focus » Empowering Your Mind

Meditation to Learn from Your Resistance to Change

Jul 132020

Resistance to moving forward is part of the human condition. Any goal worth having is going to stir up a reluctance to change. But resistance can teach you a lot, about why you’re reluctant and what you need to do to take action. Use the questions in this meditation to uncover what’s behind your resistance and what you can do to overcome it.

Transcript:

Thank you for joining me. Are you resisting taking an action or decision that you know would allow you to reach your goal? If so, welcome to the human race. Whenever you want to make a significant change in your life, you’re going to meet with some inner resistance to moving forward, right? Sometimes, there’s a good reason for the resistance, like you don’t have everything you need yet. Other times, it’s just a fear of change or fear of failure.

I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision strategist, and I’ve worked with hundreds of clients over the years to overcome their resistance to achieving their goals. Resistance has a lot to teach you, but you have to be willing to listen to what it’s trying to tell you. Asking the right questions is a way to discover what’s holding you back and how you can move forward.

So I’d like to lead you through a very short meditation to help you ask some of those questions and gain answers to help you.

If you’re okay doing so, close your eyes. If not, just get comfortable.

Imagine some area where you’re resisting change. It could be personal, like changing a habit or dealing with an ongoing issue, or it could be professional, like opening up to a new opportunity. Just choose one place where you’re resisting. Examine the issue and how you feel about it.

Now, we’re going to ask some questions. Don’t worry if you don’t get any immediate answers. Those answers may come in a few minutes or hours, when you’re doing something else entirely. Right now, it’s just important to ask the questions, and listen.

What exactly are you resisting?

Why are you resisting moving forward? Is it fear, or some other emotion? Do you need some other piece to be in place? Why are you resisting moving forward?

What would happen if you didn’t resist? If you just let go and moved forward? How would that affect your life?

What are you trying to preserve/hang onto by resisting? Is it worth it?

What are you giving up by deciding to move forward? Is it something you still want, or have you outgrown it?

What might you receive from moving forward? Is it better than what you have now?

How can you make this change less threatening? How can you let go of your resistance and make it easier to move forward?

The answers to these questions may not come right away. The answers may surface over the hours to come. Just keep your mind open to recognize the answers, and know that you can choose to act on them or not. Open your eyes.

Like I said, it doesn’t matter if you got any answers right away. The important thing is to ask and be open to the information. Your subconscious will deliver what you can accept and work with, maybe today, tonight, or tomorrow. You can take what your subconscious tells you and make decisions that are best for you.

If you’d to achieve a 90-day goal more easily, download my free comprehensive Strategic Vision blueprint at www.Linda-AnnStewart.com/setyourcourse.html. You’ll receive the blueprint, as well as a video of that walks you through it with tips and directions to support you in you in accomplishing your goal.

Thank you for watching. I hope that the answers you get are valuable and help you resolve any resistance you might be encountering with your goal. Take care.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Finding Focus in Unsettled Times

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Jun 172020

Focus in one of the most important skills to develop if you want to be successful, whether personally or professionally. But because of our current crisis and disruption of our routines, focus is hard to grab onto and maintain. Here’s a couple of strategies to help you to broaden your mental bandwidth and feel more in control.

Transcript:

Thank you for joining me. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision strategist. I wanted to talk about how to find focus in times that seem unsettled, chaotic, or uncertain, like now.

Focus in one of the most important skills to have if you want to be successful, whether personally or professionally. But because of our current crisis and disruption of our routines, focus is hard to grab onto and maintain, isn’t it? Your attention is taken up with the immediate and the urgent, right? And there’s so much that’s out of your control right now, which splinters your focus even more, doesn’t it?

So, for right now, just focus on what you can control. You can control what you do, your decisions, and your response to immediate situations. Just paying attention to what you can control lowers your stress level and you have more mental bandwidth.

Next, focus on one thing at a time. Just one thing. The brain can focus only on a single task at a time. When you’re thinking about or doing too many things at one time, you’re “task switching” and that exhausts your ability to function. So when you’re doing something, focus completely on it, if only for ten minutes.

Using these two strategies, pretty soon, you’ll feel on more stable ground. And you’ll be able to pay attention to more than just what’s right in front of you. And then, amazingly, you’ll be able to start to plan for the future.

If you’d to achieve a 90-day goal more easily, download my free comprehensive Strategic Vision Blueprint. You’ll receive the blueprint, as well as a video of that walks you through it with tips and directions to support you in accomplishing your goal.

Thank you for watching. What one thing are you going to focus on today? Take care.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Podcast Interview by Beverly Zeimet

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May 192020

Recently, I was honored to be interviewed on a podcast by Beverly Zeimet. She’s the owner of the Identity Revelation Network, helping you to find the real you, your true purpose in life and build your self-esteem, self-worth and all parts of the self. Her podcast, Being the Best You … You Can BE with Beverly Zeimet, has been interviewing people to help viewers get past their limitations and fulfill their potential.

Beverly and I have known each other for some time. Our interview covered my coaching system which helps people develop an empowered mindset and a consistent focus to achieve their vision of success. She had some great points to make, such as discipline isn’t a bad word. Discipline has to do with respect, both self-respect and respect for others. We had a wonderful conversation, and I had a great time with her.

At one point, my internet froze. That’s one of the challenges of living in Northern Arizona. But we just waited a few seconds until it unfroze, and took up the conversation again. I hope you enjoy this interview, and come away with some tips that can help you in your success.

If you’d like to watch more of Beverly’s podcasts, like her on Facebook or her YouTube channel.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Sparks of Insight

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May 182020

When your mind feels scattered to the four winds, and you’re easily distracted, take a few minutes to go outside. Connect with nature by listening to the birds, feeling the breeze, watch the clouds. If you can, go for a walk in nature. Take deep breaths and touch the earth as a way of grounding yourself, literally. This can help you unwind, shift your energy and get refocused.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Motivate Yourself with this Strategy

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Mar 182020

Is there a goal you want that you haven’t put any effort towards yet? To achieve your goal, you have to motivate yourself to start taking action. But that’s easier said than done. You have to find what will make it important enough to you to get moving. And then you have to discover how to stay committed. Here’s a strategy that will solve those problems and get you on course to achieving the goal you’ve been dreaming of.

Transcript:

Thank you for joining me. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision strategist. I’d like to share a technique I’ve used for thirty years to help clients get themselves motivated to make massive changes in their lives. It’s called the Stick and the Carrot.

Essentially, it’s figuring out what will prompt you to get moving, and what will keep luring you forward. It’s like a cart driver using a stick to gently urge a reluctant donkey to start forward, and dangling a carrot on the end of a stick in front of the donkey to keep them moving. No, I’m not calling you a donkey. But doesn’t it sometimes feel like you’re stuck and won’t move forward? This strategy will solve that.

I suggest a technique many businesses use. To motivate yourself to do something you’re dreading, do a cost-benefits analysis. Sounds boring, doesn’t it? But it’s worked for my clients.

I ask them why they want whatever their goal is. What happens if they don’t get it and what happens if they do? Essentially, you’re figuring out what the costs are to not getting started (the stick), and then what the benefits would be to taking action (the carrot).

For the costs, or disadvantages, ask yourself, “What are consequences of staying on this same path?” “How will I feel if I don’t make this change?” And, “Where will I be in a year or two years if I don’t commit to changing?” Those would be the costs of inaction for you. Most of the time, the answers to these questions will gently whip you into taking action, even if it’s small and slow.

Now for the carrot, to lure you forward towards your rewards. To consider the benefits, turn the questions around. Ask yourself, “What are the advantages of making the change?” “How will I feel once I’ve achieved this change?” “Where will I be in a year if I do commit to making a change?” This helps you to create the vision of what you want. Done right, it will stir up anticipation, excitement and commitment.

When you use both of these, you’ll spur yourself forward and keep going. The stick simply reminds you of what will happen if you don’t take action, and the carrot is there to remind you of what’s in store for you when you do.

If you’d like to achieve a 90-day goal more easily, download my free comprehensive Strategic Vision blueprint. You’ll receive the blueprint, as well as tips and directions to support you in you in accomplishing your goal.

Thank you for watching. I hope you motivate yourself to achieve that goal you’ve been dreaming of. I know you can do it.

Read the accompanying article What Motivates You?

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

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