Many of us are stuck in a job that no longer serves us, stuck in a body we can’t seem to change, and stuck in a home we have grown out of or can’t afford. Some of us are stuck in unemployment, stuck in an unhealthy relationship, or stuck in a hairstyle that won’t seem to grow…Hello, bangs.
How do we remove these blocks in order to move forward?
One step at a time…
It can be overwhelming to look at all the things that need to change in your life, and when we feel overwhelmed we hesitate to make any change at all. Start with just one thing. Make one change and let the change snowball across your life.
I started my "snowball" by ending my addiction to cigarettes. This was just one thing in a life full of things that needed to change for me. My last cigarette was in April of 2013. I’m surprised because it wasn’t something I intended. It was a complete accident (long story there for another post). Changing just that one thing about me snowballed into changing other things. I felt encouraged by my ability to let go of a 15 year habit. I felt healthier, which helped me choose OTHER healthier activities for myself and my family. The change snowball keeps rolling.
The key to getting un-stuck is taking ONE tiny step forward. It can be an inch every day. The trick is to choose just ONE thing and do it CONSISTENTLY, every day for 30 days. When we have a lot of things we want to change, or have a BIG goal in front of us, it can make us feel overwhelmed. This leads us to non-action or the thought of, "Whelp, the distance between where I am and where I want to be is impossibly far," and we give up before we start. Instead of getting bogged down in paralysis--PRIORITIZE.
What is ONE thing you can really, genuinely change? If breaking a long term habit is daunting try something smaller: doing 10 min. of stretching when you wake up, reading a few pages of a motivational book before bed, drinking a whole bottle of water with each meal, floss your teeth every day. These are just suggestions to get you thinking of ONE, small, change you can make now. Get the snowball going in your life.
Have you made a change that started movement across your life? I’d love to hear about it. It is fascinating to see how one simple change can cause enough of a shift in our worldview that we can suddenly see other opportunities for growth. Share with me!