Moving Beyond Your Excuses and Limiting Beliefs

But wait! I work hard at unraveling my experiences and changing my mindset. Unmasking the gremlins within my thinking. Awareness of my emotions, actions, and responses is routine now. Dealing with the judging patterns of good or bad and admitting they are just my present moments.

I use affirmations to solidify my new beliefs. I diligently work at dissecting and examining my perceptions in order to get to the root of my past traumas and disappointments. Traveling a path loaded with creative adventures and positive distractions should lead me on the path of expansive, mindful bliss, shouldn't it? I follow the twelve steps to recover my identity. Connecting spiritually and listening to my intuition gives me the knowledge of who I am. Living mindfully gives me the gift of enjoying my present moments. Isn't that enough?

What do you mean NO? What more do you want from me? I can't fit much more under the microscope. What do you mean it's my self-talk? I am kind and positive about myself. Well, most of the time, I am.

Actionable Goals

Good Orderly Actions Leading (to) Success is the acronym I created years ago for goal setting. However, in life's busyness and technology's growth, I often forget the action phases. I am good at creativity and ideas, and my actions of writing and art supported my orderly actions.

Limiting beliefs and excuses stop us from moving forward toward the spaces that feel uncomfortable. We can't see the instant payoff, so we go to our comfort zones.

Identifying Common Excuses

Do you have a big crazy idea? One you have held on to for more years than you care to count. What would you tell me about it?

• I want to start a business, but I don't have the time or money.
• I want to buy a house, but that isn't in the cards for me.
• I want to use Canva but don't know where to start.
• I want more time with family and friends, but I don't have the time.
• I want to market my Etsy store, but I don't know how.
• I want to write a book, but I don't believe people will want to read it.

The word "but" leads you to your limits and excuses. Changing just one thing about those statements can change your direction and give you permission to choose from a different perspective.

The Power of 'Yet'

Add the word yet to the end of the sentence. It will give you space and time to make a choice and change the perception of yourself and the task.

• I want to start a business, but I don't have the time or money. YET!
• I want to buy a house, but that isn't in the cards for me. YET!
• I want to use Canva but don't know where to start. YET!
• I want more time with family and friends, but I don't have the time. YET!
• I want to market my Etsy store, but I don't know how. YET!
• I want to write a book, but I don't believe people will want to read it. YET!

The most common excuses are not enough time or money. However, it isn't the lack of either of these things that stops us. I know, I know. Prices continue to rise faster than our incomes. There aren't enough hours in a day to handle the responsibilities and commitments, much less relaxing or creative time for myself.

I've been there, and honestly, I still go there sometimes. It is human nature because our subconscious feelings produce our uncomfortableness, not the actual time or money we have. When we use the word yet or something similar, we automatically give ourselves the power of choice.

Baby Steps

So, back to the point of self-talk. Within the last few years, I discovered that it takes more than positive self-talk to make changes. It takes action steps. This is where the power of choice lives.

Showing up for yourself every day. If we honestly look at our lives, we show up for others much more than we do for ourselves. We frequently prioritize the needs and desires of others and act on their behalf instead of choosing our own.

On the flip side, we finally reach a breaking point, switch gears, ignore our responsibilities and commitments, cancel plans, or wave the flag of independence internally, shouting, "I will just do it myself. I don't need any help."

Breaking Down Projects

Learning to take baby steps, breaking down projects and responsibilities into smaller tasks, and using the help of others puts balance back in our lives.

For example, a tiny baby step toward an action plan is to create a budget—but a budget of time. I will allot x amount of time, even if it is only ten or fifteen minutes, toward my YET.

I will spend 15 minutes watching a video on how to market my Etsy store, an hour cleaning house, and 30 minutes writing. On my day off, I will devote 2 hours to a project intermingled with spending several hours with my grandchildren and talking to friends.

Creating the budget opens the doors for the creative ideas to flow because you are working toward your YET. You move forward. You engage, and the inspirations become noticeable because you have not stopped them with the word but.

The Power of a Time Budget

P.S. If you budget your time, you will notice the money budget changes, too.

When you engage in forward movement, your mind ignores the negative chatter because your focus is on the task at hand in your present moment.

Now, it's your turn. Tell me one thing in the comments that, after reading this, you notice could change if you add the word YET!