“Whoa! That’s really bright!” my son remarked after we changed the lights above the dining room table. There are three bulbs, and over the previous week, two had blown.
“It’s amazing how quickly we become accustomed to things, isn’t it?” I answered back.
Later that night, we saw our neighbor who had had a heart attack a few months ago. “I’m feeling so much better than I did before the heart attack. I just thought how I felt before was normal.”
When the Universe puts the same message in my path twice in the same day, I have learned to take notice.
What in my life have I become accustomed to that no longer serves me? Where is my light dimmed?
I’ve fallen into a routine, and for the most part, I’m content with everything I’m doing. Most of it is moving me forward toward my goals. I think.
Well, I’m moving, but what is it that I’m moving toward?
It’s important to have goals. People who write their goals down are more likely to achieve them. I understand this. I’ve benefited from this in the past. My husband did his yearly planning and goal setting over Christmas. One of my assignments in an online course is to set goals. And I’ve totally avoided it.
Something has been holding me back. Something big enough that when I brought it up with my coach, I became quite emotional about it.
Cycle of Change
From www.lessons4living.com: Resistance can impact each of the six steps of the Cycle of Change.
At the step of “Something’s up?” you simply do not look ahead or ask any question about what is going on. At step two you refuse to name or even give the slightest acknowledgement to any problem. Don’t make any plans for action will stall you at step three as will never acting on plans you did make when you reach step four. You can resist at step five by never making any adjustments to plans that are implemented. At step six complacency will lull you into false security and you will not proactively look ahead to what is coming.
Through my coaching session, two things became clear to me. The first is that I feel like I already have a lot of commitments. If I make goals for more things, I risk tipping into overwhelm. I know that I have a tendency to take on too much at one time. So part of my resistance is to taking on more than I feel I can handle.
The second thing I got clear about was one of the teachings I have received several times over the past few years. The essence of it is that if I don’t keep my commitments, even the little ones to myself, the Universe won’t take me seriously. So I’m afraid of making commitments that I don’t think I could keep.
The solution my coach helped me to find was to set my goals for things I’m already doing. Simple, yet brilliant! I had been stuck thinking that I had to make goals to achieve new things.
I’m finally ready to complete my assignment. I’ll be setting my goals for things I’m already working on – firming up my commitments. I’m setting myself up for success.
How have you dealt with goal setting or resistance this year?
Blessings,
Mary
