Why do you want to up-level your life? Where does this desire for more – this discontent with the way things are – come from? For sure your thoughts, but why, even if we’re aware of that, can’t we simply accept the status quo?
Because – boring!
For some of you, it’s a fire in your belly you simply can’t ignore. Or at least it used to be. For many, you’ve “ignored” this signal (let’s call it Yellow Alert for any of my fellow Star-Trek fans) for so long that you only occasionally hear it, and when you do you feel stuck or powerless to do anything about it. Nonetheless it won’t go away. And when you do hear it or feel it in your belly, you might talk yourself out of any sense of urgency to examine it, reminding yourself how good things are. Or you do some of things I listed in Midlife Soul Suckers to distract yourself and not think about it or feel.
Please don’t ignore that alarm that yellow alert. You will be miserable if you quiet that desire for change, for growth, for – you define it – something more.
What will happen if you continue to quiet this alarm is that you will settle. Or perhaps you already have. You’ll keep hearing it or feeling it, but push it away. So you’ll settle for what everyone else says is enough, but not what is acceptable to you in your heart. And that’s a low level misery that can bleed into every other area of your life.
So let’s dive in and start to get unstuck! I want you to write these down to get maximum benefit. Don’t just do them in your mind.
- What is one area in your life that you know needs attention, but that you’ve ignored (or tried to)? Don’t hide it, don’t filter, just brainstorm or write it out if you already know. Become aware of it. What is it? It could be something broad like “My finances could be in better shape”. If so, I recommend trying to get more specific, like “I’ve always wanted to have or do this one thing.”
- Next, identify what are you currently feeling about this area? My guess is currently you feeling something like frustration, overwhelm, or stuck. Be sure this is how you feel and that your focus is not on someone else. “If only they would…” isn’t helpful.
- Once you’ve identified the feeling or feelings, ask yourself, what is driving those feelings? What are you thinking about this area or making it mean in your life that makes you feel that way? It could be something like, “I can’t afford it.”
- Up to this point, you’re becoming aware of what is automatically coming up in your brain. Once you have this awareness, question it. Is what I’m thinking really true? Are there other ways of thinking that will motivate me to take action? Come up with 3 new ways of thinking about this that you really can believe and really truly motivates you.
If you found this helpful and would like more help getting unstuck, go to my site to schedule time to meet with me. And if you’d like to get periodic emails when I post a blog along with special updates from me, sign up below!