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5 Strategies To Change Your Life In 2017
December 13, 2016
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One of the most common questions I've received over the last year is "Why?" Why did I walk away from a successful 18-year programming career to launch my own business? For me the answer came down to one word.
Fulfillment.
In the age of national programming, format captains, and fewer people making more global decisions, my job had become more a "program implementer" rather than a "Program Director." That just didn't excite me. For me, my work each day no longer represented the best version of myself, so I made a change.
I realize not everyone shares this view and if you have the luxury of working for good bosses on the local level who give you the freedom to build the right team, execute your vision, and serve the community, then consider yourself lucky!
Yet, my guess is there is still some other area of your life where you feel stuck. Whether it's your relationships, health, life/work balance, or overall sense of fulfillment, we all want to grow into a better version of ourselves.
The 5 personal growth concepts I'm about to share with you represent the foundation from which my life evolved from being overweight, depressed, lonely, and bored in 2012, to a life that is filled with a sense of purpose and is lived on my terms.
1) Congruence: If your intention for your life is not aligned with your beliefs, then nothing else I will share in this column will matter.
If your goal is to make a million dollars, but you believe that your family and friends will judge you and think you're "better than them," you are going to fail. If you want to attract a loving, passionate relationship, but believe on some level that you're unlovable because of past failed romances, you will not find the right partner. If you want to share your story and inspire millions of people, but feel unworthy of being heard, you will always play small.
When your vision and beliefs are out of alignment, it means there is an old cobweb belief in your subconscious that is holding you back. The lack of congruence is keeping you from taking determined action to design the life you want and deserve.
Part of my work as a coach is helping people unearth the specific moment in their life they made a false belief that they aren't "enough," so we replace it with new, empowering beliefs to push you closer to your dreams.
The sooner you unlearn your self-limiting beliefs and remember who you truly are, the sooner you can create massive change in a short period of time.
2) Self-Discipline: If you want to live an extraordinary life, it requires executing daily rituals that prime you for success.
I'm not talking about some Pagan worship ceremony here. This is about committing to daily acts of self-love. As Louise Hay says, "How you start your day is how you live your day. How you live your day is how you live your life."
To get to the next level, we must start our day in a more intentional manner than hitting the snooze button and jumping right into email and social media.
I work with clients to create a custom plan to nurture the mind, body, and spirit each morning. When we make ourselves a priority, we show up in the world with more energy and vitality. We have a full cup from which we can give to others... which brings us to the third point.
3) Service: Want to earn more money? Figure out what skill of yours provides the most value to others and then seek out people who need your help. Want to have a successful radio brand? Create more value for your listeners than anyone else. Want to leave a lasting impact on the world? Give of yourself.
Whether it's passing on a piece of wisdom or simply just giving your time, the ultimate levels of fulfillment happen when you realize that life is not about getting. It's about giving.
Notice that I put service to others AFTER self-love. Most of us put everyone else's needs before our own. We are addicted to pleasing others, often at the expense of our own dreams.
Doing this might seem selfless, but it has negative consequences. You will find yourself emotionally depleted and feeling resentful of the time you give to those around you. Worse yet, you will find yourself moving farther away from your goals instead of closer.
You can't give to the world what you do not have. Thus, making time for you is the fuel that helps you show up for yourself, and ultimately show up bigger for your employer, family, and friends.
4) Courage: Many personal growth "experts" talk at length about how we must "live fearlessly."
I say...Good luck with that. Let me know how it works out.
Fear is a physiological response that is embedded into 2 million years of DNA. It's been here long before us and will be here long after we are gone. Our brain simply has not evolved beyond fight or flight.
However, it's not a reason to give up on your dreams.
You were scared the first day your parents dropped you off at school. You were scared before your first kiss. You felt fear before you started that first job after college.
Yet, all those experiences were vital to your growth.
The same holds true for what scares you today.
If we accept that fear isn't going away, we release ourselves from the expectation of being fearless,and step into being courageous. This is where progress is made.
5) Finding an Expert Coach or Mentor: Let's be real. If you knew how to uncover those subconscious, cobweb beliefs that hold you back, you would have already let them go.If you knew how to take charge of your schedule and make time for your dreams, you would have already done it. If you knew how to conquer your fears and take bold action, you wouldn't be reading this right now.
If you want to work towards a new goal to up-level your life in 2017, you need the help of a mentor who has already walked the path and can see your blind spots.
As a way of saying thanks for reading these columns this year, I'm offering one last chance for you to get a jumpstart on your 2017 goals. I'm offering FREE, 30-minute breakthrough coaching sessions to the first 10 people to mail dan@creativesoulcoaching.net. Where do you want to step it up in the new year? Where can you find more fulfillment? Let's talk about your dreams and give you one powerful action step to take into the New Year so you can take charge and design the life you want and deserve!
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