Do you ever feel like you are pushing, and pushing toward a goal only to experience set back after set back? Would you like to break through your ceiling of complexity that is keeping you from the success you desire?
To breakthrough, consider clearing your PATH of resistance that is holding you back from what you want. PATH is an acronym for people, actions, thoughts, and habits .
As strong as our will power may be it may not be enough to get us where we want to go. There are other forces at work either for us or against us. It can be like getting caught in current or undertow in water. It’s either going in the direction we want or pulling us away, or maybe even under. No matter how hard we may swim, that force may out last us and may end up taking us where we fear. To the contrary, if we are aware of it and how to use it, it will make our efforts way more productive.
Let’s look at the four elements that make up force around us called the PATH.
The first element is people. People in our lives are always for themselves. Not to say they are selfish or don’t care about or support others. It is a matter of self-preservation, mentally, emotionally, and physically. People will always do what they feel is in their best interest at the time. That may or may not be in alignment with what we need to take care of ourselves and move in the direction we desire. It is important to be clear about our goals and what we need. Then we become aware of the energy and attributes of the people that can help us and us them.
If our need is to feel healthy, alive, positive, and optimistic, it can become a huge energy drain to maintain and protect that sense of well being if we are surrounded by people that are committed to proving life is a struggle and constantly challenging our way. That is probably not the current we want to be fighting against. The next chance we get we must get out of that current and find the one headed our way.
The second element is action. The results we want comes from the activities we perform multiplied by the effectiveness of how we perform those activities. We have to examine if the activities we engage in are leading us toward or away from the results we intend. Most people, will gravitate toward easy pleasing activities not requiring much skill and away from the more complex activities that take time to become educated and increase proficiency. Here’s the hack – we must be willing to invest the time and effort to up our game in the key areas that will lead us to our vision.. We can borrow the brilliance of others that are at the level we seek. Find out what their process for development entailed and incorporate it into our own work.
The third item on our PATH consists of our thoughts. Along the spectrum of our thinking throughout our day, we are either thinking our way to success and fulfillment or thinking (second guessing) our way to failure and misery. The good news is wherever we find ourselves on that spectrum is a pattern. The bad news is, it is a pattern. Good in that patterns can be changed, rewired, or reconditioned. Bad in that it can be unconscious or so ingrained that we believe it and that it just is or it can’t change. By the way that’s just thinking…which can be changed. It will take some practice. Be willing to put in the practice.
Finally, the fourth piece is made up of our habits. When people ponder habits they typically think of the things they do, good or bad, and not of their habitual thinking or ongoing feelings that have become their habit. Habits are those repetitive thoughts, actions and behaviors that continually guide our progress or lack of progress every day. One of the most valuable exercises you can do it track your habits every day and start dismantling the ones not serving you. This makes room for your good habits to take hold. And if you need to build new or better habits do so accordingly. Simple, not easy, and I have faith in you.
My challenge today is to take inventory of the people, actions, thinking, and habits that are contributing to our current situation and realize it is a state of mind and not a state of affairs. Notice in what areas we can either limit, eliminate, delegate or elevate the various components that make up our PATH. By making slight adjustments along the way, we reduce the resistance that has kept us from our goals and desires. If we do this we will have the energy and stamina that is needed to stay the course rather than having it drained and contaminated from defending the distractions.
Let’s choose our PATH wisely so that it supports us rather than aborts us from our goals.
Make it up, make it fun, and get it done!