Right here, right now, you can bust through the mental barriers that are holding you back and live a more fulfilling social, work and physical life. Grab a clean slate – be it a piece of paper or a blank Word screen – and get ready to write. Then take action.
Take Three Steps to Break Through Mental Barriers
1) List THREE SMALL GOALS you can reach this week and ACHIEVE THEM.
What are three remarkable but tiny things you can do this week? Maybe you have a few unfinished tasks that when piled-up crush your forward momentum, like sewing-on the button missing from your favorite shirt, ordering an ID tag for your running shoe, cutting your toenails or mailing the “thank you” note to your mother that has been sitting on your counter. It doesn’t matter what the outstanding tasks are, as long as they are things you need to do but just haven’t done. List only three things. Do them. Check them off the list. Revel in how great it felt to get those monkeys off of your back, and then let that nudge you forward so you’ll list out three more for the following week and on and on until you’ve dismantled the barriers brick by brick.
2) Pick ONE SMALL THING that FRIGHTENS you. Write it down. Then, ATTACK!
Dig deep and be honest. What scares you? This isn’t about what people stereotypically fear, like heights or skydiving. This is about the little fears that hold you back. It’s about the things you know would make your life simpler, but you avoid doing because they make you socially uncomfortable or you fear the physical discomfort that might be involved.
Maybe you dread talking on the telephone. If so, make an unprompted call and deal with your feelings of discomfort. Maybe you’ve been eyeballing the stair climber in the middle of the gym, but have been afraid to touch it. Ask a fitness pro to show you how to use it.
This isn’t about daring to do something huge that others find scary. This isn’t about being the attention seeking daredevil. This is about paying attention to your fear of failure and being self-aware and brave enough to conquer what holds you back one baby step at a time. (Guess what, babies fall a lot when they start walking – but they get up fearlessly and go at it again.)
3) Pick one NEW (to you) ACTIVITY that you’re CURIOUS about and TRY IT.
Whether it’s a recipe, an exercise, a new running route, showing up to a paint-night, entering a trivia competition, going next-door to meet your neighbor or trying on a wetsuit – it doesn’t matter what it is as long as it is something that is new to you. Getting off your beaten path, even briefly, will stimulate your creative juices and help you bust through stagnant waters. Doing things differently, even slightly, will make you feel different and render positive results that aren’t mired in fear and stagnation, but are grounded in freedom, clarity, and creativity!
