What is your sphere of influence?

Making changes heading into the new year requires clarity and a positive mind-set. Change can be as easy or as difficult as you make it. However, you need to become clear about what it is you want to change. And why? Your ‘why’ will be your motivation and will keep you going when your will-power begins to wilt after the first phase of enthusiasm wears off. Change requires a sustained effort and this is why most new year resolutions fail.

The endurance required to create new habits and ditch old ones needs an ongoing commitment until the new behavioural patterns are deeply embedded in the subconscious mind and strong neural pathways have formed in the brain. This requires persistence. Do you have that quality?

Conquering adversity

To conquer adversity it is necessary to reframe the challenges that can block you from change. Many people want to simply achieve the target without embracing the journey. Yet it is the journey itself where the character is developed and where the lessons are learnt. The entire process of hitting the target is directly reflected in the effort that is necessary to get there. This internal attitude allows you to soak up the various and unexpected challenges that come along the way as you gradually climb the mountain. So be present during each step, each phase and do not check out when it gets tough or delays occur. These are part of the process. Just keep moving. If your enthusiasm dips do not falter just keep the momentum moving forward no matter how slowly. There is no easy button in life and the things that are really worth it make the taste of victory much sweeter when you achieve them.

Very often the start of the year brings with it so much promise but somewhere along the way many somehow get derailed and end up on the same loop as the previous year. Ultimately in the bigger picture every experience in life has a function. Yet by taking personal responsibility and effective action, change is possible. One of the most empowering states that you can create is to focus on your own sphere of influence. Forget about things that are out of your control. Forget about the past. Forget about all of the circumstances and situations that are beyond your sphere of influence. This focus will create fear, anxiety and disempowerment in you. And it is futile.

Swim in your own lane

The phrase ‘swim in your own lane’ is apt as it narrows your focus in an empowering way. It is well known that one of the effects of social media is that it can create an unhealthy comparison between yourself and others. Often you are comparing someone’s carefully managed highlight reel that creates unrealistic expectations about your own life.  This is unproductive and can be damaging to your own emotional well being. A more inspired state is to focus on your own situation. What can you influence? What action can you take? What are your resources and how can you administer them? What lies within your domain of influence? These are uplifting questions that can assist you in moving forward.

You are then able to draw upon your own inner reservoir of strength and discover abilities and an inner power that was perhaps dormant or inert. Become your own inspiration and look inward to generate the motivation, endurance and resilience that is required to run the great race of life.

2018 is here for the taking. What say you?