We're four days into the New Year and I'm wondering if you've been hit by The January Jolt.
I only ask because many of my clients got zapped mid-December.
And most of them shared some version of THIS:
It feels like I'm running in mud, not getting anywhere.
No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get ahead.
For every step I take forward, it seems like I take 3 steps back.
I'm not making progress. I'm going in reverse.
Yet, I could clearly see where they WERE moving forward, how they WERE making progress, how they actually were RIGHT ON TRACK.
They were just seeing and measuring things partially.
And I'm sorry friends, but when we only see a portion of the truth, we see incorrectly, which is why our minds jump to so many false conclusions.
That's what the January Jolt really is—a reaction to a false conclusion—and it can be summed up with two words:
I'M BEHIND.
This meddlesome mantra is one of the top-ten tunes of survivor brain and it's really popular at this time of year.
That's because we've been conditioned to think in terms of productivity and goals—to gauge success by what we've been able to accomplish or achieve.
But if that's the only metric we use, we're in trouble.
When we compare ourselves to others (or our current reality to some ideal) and don't see a perfect match, survivor-mind views the discrepancy as failure.
It won't factor in all the unmeasurable variables, the personal growth, the new insights, the deeper discoveries, the larger impact, or the expansion of the soul.
Which means it will leave out a huge chunk of the truth.
If you think I'm frowning on goal-setting, I'm not.
I'm a creator. I love visualizing what I want to bring into existence. I love the planning, the dreaming, the scheming.
It can be helpful to look back at the year in review—or to look forward in anticipation.But we need to be mindful of who's doing the looking!
If you're feeling wonder, excitement, or a sense of possibility, you're in the right state of mind.
But if you feel a sense of urgency, or hear a harsh voice in your head (that's focused on what you DIDN'T DO, or what's not here yet), that's a sign you've slipped into survivor brain.
Any kind of do-or-die, life-or-death, now-or-never thinking is a CLUE.
The harsh inner judge always evokes unpleasant feelings (like depression, panic, hopelessness, or shame).
But those feelings don't feel good for a reason. They're trying to warn you that survivor brain is looking through the lens of scarcity—that it's adding things up while using a faulty formula.
If I don't have X yet, that means Y
If I don't have _____ yet, that means I'm behind.
If I don't have _____ yet, that means I never will.
If I don't have _____ yet, that means I'm failing.
If I don't have _____ yet, that means I'm not smart enough, not good enough, not worthy enough.
Ever heard of the rat-race? It was created by this kind of logic.
Life DOESN'T move in a chronological, linear fashion, from A to Z. Left-brain does. And Left-brain can't see the bigger picture, or the larger orchestration of life.
It has no idea of your true life's purpose, your genius, the unique path you're meant to follow. It just wants to get ahead.
Well, your heart has a different agenda.
It longs to know who you really are, why you're here, and how you can make the world a better place.
Yes, it wants nice things. Yes, it appreciates comfort and stability. But it knows you can have that without all the anxiety and stress.
So . . . when you're strategizing and mapping out your desires, make sure your highest self is involved.
Let your goals for the New Year be kind ones.
Let deeper wisdom set the pace.
Sending you so much love,
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