After a wonderful conversation with a friend - when we were discussing what we *had* achieved in the past year, and what we still *longed* to achieve, I headed back home. The journey back took 5 hours instead of 90 minutes because of 'engineering works' that impacted a major part of the rail network (funny how they plan these for holidays... :-) 

With my head still absorbing things we'd discussed, it quite naturally and effortlessly distilled itself into the poem below. 

Best read slowly, quietly, with a slight smile... to the music of Vaughan Williams. 

I paint the scene with my eyes

I see what I create

I create what I see

It’s not all there is

But for me, it is to be

This has become my reality

I see, I speak, I walk the path

I plan, I build

I work, I laugh

I believe

And what I believe I see

And what I see I receive

It happens first inside of me

Not empty dreams

Not vanity

But a force of ingenuity

That forges my reality

Unleashing creativity

For everyone to see

For what everyone can see

Started inside of me.

It’s time to be your own life coach. Get to the root of what is keeping you stuck in whatever area of life you’re finding difficult right now.

Here are some absolutely key actions you can take immediately to bring about a big change in your situation. 

1. Get absolutely clear on your goal.

Identify your most important goal – the one that will provide you with the greatest benefit, the biggest sense of fulfilment (or relief!) once you've achieved it.

Test it by ‘future pacing’. That is, imagine a time in the future when you've completely achieved that goal and see how it feels. In your imagination, really put yourself in to that position and ask yourself if it’s what you wanted and expected. How could it be better? Is there anything missing? Who is this good for? You, your family and/or friends, your community, nation, world? Are you actually ready for it? Is there any reason it couldn't be sustained once achieved? Once you have this clarity and its evidently something you can fully set your heart upon, take just a few minutes every single day to remind yourself of it in vivid detail. This will instruct both your conscious and unconscious mind that this is where you are heading.

2. Get clear on exactly what you believe about the goal you've set.

You may already know how important it is to get rapport with someone else before you attempt to persuade, encourage or input in any way into their lives. But now you should ask yourself, how good is your rapport with yourself?

If that sounds like a strange question, maybe I should ask another question; have you ever felt that there is some kind of conflict going on inside you? Until these inner struggles are resolved you will always, in some way, stay stuck – because you’ll be pulling yourself in two (maybe more!) directions at the same time.

I use a specific series of questions with my clients that helps them rapidly uncover these issues so that they can then choose what they want to ‘weed out’.

Uncover what you really, deeply believe about your goal, your situation and your capabilities. Then you’ll be able to align yourself towards your goals and achieve... well, practically anything!

3. Get clear on which archetypes are dominant in your life

There are many different archetypes that various authors present in their methods and they all their values. I like to keep things simple and focus on just six: the Sovereign, the Warrior, the Sage, the Lover, the Mystic and the Jester. 

If you’ve never actually profiled yourself to understand which are dominant in your life, head over the explanatory video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqyauKSZUHU and map your own, personal profile.

Without this understanding you won’t understand what’s driving you, why you want to tackle things a particular way (and why rubs certain people up the wrong way), what it takes to motivate yourself and what sort of people you need in your immediate team to maximise your unique set of strengths and weaknesses.

4. Stay flexible.

Whatever you set your mind to do, make sure that you’re aware of the feedback you could be receiving. Simply look at the results you’re getting. If the results indicate that you’re moving in the right direction towards your intended goals, great... keep doing what you’re doing. If they’re not, then this is a sign that you probably need to try something different. 

If you’re too rigid you won’t want to do this, so ask yourself, if you were willing to try another approach, what would that be?

This is not a reason to knee-jerk the moment one person says something negative about what you’re doing, but a call to take seriously the need to have a system that measures your progress and a willingness to respond to the signals by flexing your approach.

5. Find a role model you can learn from. 

You have a goal? Good. Chances are someone has already done the very thing you want to achieve – or at least something similar. So find such a person and get as close to them as it is possible to do so. Learn from them, hang around them, read their books, listen to them as often as you can. You will find that they achieved what they have because of a certain mindset, a certain set of beliefs that they used to direct their actions on an ongoing basis. They will have made mistakes too – so take a shortcut by finding out what *not* to do too.

Close contact with a role model is one of the fastest ways of gaining the mental attitude required to replicate their success and, adding this to your present learnings, can enable you to go even further than they ever did.

We've got 5 more to go. But you can now take the first step – grab your own copy of TEAM ME to start your own voyage of self-discovery; gaining invaluable insights and changing forever the way you see your own potential.

“This is a wonderful book that shows you how 
to unlock your full potential for success and achievement.” 
Brian Tracy – Author of over 80 other best-selling books

Take the next step – sign-up with a coach who is expertly suited to tackle your situation. You can arrange a 10 minute call with me to see if my approach is what you need right now, or do your own search to find someone else. But whoever it is, for the sake of a world waiting for you to shine, do get a coach.