This Quick Trick Can Shift You From Stalled to Cruising in No Time

Here's something I know about you:

You have big dreams and goals, and there are SO MANY things you want to do in your life, but something keeps getting in the way.

You feel like you're going through your day and knocking tasks off your to-do list, but it still feels like you're not really getting anything done despite doing things ALL. DAY.

You have a BIG vision for where you want to be, but you're impatient and unsure how to get there.

When it comes time to take a step towards your dreams, you sit down at your desk, flip your laptop screen up, and freeze: "What am I supposed to be doing right now...?"

It's like the worst case of walking into a room and forgetting why went in there in the first place.

So you decide to watch an hour of YouTube shorts instead.

I REALLY get this, because I've had some of these same issues when I stress about paying off debt, taking that LONG overdue trip to Italy, or pondering my next Highly Sensitive Person workshop.

You deserve to have meaning in your life and to make progress towards the things that really matter.

So what do you do when you feel stuck and need help getting to that Gorgeous Vision you have in your head?

1. Become aware of your thoughts.

2. Let the feelings last until they fade.

3. Come up with a more helpful thought.

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If you can dream up the vision,

you can dream up the path to get there too.

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Because all of your dreams, goals, fears, and blocks come from the same place - your thoughts.

When you become aware of the thoughts that are holding you back and consciously change your mind, you can get anywhere you want to go.

Story time!

Let's pick a topic near and dear to your heart as an example.

You want to start walking somewhere with trees everyday. The sunlight through the leaves is CALLING you, and you're having trouble making it out the door.

What's getting the way?

A myriad of thoughts like,

• "What if people see me and judge me?"
  

• "I don't have the 45 minutes for a really good walk today. Maybe tomorrow."
  

• "I don't want to change clothes and get sweaty and have to change again. It's a pain."
  

• "I've got so many other things I should be doing. Maybe after I finish these emails and do a load of dishes..."

And probably a BUNCH of other thoughts that fly by so fast (and under the radar of your consciousness) that you don't even realize you're thinking them.

These thoughts are making you feel anxious, disappointed, sulky, pressed, and a slew of other things.

Which means you are DEFO not going outside into the sunshine today.

Take a moment to feel where those feelings live in your body, and let them stay as long as they want.

Once you've let yourself feel the feels, you can have sunshine and trees and quiet!

For really reals!

I want you to get outside in that sunshine, smell the air, and be in NATURE because I KNOW it's one of your favorite things.

So when I ask you how you WANT to feel, you say, "Excited, at ease, committed."

And the thoughts that feel excited, at ease, and committed might be,

• "I LOVE the sunshine. I can't wait to get outside."
  

• "A walk sounds great, and I've got the time for one."
  

• "I'm getting outside today, no matter what!"

Can you feel that difference?

It feels light inside thinking about feeling the light outside.

But when the internal dodgeball game starts between Team Work vs. Team Nature, Team Nature gets pummeled.

Team Work 10 : Team Nature 0

Why is that?

It's because you either have more thoughts (dodgeballs) on Team Work's side, or Team Work's thoughts feel stronger than Team Nature's thoughts.

In other words, you believe Team Work is going to win, and they're not afraid to send a dodgeball right into Team Nature's head.

So how do you help Team Nature get what you know in your heart you really want and need?

You come up with a Ladder Thought (aka a Bridge Thought).

A Ladder Thought is the neutral thought that gets you from the crummy thoughts on the ground to the high-vibe thoughts you want to reach above the top rung.

(Don't worry, I'm not telling you to stand on the top rung - that's dangerous!).

If your ground-level thought is, "I have so much to do, and it's a hassle to go out," and you want to think, "I'm getting outside today, no matter what!" you'll need something in the middle to make "no matter what" feel doable and real.

Ladder thoughts often state the facts of the situation or start with an open-minded phrase like,

• "Maybe..."
  

• "It's possible that..."
  

• "I'm open to the idea of..."
  

• "I'm willing to believe that..."

Some great ladder statements to help you get outside might be:

• "Maybe I can do a short walk today, just for a few minutes."
  

• "It's possible that I can move some things around in order to get outside."
  

• "I'm open to the idea that it's not as much trouble as I think it is to get ready and go."
  

• "I'm willing to believe that nothing is going to explode or otherwise break if I take some time to get outside."
  

• "The weather looks good for a walk today."

How do those thoughts feel?

Lighter, but still more doable, right?

THAT'S how you start to make progress towards what you want.

Try a ladder thought the next time you want to start writing that short story, declutter your art supplies, or simply take a full day off to do absolutely nothing.

I guarantee it'll start shifting you in the right direction.

What's one thing you're having trouble doing that might benefit from a ladder thought? Comment below to let me know. I would LOVE to hear what you want in your life right now.

Big, warm vibes,

Steph