When you’re ready to create the life/business you really want instead of dreaming about it, simply tell yourself, “The time is now to decide!”
Every decision you make changes the course of your life, for better or worse. Once you realize that your thoughts control your actions, you start living your life on purpose, instead of by accident.
To help with the decision-making process, I’ll share a few steps from the strategy I recommend all my Players (Clients) to use when they’re ready to pursue their dreams. After you discover what your goals for change are following the steps in part one of this article series, you’ll want to move into the analytical phase. See these beginning steps below.
Step One: List all your motivators for making the change in your life/business.
I developed this part of the strategy with my husband while we were living in New Jersey, ready to make a dramatic change in our business and living situation. We sat on our lanai on a brisk autumn day, as the colored leaves began to drop. Journal in hand, we started listing all the reasons (motivators) for why we wanted to make this move. As we did this, certain “fears” which we now call “concerns” popped up. These fears could have easily stopped us in our tracks, preventing us from moving from the dream phase to the action phase.
Step Two: List all your concerns about making the change in your life/business.
We immediately tackled those fears by writing each of them down on the left side of our journal page. We listed everything from tsunamis to big bugs. (Hey — don’t laugh. These were valid concerns at the time, before we knew better.) If we stopped right there, we would have easily convinced ourselves this was too big of a risk. We would have continued allowing childhood messages to repeat in our minds. Messages such as, “That’s the way life is.” Or “You can’t have everything you want.” Or “You need to just learn how to settle for what life gives you.”
But we didn’t stop there. Our desire to move was too strong, and our determination to overcome challenges and confining patterns rose up within us.
Step Three: Look at the truth behind each concern and analyze if it’s valid or just False Evidence Appearing Real.
On the right hand of the page we listed an argument for each of our F.E.A.R.’s. We labeled this section, “But the TRUTH IS…” We listed all the reasons why the fears weren’t legitimate reasons to stop us from pursuing our ideal business/life.
Often we tend to intensify the fear of the unknown, while we diminish the dangers of our current environment.
Step Four: Look at your current situation and list all the things you tolerate in your environment/business that you would never consciously select if you had the choice.
Coaching Question To Get You Started:
If you could make one change in your business that would dramatically improve your life for a long time to come, what would it be?
Think laterally. Compare our situation to a business situation you may be facing right now. Perhaps you’re thinking of starting your own business but you think it’s too risky. Perhaps you want to grow your business, but you’re afraid you won’t be able to find the right help to accommodate increased business demands. When fears come up preventing you from pursuing your desires, look at the potential downside of continuing to operate your business they way you’ve been, or staying in the profession you’ve grown to despise.
Ask yourself, will I really put forth my best efforts in a profession I am not passionate about? Or will I reach the point of burnout in my business because I just can’t continue doing things the way I always have? If I operate in burn out mode for much longer, what will the consequences be for NOT making necessary changes today? What type of rewards will I reap?
”’Deborah Cole Micek is a Professional Coach, Business Strategist and a Principle of RPM Success Group Inc. Reach her at”’ mailto:DCM@RPMsuccess.com ”’or (888) 334-8151.”’