Becoming Unstuck

For those who have requested this....here is a book clip from thoughtWARE - 101 Inner Mind Programs for Designing, Planning & Reaching Your Goals

Book Clip - Becoming Un-stuck...

We are now ready to begin to implement the actual goals. While we continually work in the planning laboratory of the mind, there is the moment when we step out & begin to take the ideas forward. Many people tend to stay in the laboratory, being locked up by fear of failure & also fear of success. What will happen if this all falls apart? What will people think? What will happen if I succeed? What will people think?

When we practice Awareness Meditation & Interactive Self-Hypnosis we are better able to see the emotions in action. I call these emotional states the Outer Children. It is our job to practice self-discipline & mental strengthening, passing on these lessons to our Outer Children. In other words, helping ourselves to mature.

No matter what area of your life you are working on, the goal steps remain the same. I find it beneficial to work with both pen & inner theater. This series of articles will help you move in the direction of high level goal performance. Achieving goals is not an accident or a matter of luck. It is a matter of knowing what to do & then doing it. So lets get into the action!

Do your planning in writing. It is easier to achieve a goal committed to paper. What you write on the paper is very important. Just the name of the goal such as "weight loss" will not do it. Be very specific about the details of the goal & always describe it as completed. As you continue to work on this written description, the resolution will become clearer & clearer. What happens if you can't describe the goal or if you can't see it clearly? This is a rather common happening & it is just a matter of brain-blocking or a form of performance pressure. Should this happen it is very important not to back away from the project at hand.

First take some time to relax deeply in a quiet spot. Have your journal & pen on the table in front of you. Have your work area free of clutter. Once your body & mind have relaxed, open your journal & draw a rectangle. This represents the "picture" of your completed goal. Now, just as if you could see the picture, go ahead & begin describing it. If you get stuck again, simply make it up.

Decide how you will achieve this goal. Once again, commit this to writing. If you find this difficult & cannot think clearly, take some time as before & relax deeply. In the theater of your mind see yourself doing this task easily & completely. Suppose you don't know how you will achieve this goal? This is an opportunity to go deeper into the workshop or theater of the mind & call forth your inner librarian or assistants.

Take a moment to notice how your assistants look, how they are dressed, etc. Next, have them sit with you with the picture of your goal in front of them. Ask them how they will help you to achieve the goal. What will they do? This kind of imagery moves us past mind-blocking. This type of blocking is similar to writers block or any other type of performance anxiety. The combination of deep relaxation & specially designed imagery will not only move you through the block, but will open the door to the subconscious creativity center.

Set action steps. Once the mind knows the basic over-view of how you will achieve the goal, more information is required. This work must be broken down into smaller action steps. The mind will help you do this. I like to do all this work in active self-hypnosis with my inner librarian or assistants. When holding this sort of "inner meeting" request that the steps be simple & small.

Think what you will do first, second, third & so on. Make the list as long as necessary. Do not back away from long lists. Think in details. Most stalling in relation to lists happens because the details are not clearly expressed. Remember this is a working list & for your eyes only. Action is the key to starting the engine of procrastination. & action must be defined in very small incremental steps.

Set dates on your action steps. While we utilize hypnosis for change, we do need other tools. I suggest a daily planner or calendar, as well as a goal folder with a grass-catcher list. Take all the written action steps & place them in your calendar or grass-catcher list. Number them. Remember to be honest to yourself & realistic. Look at the goal as a work project, even if it isn't related to work. We all know how to plan & set deadlines. Place a deadline date next to each & every action step. This part of the work is somewhat time consuming, however you will get all of this time back & more once you start the engine of the goal.

Make your goal action steps a priority. Low priority activities do not get done, nor do they build self-esteem. Label your goal in your mind's eye as absolutely high-priority business. It is indeed possible to work on many goals at the same time when you are organized both inner & outer. To succeed you must commit to the planning & to the prioritization of the action steps with their deadlines. You must get serious about succeeding. In the past you may have fell prey to procrastination & mind wandering. This is a lack of self-discipline, thought & emotional management. This type of outcome destroys self-esteem. You do not have to take that route.

Work on your goals every day. Do something in relation to your goal projects each & every day, even if it is to write it on your daily calendar. An example might be, "Today I am burning fat." These daily small actions help to program the subconscious mind for permanent change. I like to utilize the folder system mentioned earlier. Each goal has it's own folder with the goal description, action plan, action steps with deadlines & a grass-catcher list. At the beginning of each day I like to review each goal area & place action steps in my daily planner. I put aside an hour each morning for this work. Some people prefer to do it at the end of the previous day. Try both & see which your inner librarian prefers.

Make a list of any materials you may need. Often goals need materials. Focus on gathering these instead of the task. For example, if your goal is to get organized, you may need file folders, boxes, etc. Make this a very detailed list & also not where you will purchase or obtain these things & when. Write this on your calendar. If your goal needs materials at different stages, make note of these & place them in your action steps so you won't be derailed by not having what you need.

If in the past you had difficulty with this area of planning, go to the theater or workshop in your mind, see the project as completed, & notice all the materials you utilized sitting on the table before you. You might review the goal & table with your inner librarian or assistant. If we have a past experience that is not positive, it is important to illustrate to the subconscious mind that we do not want that same thing to happen again. The subconscious mind can not judge & doesn't know the difference between what we want & don't want, unless we make ourselves very clear.

Set the scene. Changes we choose to make need all sorts of planning. For example, if your goal is to stop smoking, make a list of things that must be done to get ready for this, such as throwing away all ashtrays, deodorizing the care, rugs, etc. Make written lists & set deadlines on your calendar. It is so important to emphasize that the power is in the planning, not only because of organization, but because of how the subconscious mind sees the project.

We have the ability to utilize the mind at much higher levels than we do, but in order to take advantage of this marvelous asset, we must know how to do it. Most people think of hypnosis as some sort of deep trance state, & while it can be utilized like that, there are many other ways for us to practice self-hypnosis & gain the benefits.
Plan rewards for yourself. While grand rewards are great, be certain to reward yourself daily for making important small changes. These can be as simple & as important as taking quiet time for yourself or packing a special lunch.

Always look for ways to treat yourself well. It is amazing how few people think in this way. If we treated our friends as we treat ourselves, we probably would be quite friendless. Take some time to think about yourself as a human being. What do you need? What do you like? What did you enjoy when you were little? Would you enjoy that now? Each day practice tuning into yourself & in that very moment see what you might need to make your life a little more pleasant. Perhaps it is as simple as standing up & moving around!

Review & update your plans frequently. As you focus more & more on your goals, new ideas & information will become known to you. Keep your plans fluid. I like to bring my goals to the inner librarian & assistants at least each week. We often meet in the library of my mind. That is where all my experiences are stored. There are lots of assets in those books that can be applied to the goals at hand. It is quite easy to do this work.

If you are interested in reading the archives from this blog, you can find them at the following link...

http://thoughtwareprograms.blogspot.com/

If you would like to read our blog based on our book, It's Time to Stop Nail Biting & Skin Picking - 4 Steps to Success - An Innovative Program for Adults & Children, here is the link...
http://stopnailbiting.blogspot.com/