Tag: from pain to power

Dec05

Procrastination – Busted! 5 simple steps to freedom!

by Cheryl Brewster

What’s on your procrastination list? Procrastination is heavy and binding. Left unchecked for too long, its energy field grows bigger, stronger and more difficult to dissolve. Those tiny  “later” messages can soon become “never” messages. So what to do if those procrastination habits are out of control? Take heart! It took time for them to get that way, but they don’t need to stay that way. Besides, procrastination energy is potential energy just waiting to be used differently!

procrastination cartoon

Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task which needs to be accomplished. It is the practice of doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, or carrying out less urgent tasks instead of more urgent ones, thus putting off impending tasks to a later time. (Wikkipedia)

 

 
Step#1 – You CAN change so be willing to!
Start with how you FEEL about your procrastination habits. No matter how much we want to break free, we never will if we’re condemning ourselves for what got us here. And in fact, isn’t that the biggest procrastination of all? Not allowing yourself to see possibilities for something different is simply an incorrect thinking habit.  Be willing to see it that way by dropping the guilt and self-recrimination and choosing to make a positive change. The most authentic, heart-felt success stories are from people who took a serious challenge or obstacle and mastered it. The reframe here, is that you CAN bust the procrastination habit simply starting with one decision at a time and building on it.

Step #2 – Start with where you are.
Nothing feeds overwhelm more than trying to do too many things at one time. We set ourselves up for failure by not seeing where we’re simply trying to do too much. By asking yourself if you could only do one thing today and still feel successful, you create an immediate starting point! A clear path begins to emerge and you are on your way. Like the old proverb says, the journey of a lifetime, begins with that first small step… just keep taking small steps.

Step#3 – Be task specific rather than goal specific
Goals take time and are comprised of many tasks. Without accurately forecasting how long these tasks take, we can easily overcommit. Get in the habit of deciding what goal needs to be completed in a given day, week, month., etc., and then  making a task list for each. Transfer those tasks into your appointment calendar… if you’re not allotting time for tasks, how will they ever get done, how will those goals ever be accomplished?

Step#4 – Mentally and emotionally “vibrate” to your BEST feeling thoughts
Keeping the visual of a sliding scale in your mind with pain on one side and power on the other, really works! Asking yourself if this thought is leading you to feel better or worse about yourself totally transforms the energy field that created procrastination in the first place. It frees you from the trap of having your precious energy getting scattered or sucked into ineffectiveness.  Positive, empowered thought pops you straight out of the procrastination habit and straight into energized, inspired, authentic, heart-centered, appropriate action. Pain to Power thinking leads to increased personal effectiveness, prosperity and happy, inspired living.

Step#5 – Be determined to be a vibrational match to your heart’s desire
Realize there’s no other alternative left to you – if you want to be free of procrastination, then what would it feel like to do that? Feel that feeling now and be determined to confront any lesser feelings with this very powerful decision. Tangible, physical results are simply the manifestation of these invisible, empowered thought forms.  Everything is energy! Empowerment starts in thought and ends in accomplishment, so what rituals or habits help you “lock’n load” into this energy field? Be brave! Committment to what you most want, begins with making it the most important thing in your life… you can do it! Begin and keep on keeping on!

When we see our procrastination simply as a field of energy that houses huge resources of potential energy, something profound happens… that one little busting through chink in the wall of limiting beliefs gets bigger and bigger. It’s the willingness to do this type of nitty gritty work that feeds the joy of our success.  Ask any great person how they got to where they wanted to be and the answer will be universally the same… they stopped procrastinating and took action.

So what’s on your procrastination list? The opposite side of that list also exists… feel that vibe now and voila! The procrastination energy field…busted!

If you enjoyed our blog, ensure you are on our regular mailing list by downloading the bonus ABC Report on Prosperity on our website. And to stay REALLY connected to practice these tools, join our Daily Inspirational Quote as well!

Cheryl Brewster is a personal and business Intuitive, Coach and Speaker, who inspires Conscious Changemakers to live their passion through inspired action. Learn more at TheIntuitiveLife.com

 

 

Dec08

Overwhelm – Too Much To Do, Not Enough Time

by Cheryl Brewster

Are you the master or slave of time? Do you feel like you’re destined to remaining an eternal prisoner of too much to do and not enough time to get it done? Can you imagine making overwhelm your best friend? For a “twist of the sublime,” read on! This article builds on my recent blog “Growth Through Struggle,” and provides a way out for those who feel like they’re held hostage by the evil fiend of “never enough.”

Embracing overwhelm – your internal smoke detector – put out that fire!

  1. Ugh! Overwhelm can bring up painful feelings that we want to ignore but we can re-frame those feelings.
    Would you be mad at your smoke detector if it saved you from a fire? Of course not; overwhelm is the same. It’s a very effective warning system, a rude awakening letting you know that somewhere deep inside, something needs to change. So rather than resist it, resolve it. Let overwhelm do its job as a powerful “stress detector” by identifying the limiting beliefs, that left unchecked, will most definitely hamper your success. How? Take a moment to pause and acknowledge what’s really going on; a limiting belief will surface… ask it “what better feeling thought do you need in this moment?” That better feeling thought harnesses your emotional intelligence, realigns you with the integrity of your vision and reveals an immediate solution you would not have seen otherwise… follow it. If overwhelm persists, stop everything and take a 15 minute coffee break to relax – regroup and repeat the process.
  2. Use overwhelm to make better choices.
    Seen as your friend overwhelm can be your best ally; make it your enemy however, and it’s guaranteed that you’ll fall into the sticky pitfalls of paralysis and procrastination.
  3. A “positive overwhelm mindset” will feed your soul rather than drain it dry.
    Just as electricity exists with both a positive and negative charge; look at overwhelm the same the same way… it’s only negative is when it’s not being used positively. Keep choosing to find the seed of equal or greater benefit because struggle makes you stronger!
  4. Overwhelm reveals habits that need to change.
    Is there too much to do and not enough time to do it? Course correct in the moment with those better feeling thoughts for immediate priorities and commit to taking time out as soon as possible to rethink your long term goals and strategies.
  5. Left unaddressed, overwhelm leads to chronic emotional, physical and psychological pain.
    Overwhelm is an early warning system designed to help, not hurt and its sole purpose is to alert you to what matters most – the bigger picture of your life unfolding with the potential for enthusiasm, inspiration and faith to manage all uncertainty, adversity or struggle. Overwhelm is the amber light warning you to replace old habits with healthier ones. Raymond Charles Barker in his book The Power of Decision said this beautifully:

“Never judge yourself by what you have done. Judge yourself in terms of what you will do. You are not the past. You are the present becoming the future. You are a potential of Mind and this Mind knows only the now. It never sits in judgment on anyone, keeps no records and knows only the good of you.”

Embracing overwhelm to resolve the time struggle

  1. Overwhelm usually reveals a messed up relationship with time.
    Gay Hendricks’ book The Big Leap stresses that a major cause of discontent and angst is in how we view time. He says “Quit thinking time is “out there.” Take ownership of time – acknowledge that you are where it comes from – and it will stop owning you. Claim time as yours and it will release its claim on you.” That’s a huge concept to wrap your mind around… “YOU” are where time comes from!
  2. If YOU are where time comes from, then what do you want to do with it?
    When we take ownership of time, we must also lay claim to what we most want. What is your soul’s deepest desire? Robert Fritz in The Path of Least Resistance cautions us, “if you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable…you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all you have left is a compromise…the human spirit will not invest itself in a compromise.” Wow! Seen from this viewpoint, overwhelm really is your friend, alerting you to internal compromise that is inhibiting your success.
  3. When you lay claim to what you most want, you trust in the Universe’s ability to bring it to life.
    Time and desire take on a whole new meaning…if you didn’t before, in the immortal words of Napoleon Hill, you begin to “cherish your vision and your dreams, for they are the children of your soul, the blueprint of your ultimate achievement”. Synchronicity begins to play a bigger role in productivity and trust in the abundance of life keeps you focused on what you most want and off what you don’t want.
  4. Your call to action – experiment! Try this out… print this blog and review it daily for a week and see what happens.
    Does self discipline become exciting rather than onerous – do you gain clarity, become more open to change and committed to being your best? Are you willing to set aside time to plan, to begin with the end in mind, to set priorities by switching the creative, imaginative part of your brain to the side that’s practical and realistic and vice versa? Begin to eliminate low priority items. Identify your short and long term goals to resolve any “goal-conflict” and chunk projects down to doable tasks. Get coaching if you realize you’re spinning.
  5. Freedom without structure is chaos so get good at your time management structure!
    Many of us resist structure, fearing it will limit our freedom and creative expression. But the opposite is actually true.  Without good time management skills, all the optimism and positive thinking in the world won’t help us achieve the sustainable results we’re looking for. The secret as Gay Hendrick’s stressed, is to claim time as yours… to align with it as your faithful servant, not your heartless enemy. The result? Not only do you become good at time management, but your greatest enemy has become your greatest friend – overwhelm is here to help, not harm – how’s that for a “twist of the sublime?!” For extra bonus points…. use the visual below as a “juicy” way of remembering your claim to time… imagine a lemon slice, now pop it into your mouth and chew it… what happens? Notice how your saliva glands begin to work immediately even though you’re working with pure imagination?! That’s the power of our thoughts… now “choose” how you want to experience the next 24 hours… make it juicy! Create your day with deliberate intent, experiencing in advance what you truly want… remember, the human spirit will not invest in compromise!

clock lemonIf you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about working with Cheryl as a speaker on personal effectiveness, intuitive consults or coaching, contact her at 604.781.4022 or email cheryl@theintuitivelife.com.