In Part One, I used an example of a person who desires a country life while currently a city dweller. This week it’s time to explore the 3rd way we get stuck, telling the story we don’t like. How does it feel when you picture yourself outside with the chickens or in your lovely garden picking a few vegetables for dinner? Imagine the ease, the slower pace of life, the sounds, smells and sensations of your new life. For now, don’t worry about specifics or the “how” you get there. Feel the delight in waking up to the rooster crowing and the thrill of knowing, “I created this!” Drive to the country when you can, walk around and allow yourself to take in the general feel. Savor the small things. Positive thoughts improve your wellbeing. Explore what it is you enjoy, what you love, and allow these type of feelings to become familiar. Create a new story for yourself, practice telling the story, and most importantly, practice enjoying it in your mind. This is part three of our series if you missed them, here are Part One and Part Two.
Part Three of Three
You are keeping yourself stuck if you insist on telling a story of how unhappy you are now.
- You spend time thinking, “how is anything ever going to change?”
- You find yourself focusing on the things that upset you rather than what you enjoy.
- You hang out with others who complain about their lives, and you join in.
Meditation is a powerful tool. If you can spend 10-15 minutes a day quieting your mind, you may discover inspiring impulses that move you toward feeling better in your current life. Once you can appreciate your ability to feel good, and focus on better feeling thoughts, you will begin to observe changes and feeling stuck will lessen. Your job may start to feel better. You may find that you can breeze through situations that might have got you down in the past. What simple things do you enjoy about your apartment or your neighborhood? What do you like about your job? What freedom do you enjoy as a single person? What decisions are you able to make without considering anyone else’s needs? Take one small step at a time. Choose just one area of focus. It’s best to choose the part of your life that feels the best, in other words, start where it’s easier to find things you enjoy before shifting your focus to another area of your life.
It’s not so much what you do as how you feel.
Make a list of the things you like, love, or enjoy in your life, keep it general. Refer to this list and keep adding to it. Break old habits by choosing new thoughts. When you notice you’re feeling down, look to see what you were thinking a moment before. When you discover the negative thought, empower yourself by choosing to upgrade to a slightly better way of thinking about it. Put on some uplifting music, take a brisk walk. If you’re at work, get up and walk to the bathroom while taking deep breaths. It’s not so much about what you do as it is how you feel. Moving your body helps too. Choosing is freedom. You can always reframe a situation. Choose how you feel, how you respond, and in doing so, your potential grows exponentially. Try it and let me know what happens!
If you have been following this series of posts and would like some help identifying where you are stuck, email me to set up a free Clarity Session. If you’re not ready for that just yet, check out my True Potential Quiz