU.
It'a Goal-Setting tool “Notes from a Future You”. Sign up for my newsletter to download the PDF.
Check it out and let me know if you’ve found it helpful. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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