You are the only person who can sabotage you- nobody else! This is done by giving power to internal and external things that try to keep you from fulfilling your purpose and full potential. So, how can we overcome this? In 4 ways:
#1 Stop Procrastinating
What you don’t do is just as important as what you do. In other words, inactivity is in itself an activity; so, don’t overlook that. The question is, what are you filling your time up with that is not conducive to manifesting in terms of your vision, purpose, goals etc?
#2 Identify the internal factors
Now that you’ve identified the time sucks in your life, it’s important to eliminate them and replace them with more productive activities. As such, here’s another question for you- What are the next steps you know you need to take to fulfill your goals?
Did that question bring up any emotions for you? What were they? Fear? Dread? Overwhelm? Pay attention to that because often those emotions are the root of your procrastination. To cut through them and gain clarity on your next steps, focus on your past adventures and projects. What lit you up? What have you always wanted to do, but never tried? What would you do no matter what? This will be the start of you deciding your next steps.
#3 Identify the external factors
When asking yourself “What are the next steps you know you need to take to fulfil your goals?” You may not have had an emotional response as such. Instead, your mind may have been flooded by all of the tasks that need to be done before you can even so much as focus on the answer to this question. If that was you, first of all- breathe! Secondly, prioritise. Here’s how:
#4 Plan
Having a plan helps activate your next steps and set a course of action; so, write the plan, write the vision. In the words of one of my favourite sayings:
“Write the vision and make it plain… that he may run who reads it”
Having a plan also helps you stay focused and anything that doesn’t align with it, you are less likely to do because you want to stay on track with your goals. In no particular order, these are the steps that I recommend:
Stand still before moving
As much as you want to write the vision and take action on the plan, it’s important to get to your core in order to harness your creative power. Harnessing your creative power means surrendering- and surrendering could literally just be getting still, meditating, praying or journaling. That is how you can truly harness your power in order move forward with your goals.
Schedule
One of the ways that we can end up self-sabotaging is by making a plan but failing to actually schedule the implementation of it. To do this, take into account your responsibilities and how much time you will need for your action steps. Also, identify how much time you have and the days you can commit to the plan. Once you’ve done that, add them to your calendar so that they become non-negotiable.
Delegate
Include help so you can stay focused and not be busy. If you need to order groceries to be delivered or hire help in other ways- whatever you need to do- add it to the plan because purpose requires focus.
Don’t just hope, apply
If there’s anything that 2020 taught us it’s that, as much as you may plan, it does not stop circumstances outside of your control. This is why it’s important to be prepared to pivot in your plans if need be. To do this, don’t wait until things go wrong. Think about things you can put in place in advance like an app, digital option, voice recording your thoughts or back up devices/storage. Also, think about any other talents that you have that are aligned with your goals and can be monetised.
Know your numbers
Speaking of money, whether it’s your personal budget or service/project costs, it’s important to know your numbers. Knowing your numbers should be used as a guide to help you with financial decisions and keep you focused on God’s plan (rather than keeping up with others). Don’t allow such practical thinking to make you not dream big to curb costs, though. Instead, use what you have to continue to evolve and implement your plan.
Evaluate
Incorporate a daily check-in. So that by the end of each year you don’t look around like “What the bleep just happened?! Where did my time go?” If you want by the end of the year to have accomplished your big hairy scary goals, it’s a must to be intentional as you move forward.