This small trick will seriously improve your life
As a life coach, I’m in the business of breakthroughs.
What does that mean? As coach, my goal with each of my clients is to help them understand the following:
- Where they are now (point A)
- Where they want to go (point B)
- What beliefs, fears or circumstances are keeping them stuck at point A
We’re reallllly good at convincing ourselves that things aren’t possible. We’re excellent at collecting evidence that proves all the reasons our wild success isn’t possible. We are always trying to “rationalize” our way out of all of our big dreams.
This is why coaching is so powerful. Your coach serves as an impartial sounding board that is willing to call you out when you start down your trail of excuses and justification. When we are able to see our situation from a new perspective and acknowledge the beliefs and perceptions we have that are keeping us from doing the things we desire, a breakthrough happens. It’s like a light switch has been been flipped on, and suddenly our self imposed limitations are obvious for what they are: fear. Fear takes many forms: self doubt, procrastination, and avoidance are just a few of the ways it shows up.
We can also choose not to engage with this external viewpoint, and avoid breakthroughs entirely. It feels safer here, at times, to relax into the comfort of our own limitations. We aren’t asking too much of ourselves, and because our arguments are so convincing, everyone around us will accept them as well. The only problem with this choice is that we are the ones who suffer. We will never live to our fullest potential and realize our biggest dreams if we only surround ourselves with people that echo our own limitations back to us.
One thing I’ve noticed in myself, and with my clients, is that it’s our natural tendency as humans to spend far more time thinking about the reasons we can’t, than thinking about the ways that we CAN. Even when we’ve had a breakthrough in conversation with our coach or close friend, we’re likely to forget that realization in light of the hassles of the rest of the day. That’s why my I’ve started my most recent bullet journal spread to record all of the breakthroughs I’ve had in working with my own coaches. Just as practicing daily gratitude helps us to remain centered in a grateful state, reviewing and honoring our breakthroughs can keep us grounded in our new possibility.
This is my small trick for today to seriously improve your life: seek out breakthroughs, and don’t stop there. Write it down. Review it. Revisit it. Incorporate this realization into your life, by considering it in your decisions and planning processes. My bullet journal spread isn’t anything fancy, but it’s a way for me to remind myself of the consistent and impressive progress I’m making, even on days when I feel like I’m in a bit of a stall. I hope you’ll join me in finding a way to record your own breakthroughs in service of a year guided by possibility, rather than another year guided by excuses and limitations.
Are you looking to create some new breakthroughs for yourself in 2017? Schedule a free consultation call with me here to determine if my private coaching program or a 90 minute intensive would be a good fit for you!