Do you have dreams that are still unfulfilled? Mountains you haven’t yet climbed? Goals you haven’t accomplished?
If you’re anything like the rest of us, you probably do. It isn’t always easy to make your dreams a reality.
Sometimes it’s hard to move forward. Sometimes hesitation and apprehension stop us in our tracks.
You’ve probably got plenty of reasons why things aren’t right with life.
The timing isn’t right. You need more information. You don’t know how to take the next step.
But the sad truth is that when success and happiness always seem to be just out of reach, it’s because you’re getting in the way and you don’t even know it.
Awareness is key to every happy successful experience we have and today I’m sharing some ways you can get past your frustrations or discouragement and stop getting in the way of your happiness and success.
1. Focus on finishing
Stop looking at how far you have to go and remember it’s all a work in progress. If you moved forward from yesterday, you’ve made progress. It was courageous to start and now you need to put your heart into finishing.
2. Keep it small
If you try and eat the elephant in one gulp, you’ll choke yourself to death. Take little bites instead. Focus on what you’ll be doing for the next 5-10 minutes. Because soon one of your 5-10 minutes will take you over the finish line.
3. Be Bold
Feeling scared of failure, or success, or lack of belief in ourself sets us up to be victims.
Don’t be afraid of getting it wrong. Be afraid of doing nothing.
Step out boldly from the walls you’ve built to keep yourself safe. Once you shift your mindset from victim to victor, you’ll be creating the kind of self you’ll be glad you live with.
4. Give up expecting perfection
Wanting everything to be perfect will kill the need to take action. Instantly. You can turn something awful into something better. But you can’t turn something left undone into anything. Just do it.
5. Don’t play small
You weren’t designed to live a small life. So don’t play small because it makes others feel better. Better to ask yourself what is keeping me from living fully, from living my dreams. Once you’ve determined what you want in life, don’t settle for anything less. Go and make your dreams come true.
6. Stop overthinking
Overthinking is the best way to create problems that you didn’t know you had. You need to have a clear picture of the result you want and attach to it the feeling of joy that you accomplished it, but don’t get stuck thinking about the ‘how’.
7. Know your true values
Give yourself the best gift ever. Determine what your true values are. The things that connect you to your greatest self, those things that bring excitement, creativity and love and joy into your world. It’s much easier to make decisions and take the best actions when you know what you value most.
You can do this. You can succeed and be happy. You can get out of your own way.
Breathe some life into your actions, into your dreams into your desires.
Stick to what’s most important to you. Your values are the rocket fuel that lead directly to your destiny.
I promise, you’ll never look back.
Over to you. Do share in the comments below what you’ll take away from this week’s post. Or, when you know you’re getting in the way of your success and happiness, tell us what you’re doing. We’d love to hear from you.
Encourage one another.
Love Elle
xoxo
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23 Comments
Wow Elle! This really hits home for me. I am going to be more persistent in learning my violin. I love to play it yet don’t know how, which has lead me to being discouraged already. But at the very least, if I can practice one little thing or learn one thing a day, then I am making my way to my dream, my goal. Oh I want to play my heart through the violin. And this gives me motivation to make it a dream goal and make progress everyday. Thank you Elle! xo
I think it’s pretty true for all of us Little Swiftwind (still love your name btw). You go girl, practice one little thing every day, takeonly 5 minutes every day and think where you’ll be in 6 months. Amazed is what! 🙂
Thank you. I received this name upon meeting a dear loved one but now that they are gone, I have thought that maybe I shouldn’t claim it anymore. But it does seem to suit me so I believe I will keep it.
At least 5 minutes a day of practice it is. Thank you. ?
Hi Elle,
Great tips, they will be very helpful when trying to make progress in your life.
I especially resonate with focus on finishing. When I’m working on something big looking at the whole process to finish can be daunting. So I just focus on getting it done, not everything in between. Just doing one thing at a time will get you on your way.
~Lea
How wonderful that you can do this Lea…for me it’s still a work in progress to remain focused. 🙂
Going through a lot of work on values many years ago was really important to me getting where I wanted to be now. I studied some Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and found it really useful for this, so I highly recommend it! Thanks Elle <3
So true Ellen, before getting married my husband and I went through our values together, it was a great exercise in finding out much about who we were and how well we would fit together. 🙂
Particularly starting small and not overthinking it work for me. Sometimes when I want something too much, it doesn’t work out as well, then if I have the goal in mind, but enjoy the process and see what happens in the end. Thanks Elle!
It’s so true that we can make things more difficult for ourselves Cathy and by starting small and not overthinking, it gives us a chance – I know that works for me…I just need to keep reminding myself! 🙂
This post really hit home Elle. Knowing what your gifts are and what draws the passion out of you, equals amazing value to others and makes you incredibly happy and content. Thank you for your wonderful insight as always <3
Hi Melissa. I’ve missed you! I hope everything is working out wonderfully well for you. It sounds as though you are in a great place of passion and wonder. You go girl. 🙂
Great article, Elle !
“Stop overthinking” , wow, that one sure felt familiar.
Almost everyday, I deal with a gentleman in my business who reflects that back to me.
He cannot contain himself from taking a simple transaction and spinning it in his cerebral centrifuge until multiple danger signs are flashing imminent peril and doom !
Thanks to that almost daily experience, I have begun the practice in my own life to simply focus on my desired outcome and let it come to me . . . much more productive and peaceful !
Thank you.
Write on, Elle !
I hope you’re an author Joseph, you have a fantastic descriptive ability. Love the flow of your words. And love your focus on what you want and allowing it to come to you. Such wise words. 🙂
Loved your post. One of the above mentioned traits that I have is ‘Overthinking’. Can you suggest me some way to stop this?
Hi Riuraj…this works for me when I catch myself overthinking. I give myself a set time…maybe another half an hour or so and then I have to take action. No matter what I do…I tell myself…just do it. It’s amazing how suddenly you feel so much more relaxed and confident. Try it dear heart and let me know how it works for you. 🙂
I will sure do what you said. Thanks madam.
♥ ♥ ♥
Hi Elle,
I know that I need to stop overthinking! Then I can just write without worrying about anything!!
Thanks for the great tips!
Hello Betsy…it does get in the way of creativity doesn’t it…our habit of overthinking things. Good for you that you can do what you need to to write whatever is in your heart. That can turn out so much better than our intellect will allow. 🙂
Hi Elle, Overthinking really hit me, I admit I’m an over thinker at times and I’ve realized that I need to tell myself to stop . It only creates more worries and makes everything worse than it actually is. Thanks so much for sharing an awesome post as always. 🙂
Hello Sherill…it’s so true…and so many of us are over thinkers to the point of distraction. Now all we need do is find a way to temper our over thinking habit! Lrt me know how you get on. 🙂
Hey author, reading your piece has really touched my heart, am surel gonna work on the steps to stop over thinking and procrastinating, .and take it step by step to fufiling my dreams
Hi John, we none of us will be perfect but we can always take one small step at a time to experience what we would like to experience in our life.