Blowing Bubbles | How to get your hope back and Achieve your Goals
I read somewhere that some people think that bubbles represent hopes, dreams and life. Well, if that’s the case, a lot of us have seen our bubbles burst.
The imaginings of our innocent childhoods and the realities of the struggles of life bear little resemblance most times, and it can be frustrating. A lot of us were told that life was going to be easy. Surprise – they lied!
Are you in a rut at the moment? Are you facing a really scary situation and just don’t know what to do? Are the lights about to go out? Are there more and more demands on you and you’re feeling totally overwhelmed?
Well, today’s coaching conversation is about learning to blow bubbles again.
It’s so easy to keep looking back, pining for what could have or should have been, and stay down as a result. The quest is to face our challenges head on, overcome our fears, look ahead, and move forward!
Human beings are made to be creative, resourceful, and powerful. Our creativity stems from our hearts, our feelings, imaginations and sense of power. When those are blocked, things get stuck. Home lives, businesses, the ability to create or see new opportunities, the energy with which to get things done – these all get impacted.
Remember, “creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties” Erich Fromm
So how do we start solving our problems and moving forward? How do we overcome our fears and get back our hope and start dreaming again? How do we get our power back? It was Richard Wright that said that “the impulse to dream has been beaten out of me by the experience of life.” However, Eleanor Roosevelt said that “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.
Coaching Tips to move you towards achieving your Goals:
- Think back to the time when you were at your happiest. You will most likely find that you were extremely creative, resourceful, and successful. What was it about that time that is different to what you see around you currently? What were you doing a lot of? Write these down and really analyse it.
The Goal Mapping tool in the shop will provide more questions to help you with this. - What is stopping you today? Look beyond the condition to the root cause. What is it? Identify the things that you are holding on to that are holding you back. The energy it takes to hold on to the past is keeping you from the life you want to have. Was there a definitive moment when things seemed to stagnate, or did things just slowly start to drift downwards, changing without you being consciously aware?
- Feel the fear; and do it anyway – We all hear this phrase and it’s become a cliché. The essence of this saying is to get you to shift. Thich Nhat Hanh says it this way “Fear keeps us focused on the past and worried about the future.”The present is where we should spend most of our time. Trying to do our very best in each moment. What is scary about today? What is the current challenge or the situation you are facing? Acknowledge it and do something about it! Make a decision and take a step forward. If you decide – really decide, nothing can stop you.
- Give yourself permission to dream again. As kids, we all had dreams and fantasies about being great. It was perfectly acceptable. When we got older, we were told to put away such foolish musings and get realistic. Tupac Shakur put it very succinctly – “reality is wrong; dreams are for real”.What do you dream of? Search the inner recesses of your heart and mind and remember what you love. Who are you and what do you have going for you? How can you bring those to life and share them with the world? What do you need to start doing? What do you need to stop?
- Get Help. Some of us, indeed, all of us, need help at some point in our lives. Don’t be afraid to ask for it. We need people who have navigated the waters we are trying to survive to lead us safely to the other side. Take a chance and reach out for help today. Not everyone will help you, but someone will. You just have to be prepared to be vulnerable and hear some no’s until you find the one ‘yes’.
- Take one action today that will help you move forward. It doesn’t have to be a big action. It could be as simple as listing out what you want to achieve this week; deciding what you will no longer be afraid of; allowing yourself to do something differently from what you’ve always done; deciding to be less interested in what others think and doing what you really want to do. Make a decision and honour yourself by sticking to it.So, what are you going to do?
- Now set another action for tomorrow. What’s that going to be?
Don’t kid yourself, there are no quick fixes. Living your purpose takes focus and determination. It takes time, and it will sometimes be painful. But it is so worth it.You must really commit to moving forward. When you do, you start to attract the resources, help and wisdom to achieve what you want in your life.
If you’ve found this article useful, don’t keep it to yourself. Please share it. Also, I would love to hear from you. Ask me questions or make comments below. Thanks!
Till next time. Live your purpose passionately.
Uzo x
Augment Business Coaching & Consulting
Uzo Ijewere is the Principal Coach and Emotional Intelligence Practitioner at Augment Business Coaching & Consulting. After 12 years working in the City of London in banking and commodities, she realised her passion for people and that her true purpose is to help them develop – personally and professionally. She works with large and small clients to develop head and heart strategies to overcome business challenges.
