How to (really) accomplish your goals.

Hi friends! We just passed the halfway mark of 2020 (crazy!) and even though this year has been like none other, I still think it’s important to have some sense of normalcy.

I bet before the year started most of you set out new goals and wanted to go after new experiences, right?

Being in the middle of a pandemic and all, I know how difficult it may be to set goals and plan for the future.

People have been losing their jobs, stressed out about getting sick, and have a general feeling of overwhelm.

I have felt those ways too. And I’ll be the first to say that my anxiety got in the way of going after my goals for the year. Even though I had my months planned out and felt that initial wave of excitement, I just couldn’t find motivation in all the uncertainty.

Because of that I felt like I was just going through the motions and my goals were on the back-burner. However, I came across something recently that made me re-think everything.

I recently listened to a podcast that talked all about the power of the subconscious and how we can use it to create whatever we want.

Now I have been learning about mindset and manifestation for years now, but I never quite heard it discussed like this.

It gave me a new sense of purpose and snapped me out of my thought pattern from this year. It once again reminded me of the power I hold, which I can tap into at any time.

And most importantly, it motivated me to sit down and write this article to share with you. Let’s dive in.

When it comes to habit change, almost everyone relies on their “thinking” part of the brain to change. Has any of the below happened to you?

-You declare that you will go to the gym every morning for the next week, but when Monday rolls around you just can’t get out of bed.

-You promise yourself that you will eat healthy but when stress hits you grab junk food instead.

-You start practicing meditation for a couple days, but soon you find yourself scrolling through instagram instead of practicing your ritual.

-You feel a new wave of ambition on January 1st with your goals for the year, but by January 15th you convince yourself that nothing will work.

Trust me, I have been through all of the examples above! I know how hard it is to rely on motivation (which is a finite source, it runs out at some point.)

The reason it is so hard to stick to goals is because the “thinking” part of the brain in which we all make decisions is only about 5% of our brain power.

No wonder we can’t stick to goals! You’re trying to form new habits with no brain power (no going to work.)

So what lives in the other 95% of our brain? That’s where the subconscious mind comes in.

The subconscious mind is where we hold our identity and we form habits without even realizing.

This part of the brain is making decisions for us that we can’t even comprehend because it’s not in the “thinking” part of us.

But think about it this way, you are making decisions based on your thoughts, which you learned is the smallest part of your brain.

As humans we love to live in this space. We think our thoughts are the deciding factor and we have no control over them.

Have you even stepped back and considered why you have the thoughts you do? Or what thoughts even are?!

I think the biggest takeaway from this podcast was that thoughts are just things. We can change them at any time, but yet most of us believe they are facts.

That’s the first step in reprogramming your subconscious. Realizing that thoughts are just things and they hold no power.

So even thought you may think “I’ll never accomplish this goal because I’m too lazy” there’s not truth in that whatsoever.

Instead, what if you tried some new thoughts “I’m working everyday towards my goal, every little bit is progress” How much better does that feel?

It takes some time, but reframing your thoughts is one of the most powerful exercises you can do (and one of the aspects of my coaching process.)

The second step to reprogram your subconscious is that you have to identify with whatever it is you’re wanting to create.

As humans we wait for things to happen until we believe it to be true. When in reality, we must first be the end goal before even starting.

The subconscious is intertwined with your identity. You don’t exercise because you haven’t identified as someone who works out. Instead, you slip back to old habits because the mind knows how easily it can influence.

You don’t work towards your goals everyday because you haven’t identified as the person having the thing.

Want to find love? Practice feeling the way you would if you had it.

Want to make more money? Act as if it’s done and feel the abundance and unlimited potential.

Want to get in shape? Live how someone who is already there would.

If you had love, you wouldn’t worry about finding it. If you had more money, you wouldn’t stress about the lack of it. If you felt physically fit, exercising wouldn’t even be a struggle.

Once you’re in that feeling space, you will automatically make decisions that align with the end goal.

This is all because once you step into that identity, the subconscious runs on autopilot and forms the habits for you. Your thoughts don’t hold the same power anymore because it’s not a constant daily battle.

As someone who has anxiety and making decisions can be tough, I know how powerful this is. It takes some practice, but committing to a new found identity is truly life changing.

This is one aspect of my coaching process that I take clients through. Relearning new ways of being, finding rituals and working towards goals.

There’s so much that we don’t know about the brain and science is just starting to explore it. It’s a fascinating time to be alive (I promise!)

So I will leave you with this today and I suggest you ask yourself every morning “Who am I being in order to accomplish my goals?”

Until next time,

Annie