I was getting ready to head over to meet a client and I found myself typing their address into my phone and being offered several ways of getting there with their estimated time and if there were hazards along the way.
The choices all had different obstacles requiring me to weigh the pros and cons of which route to take.
Take the faster route, but I can already see stopped traffic indicated with a hard red line or do I take the longer route, but being short on time and run the risk of being late to my destination?
The map is clear and defined.
It lays out all of the ways from point A to point B.
So many considerations in how and when to proceed and what you may experience along the way.
Some of it can be frustrating (like a last minute lane closure) or it can wind through beautiful scenery which expands your gratitude.
Without the map, you’re lost in getting to a new destination.
You’re left worrying how you’ll even show up because you are unable to see what your options are in taking the journey in arriving to your destination.
You may doubt yourself and feel stuck and left without options.
Lacking clarity leaves you ruminating on all the “grass is greener” scenarios.
You waste your time wondering about what to do, when you can make the choice in visioning on where you want to go right from the start.
Creating a visual representation of what you want is your map of what you want.
It’s a concrete way of laying down all of your options for what you want to achieve and it provides you a visual representation of where you want to go.
When you create a vision map of your goals, you can then start planning out on the routes you want to take to get to your destination, regardless how long the journey takes you.
The first step is creating your vision map, so you can start seeing what routes show up for you!
Register for the Visualizing your Dreams Online Workshop!
Learning about ordinary people doing extraordinary things with their lives is inspiring.
Listening to their story on how they make the impossible, possible by trusting their own capabilities in the face of fear sheds light on how we can bust through our own beliefs of what we can achieve.
In the documentary 14 Peaks (on Netflix), a mountaineer envisioned a plan of climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks of 8000 meters or more in 1 year.
Everyone thought this idea was crazy.
Some even called it an impossible project.
The mountaineer believed in himself and trusted he had the resources available in order to successfully complete his plan.
He called it, the “Project Possible”.
His story, like so many who climb mountains, face a risk to their life.
The human brain doesn’t distinguish between a real or perceived threat. Fear based thoughts become beliefs because we choose to make them a reality.
You talk yourself out of doing something because your brain says, “DANGER”.
An ordinary person achieving something extraordinary think about things differently.
The common thread weaving through these stories of exceptionalism is not that they are fearless, but rather, they are in control of their own thoughts which drive their actions.
They make the choice even in spite of others around them saying “this can’t be done” or “that’s a crazy idea” or “how will you survive”.
They trust themselves to know they will be able to remain solution focused because they believe in themselves to know what they can achieve.
For you, taking a leap of faith in starting your own small business or starting a new career or just learning something new as a pet parent can appear to be unattainable.
But isn’t that just fear creeping in influencing your choice making?
What if you chose to believe you can attain your dreams just as easily as you talk yourself out of them.
Coming up with ideas and plans for what you want, starts with a vision.
Creating a vision for what you want, you can start choosing what you want to believe is your Possible Project.
When you lay out your vision and are reminded daily about what you want more of in your life, this will be your focus to keep going in the face of others or even yourself attempting to usurp your goals.
Take the first step and join me for the Visioning Your Dreams Online Workshop!
I’ve run several races throughout my life and ran my first marathon in a few years, last year.
If you’re not familiar, in a marathon, you cover 26.2 miles and it can take a couple of hours or more to complete. I’m definitely on the end of a few more hours to complete.
The Jack and Jill Downhill Marathon resonated with me the most and not because it was downhill, but it for sure helped!
Why?
Well, I started off my training early in 2021 with a goal in mind.
I visualized what I wanted to do and wrote my all my goals daily.
I made choices aligned with my goal of running a marathon.
I followed a training plan (all the times before, I was willy nilly).
I built in speed work (which I never did) and built up my mileage.
I checked off the workouts each day and wrote notes of how practice went every time.
Then one day, I felt a pull in my hamstring.
I made the choice to take a few weeks off from speed work and even some of my mileage.
I felt comfortable doing so since my main priority was getting to the start line.
Then, two weeks turned to a couple of more and then I was comfortable not being uncomfortable with running.
For a runner like myself, running 12 or more miles in a training run takes up more time preparing and planning for a run (routes, water stops, time on my feet) which pushes me out of my comfort zone of my routine.
But, my goal was still ahead of me.
So, I scrapped some of my plan, goodbye speedwork and ran increased miles as best I could at the time.
In marathon training, you for sure want to get up to at least 20 miles for a training practice.
I was stuck at 16 and the marathon was 2 weeks away.
There’s for sure no cramming with building endurance.
The night before my race, I was overcome with frustration.
I wanted to run, but felt I wasn’t prepared. Naysayers probably would say and my gremlins for sure showed up and whispered to me that I was in danger if I tried.
Since my husband was running, I had to go to the race anyways, so I suited up and I told myself I would make a choice of what I was going to do when I got there.
When I arrived, I chose to run.
I made another choice as the race began, my new goal was to enjoy the race, take in the scenery in North Bend, WA and take fluids at every stop.
I can recall still till this day, the exhilaration I felt coasting through the miles and feeling so free and full of life.
Everything in this moment of time was synced up within me.
This was the first marathon I ran which I embodied patience for myself, allowed myself to be present in the moment and enjoyed every step along the way.
I finished that race knowing I could do more both physically and mentally.
Now, I truly understood when others say, “running a marathon is a metaphor for life”.
Anything you want to accomplish, your mindset matters.
Trust yourself in what you can accomplish.
Don’t try to speed through your practice, if you’re a pet parent or pet professional. Take stock that in taking your time, you will see the fruits of your efforts.
When the road gets rocky on your journey, re evaluate what you’re doing to reach your goals. This can look like going back to the basics in teaching a skill, going slower building duration and decreasing distance in teaching that skill. Or, if you’re a pet professional, finding the teachable moments in situations rather than seeing the situation or event as a failure.
One of my clients said it best the other day when she encouraged her partner: “Remember, have a growth mindset!” Instead of being stuck on the what ifs, focus and be present in the here and now.
I signed up for the marathon again this year and I’ll set a new goal for myself and I know I’ll accomplish what I set out to do.
What’s on your goal list for 2022?
One way to get clear is join us for a Visualizing Your Year Workshop on Saturday 26 February!
Four Paws & You Dog Training 