WHAT BETTER TIME TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITHOUT FREAKING OUT – because today is a special day. Not only is it the longest day of the year, but it also marks a great astronomical (and astrological, if you believe in it) event – the Great Saturn-Jupiter Conjunction. The two giants of the solar system are so close to each other they will look like one star, and that hasn’t happened since 1226! Some say this was the Christmas star rising at the birth of Jesus Christ, guiding the Magi through the desert. What will it bring to you? What kind of changes are you desiring to make in your life, and what is holding you back?
Let me guess – you’re stuck in your comfort zone. Like me, and most other people I know.
Comfort zone, however comfortable, is actually the worst place to be. We are so used to what we’re doing and where we are that changes, even though desired, never get implemented. Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to start something new? Change freaks us out because it’s unfamiliar and we’re hardwired to prefer the familiar. That’s hour our brains work. Autopilot is always the way of least resistance. But great success hardly comes to those who stay in their comfort zone.
Our mind can’t handle conflicting beliefs. You either want success, or you don’t. The main problem is that one day we want it and the next we find excuses not to want it. The same with other big changes – I want a baby but they’re so much trouble, I won’t sleep for months (conflicting belief). I would love to move to a bigger apartment but it’ll be more expensive, involve more cleaning etc. As a result, we tend to get “stuck” in a situation that doesn’t move us forward, not to talk about fulfilling our deepest desires. How often do I have time to think about finding my mission when I’m running from meeting to meeting, trying to keep up with my daily tasks and keep everyone happy?
The trick is to decide on one thing and then convince yourself that this is the best option. Only tell yourself things that will support your decision, and don’t let anything else enter your mind. For example, if I’m determined to start a business, I shouldn’t let in doubt and worry. “It’s time consuming”, “it’ll take ages to start generating profit”, “I’ll never find enough clients”, “success is not for me” and bla-bla-BLAAAAAAAAH just stop right there!!!!!! Enough.
It’s a truly magical word. You can even wind yourself up, wallow in fear and self doubt, and then just cut it: enough. Every time you find yourself in a loop of negative thoughts that undermine your goal – just say enough. And redirect your thoughts to all the arguments that play in favour of your decision. Connect with your vision. Go back to that Pinterest board. There are many areas of our life where we let conflicting beliefs undermine us, and today I specifically want to talk about fear of success. Why? Because this one is actually worse than fear of failure.
What is success?
It could be anything. As many people as there are on the planet, as many definitions there are. Most of the time it’ll boil down to being healthy, happy, and financially secure. Having recognition or even fame. I want you to stop reading this for a moment and write down your own definition of success. Just forget about what it should be and think about what you really want. Knowing what you want and whether your goals are really yours is a topic for another post, but hey – let’s just go with it for now. I trust that you know what you success means for you at this very moment. You can always change your mind later.
Done? Great. The next step is to realize that you already ARE successful! Journal on this if you can. Write down 7-10 reasons for why you already are what you’re aiming to be. One great idea that’s helped me is that your future self is at the same time your present self. You can’t become anything you already aren’t. A tree can’t grow into anything but a tree. Like this, you are eliminating any fears of big changes ahead that’ll set your brain into a panic mode. You are ALREADY successful. You already have everything you want, some of it just hasn’t manifested yet!
Make this idea familiar.
The only thing left to do is to start supporting this idea, this new belief, with new habits and behaviours. How would that successful person behave? What would they do differently than you’re doing now? Are they exercising every day to keep the mind sharp and the body healthy? Doing regular Facebook lives? Investing in advertising? Repeating daily affirmations and mantras? Remember, you ARE that person, all you need to do is to step into that energy and start doing what they are doing. This way, change won’t hit you unexpectedly, and take you out of your comfort zone because guess what – you’ve been stretching that zone day by day. Whatever comes now is just a natural progression.
A train ride, not a rollercoaster.