You have come so far, you’ve put your heart and soul into your next big goal and now you are on the edge of taking new actions, big actions, which means in some ways you are going to put yourself out there even more and that can feel very exposing! And although it may seem like the next step to take is a simple action to you, or to people around you, there is a lot at risk here. There is something about completing the next task that represents something that seems scary and it is out of your comfort zone. Because you are going after a big goal, a big dream!
Now the what-ifs start to creep in and you suddenly find yourself stuck or in action and it goes completely against what you consciously say you want. You know you want to achieve this goal you set and yet you are unable to take the next step. It’s just one more step in the direction you want to go, right?! So what’s going on?
It simply means that there is a side of you that is downright REFUSING!
Yes, refusing and there are a lot of ways that refusing shows up. This side of you can get overwhelmed, or get really busy, or simply just avoid. Or it can create a battle within you and cause many distractions. It is a side of you that sees there is a lot at stake and can be really afraid of the consequences of taking the next steps. It is a side that is always AFRAID of something – fear of failure, not being perfect, too many options, perceived lack of control of the outcomes.
And the more we look very specifically, on where we are avoiding taking action, avoiding any piece of the dreams and goals that we have, and any piece of what we are really feeling, we lose touch with what is going on in ourselves. Because trying not to feel something will absolutely put us out of our core energy, out of our enthusiasm, out of our most powerful self and into a very stressed out state.
Do you see how, in this task that can sound so simple, there is actually a lot more at stake for you? So, I want you to have some compassion for yourself and really understand that.
And guess what you can definitely refuse to take one more step – in fact give yourself permission to say out loud “Nope not today -I do not want to do it! And I do not have to do it!” Just saying this out loud can relieve the pressure we place on ourselves and then ask yourself what do you really, really, want?
And if you really want your dreams to come true and that next step still feels scary on some level, continue to voice it, process it, and honor it. Be honest with yourself and don’t make excuses. Say “Of course this is scary AND I am going to do it anyway.”
Becoming aware of the “whys” we are not taking action forward is actually critical to forward movement. We need to make a conscious decision every day and sometimes every minute for what we really, really, want.
So what are some tangible things we can do to help make that next step less scary and to break the inertia:
- Self-care is imperative to alleviate stress levels – especially when you start to feel overwhelmed
- Use the “tapping” technique with voicing to process and honor your thoughts & feelings – this technique will decrease the fight/flight/freeze response within the nervous system itself and bring you into grounded, positive energy
- Remove temptations/distractions – social media, net surfing, NETFLIX etc.
- Make a To-Do list and separate it into three categories – this will help you make informed choices on what things to put off and when, rather than finishing the easier things first
- urgent
- moderately important
- put off until later
- Break down big items into small bite size actions – no one ever ate the elephant in just one bite!
- Dump any excuses
- Be honest with yourself
- Find motivation – play, music, gratitude, purpose
- Ask for help – reach out to the people who can encourage & support you – there is nothing worse than feeling you’re in it all by yourself
- Finish what you start
- Celebrate each task you finish – when we celebrate finishing each task (yes even the small tasks) it moves us into a different kind of energy – positive energy – the kind of energy that says – “I am feeling I am on my way. This is happening. I am happening! I am doing the hard thing and that means that I am a badass!”
Because guess what you are a BADASS!! Keep going – you so got this!