This week of wishing begins with a moment of reflection. I can get caught up in the stuff that isn’t happening and focus on what appears to be stifling my progress.
I think this is a common problem among Scanners (as described in week 3), but we can use the power of negative thinking for our good. I can get stuck in analysis paralysis when plotting out my goals. They remain on paper and I continue to think of all the reasons I would fail.
So I go there. What is the worst thing that would happen to me if I FAILED? (Unless you are considering jumping off a bridge to see if you can fly, my guess is that you will survive if you are not a complete success the first time.) I usually find that I have more to lose by NOT trying.
Go back to the list of Nots we worked on last week. Did you break them down to actionable steps? Did you do the Today and Tomorrow planning? Is there something in the way of your taking those first steps? Yes? Well, let bitch about it! Sometimes a positive attitude is not enough and we just need to have hearty gripe session. Invite your family to participate and applaud your griping (this helps so they don’t think you’ve fallen off the deep end). Let it all out.
I can’t do this because….I don’t know how, It can’t be done because I don’t have the time, I will fail and I don’t want to be embarrassed, I’m not smart enough, computers hate me! Be melodramatic, seriously, Feel it. I’m too lazy, I’m too unfocused..(admit it, you just thought about a squirrel). I’m too dumb and I can’t figure this out!!!! Your family, if participating, should applaud your expression of this without trying to counter with positivity. They should help wallow and really dig in to what is bothering you. A “yeah, that really sucks!” will help you to get to the real emotion behind what you are saying.
In my experience, a good gripe session really clears the way to creative solutions. It gets the ugly out of the closet so we can take a closer look and realize that it isn’t an insurmountable monster. ‘I don’t know how” turns into “I can watch a tutorial on YouTube and learn how.” “I don’t have time” turns into “I can work on this during my lunch break” and “I am to unfocused….well, go ahead and think of the squirrel.
When you are done griping , go back to the list of goals and consider what you have accomplished, however small. I didn’t know how to work a camera but I have taken some pretty great family photos. There was a time I didn’t know how to add a watermark to a photo and now I can make all kinds of cool projects. I just finished my first newsletter and published it! You get the picture. It is the compilation of all of the little things that get us to our wish. This is a great reason to track this all in one place so you can review your goal calendar and see your progress. Don’t let fear stand in your way.
There really is nothing to it, but to do it!
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