personal development – Page 28 – Empowering Your Mind

Make a Fresh Start with a Clean Slate

January 9, 2019 Linda-Ann Stewart

This is the time of year that people make New Year’s resolutions. People like the idea of starting over, of having a fresh start and a clean slate. This gives them more of a motivation to pursue and work on their goal. Linda-Ann shares some tips on how you can take advantage of this opportunity and be successful at it all year long.

Transcript:

Thank you for joining me. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart of Heartvision Consulting. This is the time of year that people make New Year’s resolutions. They establish the goals they want to achieve in the coming year. Have you made any? People like the idea of starting over, of having a fresh start. This gives them more of a motivation to pursue and work on their goal.

For instance, I remember being in first grade and the cubbyhole in my desk that was supposed to hold my books was crammed with papers. I was not a very tidy child. It was hard to get my books into it. Sometime during the year, our teacher changed our desk assignments, and I was given a desk with a clean and clear cubbyhole. I remember looking at the shelf, enjoying how clean it was and deciding to keep it organized from then on. And I did. I just needed the incentive of a fresh start and a clean slate.

Has anything like this happened to you? Have you ever felt stimulated by a fresh start? Moving to a clean desk can inspire it, as can New Year’s, your birthday, the beginning of the month, or even the beginning of the week. Any of these can give you a new perspective and increased energy.

What about a clean slate? With a clean slate, you feel like you can leave behind your old ways. You can establish a new habit or pattern, like I did with the desk. But the problem is, how much are you leaving behind? It wouldn’t have worked for me if I’d just repeated my habit of stuffing papers into my desk. I decided to change that habit. How much of a clean slate are you actually starting with? Are you bringing outdated ideas with you and holding yourself back? Or are you really starting fresh?

As a vision strategist. I work with women service professionals and small business entrepreneurs who have businesses that are stuck. Instead of updating their goals, or even having any, they just continue with their old habits and patterns. And then they become frustrated because this doesn’t help them reach their next level.

Using my 30 years of experience as a hypnotherapist, I coach them to intentionally develop and focus on new strategies that will get them on course to bring their vision into reality. I help them reevaluate where they are and where they want to go, and then how to get there.

Are you reassessing your goals? Do your old ones serve you now, in what you want to achieve? What if you do start with a clean slate? Without taking into account your previous goals, and any limiting ideas, consider what it is you really want. Wipe away any disappointments, fears or past mistakes.

Maybe you can set a bigger goal than you ever expected. Have a bigger goal or vision or intention than you normally would think of. When you start with a fresh start and a clean slate, it reinvigorates you. You get excited and eager to make progress on your decisions.

Now, I don’t suggest you start over with an absolutely clean slate at the beginning of every week, essentially starting over from scratch. This would undermine your progress. You’d never really achieve anything, would you? But you can assess if the direction you’re going is the right one for you. If the strategies you’re using are working. If there’s something else that needs to be adjusted.

Each week, with a fresh start, you recommit to your goals. With a clean slate, you wipe away what wasn’t working, and decide what to do that will achieve your goals. You refocus and get reenergized to take action. It gives you a new beginning, one that can motivate and inspire you to tackle what’s ahead.

In first grade, my fresh start was getting moved to a new desk. My clean slate was the empty shelf and my decision to keep it organized. What is yours going to be?

If you’d like some help in getting on course and achieving your goals, apply for a complimentary coaching consultation.

Thank you for watching. I hope you find your fresh start and clean your slate so you have the success you deserve. Take care.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Are You Being Intentional with Your Goals?

January 3, 2019 Linda-Ann Stewart

by Linda-Ann Stewart

Do you take time to think about what you want in life? About 80% of people don’t set goals for themselves. All too often, people don’t really spend time considering what they want. They let the goals choose them by default and simply deal with short term issues. Instead of being proactive, they only react to the most immediate situation. This ensures they dig themselves into a deeper hole than where they started.

What Is Choosing Your Direction?

If you don’t choose what you want in life, someone or something will make the decision for you. It could be an earlier version of you that made a choice that was appropriate at the time. For instance, a younger you needed to to hide your talents to avoid criticism. Do you want those critics to choose your life now?

Or your past thoughts, attitudes or choices set you on a path that you haven’t reassessed. Such as believing that you aren’t worthy of success. If you don’t review and change those outdated ideas regularly, you’ll just fall into your old patterns and drift along. Those outdated remnants will choose your direction for you, without any input from you. They’ll instruct the Law of Attraction to bring you more of what you’ve been experiencing.

Many spiritual people just like to “go with the flow,” but that means that they aren’t being intentional in their lives. They’re simply avoiding making a commitment to what they want. Instead of being deliberate in their choices, they’re taking the path of least resistance. Not making a decision on your direction is a decision in itself. It’s true that, “Life is a journey, not a destination,” but if you let life push you along, you’re just along for the ride. The Law of Attraction will simply act on your former beliefs. If this is the case, then you could end up in a place you don’t want to be.

An Intentional Goal

A goal is an object or result that you are seeking to achieve, usually to improve your life. It’s something that you intend to attain. You have your goal in mind (intention), and then must put effort into accomplishing it. Goals are either set consciously or unconsciously. When you consciously establish a goal, and then take actions towards it, you become intentional.

A goal is a step on the way to a vision, which is the long term destination. Not only do most people not create goals, but only about 10% of the population writes them down. And only 5% of people are intentional enough to keep track of them and read them daily. Most people lose their way as they pay attention to what they need to address on a day to day basis and forget about their goals.

To be intentional with your goals, follow these steps:

1. Consider what it is you want in your life. Don’t accept what you’ve always had, but decide what you want your life to look and feel like, including why you want it. This is your long term destination or vision and gives the Law of Attraction a mold to fill.

2. Establish what your goals are going to be. Make these steps specific and measureable. This allows you to keep track of your progress and determine if you’re on course or need to adjust them. The Law of Attraction needs to know what else you need to be successful.

3. Read your goals every day. Update them as needed. This keeps your attention on your direction, so you stay on course. It also triggers the subconscious and the Law of Attraction to be on alert for anything that might help you along the way.

4. Take some small action every day. The subconscious and the Law of Attraction responds to your commitment to moving forward. As you create a habit of action, your subconscious builds up momentum and makes your way easier. The Law of Attraction draws unexpected opportunities to you.

Each of these steps is intentional and deliberate. You choose your course and then determine to carry out your goals. It doesn’t mean that your goals are set in stone. Being intentional also means you stay aware of when your needs or wants change. Do this and you’ll be living a life of purpose, on purpose. When you do, you are much more connected with the Universe, your life, happiness and a feeling of fulfillment.

Affirmation:
The Universe wants me to have the best that It has to offer. It’s up to me to decide how much of that I’m willing to accept. The best way to do that is to set specific goals and follow through on them. This shows the Universe and the Law of Attraction that I’m willing to accept my goal, or something greater.

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Don’t Let Fear Sabotage Your Success

December 6, 2018 Linda-Ann Stewart

Are you afraid of success? That may seem like a ridiculous question, because most people consciously want success in their endeavors. But being successful can bring change, and some people may not be ready for all that means. When they get close to success, they back away from or sabotage it.

For instance, they turn down an opportunity, justifying it by saying, “It just wasn’t right.” Or they resist or procrastinate taking action that could take them to the next level. They don’t make the phone call or follow up on a lead that could bring them a sale. By default, they stay with what they know, even if it’s uncomfortable. The idea of success stirs up fears that prevent them from moving forward.

What you focus on grows, including fear. The Law of Attraction, instructed by what you’re paying attention to, will attract more of what you don’t want. If you’re feeling inadequate, and that’s why you fear success, the Law of Attraction will draw more opportunities for you to feel that way.

Becoming aware of what you’re doing is the first step to remedying the situation. The next step is to understand what specific fear is prompting your resistance. Only then can you overcome it, recognizing it for the falsehood it is. Here are some of the reasons that could be at the core of your fear of success.

1. Fear of visibility. You avoid calling attention to yourself because of past rejection. For you, appreciation or acknowledgement would be uncomfortable and even threatening. But isn’t being able to share your gifts more important than staying safely hidden in the shadows?

2. Fear of criticism. There’s a difference between criticism and feedback. Criticism has a mean-spirited component to it. It’s never pleasant and chips away at your self-confidence. Whether you succeed or fail, it’s going to attract disapproval from someone. Why not do what you want and deal with the censure on your terms?

3. Fear the envy of others. This is very similar to the fear of criticism. Jealous people will try to belittle you to build up their egos. Generally, their jealousy isn’t about you. It’s more about the person who is trying to tear you down. Holding yourself back isn’t going to help them feel better. You might as well let yourself shine.

4. Fear of the responsibility. Greater success brings greater responsibility, and that can be scary. You may feel that you aren’t capable of handling these extra demands. But as more responsibility comes to you, you grow to meet the challenge. Think of it like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes.

5. Fear you’re not ready. You may feel you don’t have the skills or competency for the next step. If you wait until you feel ready, your time may never come. There’s always going to be something else to learn or ability to develop. As long as you’re willing to improve your knowledge, you’ll grow into your success.

6. Fear of disappointment. You have an image of what success would look or feel like. Is it better to keep it as a dream rather than risk it not living up to your expectations? If it doesn’t, you’ll still have gained so much more than you have now. You’ll have learned how to achieve that success, and apply it to a new dream.

7. Fear of what else could change in your life. You may be concerned about how much time you’ll have to devote to your success. Or uneasy that your lifestyle might be turned upside down. You will have to let go of mental and physical habits that have outlived their usefulness. But you’ll still be in control of your choices. If you don’t like what has changed, you can always make different decisions.

All these fears bring old ideas about yourself to the surface, such as unworthiness, incompetence, or incapability. Being successful would mean that these concepts are false, and you’d have to shift your self-image. This is a massive change in itself. That could be the core of all the anxiety you experience. The Universe believes in you and created you to be successful.

Once you have identified what you’re specifically afraid of, it no longer controls you. You can take measures to overcome the fear. Refuse to allow it to hold you back any longer. Forge ahead and claim the success that’s always been waiting for you.

AFFIRMATION:
The Universe believes in me and created me to be successful. I believe in myself and my capabilities. Infinite Intelligence will guide and direct me, bringing me whatever I need to be successful. With the help of the Universe, I can handle whatever comes up. I am now ready to let go of my fears and accept the help and the confidence of the Universe.

Watch the accompanying video, Guided Meditation to Overcome Your Fear of Success.

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Sparks of Insight

November 6, 2018 Linda-Ann Stewart

It’s been said that, “It’s better to give than receive.” You’re taught from the time you can understand that giving is so much “better.” For many people, with all that conditioning, it’s actually harder for them to receive than to give. When you’re giving, you’re in control. You’re being “good.” When you’re on the receiving end, then you’re vulnerable, and some people may feel that they’re being “selfish.” But for a person to give, there must be a receiver. And the receiver blesses the giver by accepting the gift. So if it’s hard for you to receive even a compliment, remember that by graciously accepting it, you’re giving the other person a present of love.