Subconscious life change

Goal-setting is most effective if you isolate precisely what you hope to achieve and why. Subconscious life change begins with you. Since your source of motivation will drive you, it would be helpful to identify what this is. To create goals which will move you forward, you would benefit from pinpointing benchmarks. These are milestones which you can recognize to give you a sense of forward movement.

1) What makes your goal particular to you? If you connect your goal to your primary motivation and detail the process to a fine tooth comb, its more likely you'll realize the goal.  If you don't really understand what you aim for, its less likely you'll achieve it or make it happen. The better you know yourself, the more specific you can be about it.

2) How will you measure progess? In the case you aim to complete a marathon, you can set up a daily, weekly, monthly training schedule in advance to build stamina and endurance. Each time you complete another mile during your regular schedule, you will sense you're energy level is growing.  Similarly, if you seek to lose weight, you can measure quantifiable progress during regular weigh-ins, and plan a managable exercise program. Set it up to suit you. It's that simple.

3) What makes you think you can reach it? This means you need to know yourself well enough to realize you can outline a plan and make it happen. If you don't like chess, aiming to win the world chess championship wouldn't be logical. If you fear water, setting the goal of swimming the English Channel before your next birthday maybe a bit 'over-the-top.'  If you think you have what it takes to run for office, complete a puzzel, or enter a dog show with your pet you're willing to train, these projects could be realized by sticking your guns and being disciplined.

4)By when do you intend to realize it? Its easy to lose sight of the desired prize if you have no idea by when you would achieve it. If you prepare for an upcoming event, like a festival, reunion, holiday, then someone else already set your deadline. However, if you desire to put a new addition on your house, write a book, clean out your attic, plan financially for retirement, write a letter, or generally sort out your desk, these are the kinds of things where you must set a timeline. How rigid or flexible you are will influence how punctual your projects are completed.

Unclutter your life

On the surface, it may seem like collecting objects is a harmless pastime.  In some cases, that may be true.  After all, what's the risk in buying another pair of shoes? What's another book, magazine subscription, box of antiques or rubbermaid container of old papers? If you're someone who drowns in stuff, or who worries about someone else, the idea of collecting may not serve everyone concerned.  Who is it supposed to serve? Did you ever consider messages in this?

As you pin down your beliefs, you will evolve to recognize that what you say and do in your life reflect how you feel inside.  Consider the benefits of being able to tap into what drives your desire to collect or store oodles of things for a rainy day.  How you spend money or even pick up cheapies at auctions or fleamarkets is telling you something about yourself.  The question is, are you ready and willing to listen to the signs?  Are you up to change and unclutter to live the life you deserve?

1) How do you feel about yourself? If you feel a sense of entitlement or that you deserve more than what other people have, what might this say about insecurity, self-worth or emptiness?  Who in your past may have influenced such conditioning? If you can't define "enough", you're missing things in life that crave attention. You may be influenced by more than the success syndrome or "keeping up with the Jones'."

2) Do you have control issues?  Perhaps you've come to believe that if you don't do things your way, your environment won't be acceptable? Let's say you fear being judged or misunderstood and you fear people will mis-label you. Imagine what it would be like to release your control issues. You would not longer feel you had to compensate for what you didn't have.  Let go of fear of loss and create a new life.

3) Where is your focus?  Your subconscious mind stores ideas, but doesn't qualify what is good, useful, bad, incorrect, acceptable or unacceptable.  Your beliefs evolve from what you hear other people tell you repeatedly and what you choose to retain.  Identify root causes of beliefs, what you're really saying if never have enough of clutter; do you lack approval, purpose, affection, success or other intangibles?

4) Do you fear change?   How do you feel about doubting your ability to adapt to your circumstances? You may detect low confidence or seek to hide your clutter because it represents your embarassment about your lack of courage to change.  If a pattern you detect isn't working, if its causing you to feel uncomfortable, this is a sign it would benefit from a new approach.

5) Motivated for or against?  Some people act to avoid certain results and other people work to create more desirable results.  You may stack newsprint because you don't make time to read it or you plan to move in 5-10 years.  Yet, it may actually reveal a sense of desperation or struggle, something you feel powerless to change.  You are as empowered as you truly choose to feel. 

6)  Should you reframe your life?  What is it that enables you to feel committed and doing meaningful things?  If you feel you must work long hours in order that people not assume your lazy or taking short-cuts to success, then you may be unconsciously neglecting other parts of your life.  As you decide to let certain mindsets and behaviours go, you prepare yourself for new kinds of abundance. The clutter you haven't made time for is what represents the life you'll leave behind.

Swat that annoying habit

As you get-to-know yourself, you begin to recognize patterns.  How can you learn to distinguish between the constructive and destructive ones for you?  You may seem to fall into new jobs because you presume you'll get them, even if your qualifications don't fit the bill.  People may naturally blame you when things go wrong or, question your reliability even when your track record doesn't give them reason to think that way. Do you feel like you only do the wrong thing? Examine your mindset and swat those habits that don't help you. You have power to choose!

1) Why do you talk so much? Its possible you're a big talker yet, you may still sense that you're unable to do everything you say.  Acting as though you're 'bigger than your britches' implies you will find yourself in an embarrassing situation. As you defend ideas, be ready to live accordingly.

2) What is it about forcing the issue?  Each time you talk inventory of where you are and how you feel, identify whether you're satisfied and whether you have faith in evolving situations.  Whenever things don't feel right, it's the time to stop and re-evaluate.  People react to you in ways that reflect how comfortable you feel about yourself.  Take a cue and better equip yourself.

3) Do you assume you know it all? People you know may point helpful things out  that you failed to notice yet, you get tense.  To be responsible means you're always ready to watch and learn.  To be irresponsible would imply you disregard external input and refuse to remain open to learning lessons.  Assuming you know everything closes you off from growth and new motivation.

4) Who are your peers? If you choose company in people who criticize, belittle or otherwise harm you, then you may not know the value of true friends.  You may be on a self-defeating road.  True friends support you in all conditions and do not focus on your faults and weaknesses.  They seek to encourage you, to help you develop your skills and talents, rather than break your confidence.  If you don't yet know anyone like that, these people are "out there." It's up to you to find them.

5) How is it you dwell on guilt or sadness?  It can be tempting to get wrapped up in conflict and human tragedy around you.  Don't.  Recognize people will always be happier or worse off than you somewhere.  This doesn't beg indifference, but on some level, it does give you reason to believe you deserve what you experience.  As you learn to stop asking why me?, why not ask, why not me?  Overcome negative feelings about things you can't control.  Shape your life instead. 

Angel or devil?

Inside each of us, if we listen intently, we can hear a voice that clarifies our dreams.  Whether we choose to hear an encouraging angel or a discouraging devil determines how we perceive our life situations and courses of action we choose.  Struggles between good and evil have been described as what moves Humanity forward.  In your life, you may detect seeds of good in difficult situations.  Do angels whisper in your ear?  How else might you explain your ability to sense hope?

Although you may never have been taught that existence goes beyond what you experience now, you may sense that some external, angelic force or guide is attached to you from birth.  This angel may never abandon you completely, but may step back to enable you to face your struggles alone and build more useful skills, such as self-confidence.  What is really happening to you during hardships?

As you face discomfort, one side of your spirit may draw your attention to doubt, fear and vulnerability, all the things that reinforce uneasiness.  This side of you made initially console, but then reprimend and confuse you.  Another part of you will cause you to reflect on the basis for your attitudes to where you learn to see through them and see yourself separate from emotions that aim to control you.  This side of you discerns love and goodness.  It urges you to believe in miracles.

Guardian angels influence your intuition.  They supposedly correct your mindset when you stray from where your life path should be.  Reflect on the meaning of your nightime dreams and the impact of ideas that seem to erode your conscience.  Where do you think the ideas come from?   Would your guardian angel lead you down a dead-end road? Balance solitude and dependence.

Snow leopard without spots

Snow leopards are a dream-like species often found in central and south Asia. This endangered creature has grey-and-white fur, rosettes on the flanks and spots on its head and neck, similar to jaguars. Losing its spots would be symbolic of fear, discouragement or low confidence. What's curious is this predator is highly-adaptive and secretive about its abilities. Snow leopard often underestimate their potential and surprise themselves. They've jumped as far as 14 meters (46 feet).

People are a lot like snow leopards. Both learn through their own trials. After all, no creature is stupid. Life experience offers everyone opportunities to learn. We're all taught different things in our own time. What do you choose to see? If you put your best foot forward, you will not only show yourself what you're capable of achieving, but you will also encourage other people without really trying. Ideal moments for action begin in your head. Why not start?

If you're the type of person who is well-aquainted with your faults, recognize that each one has a strength that balances it. Rather than assume people around you have more opportunities and advantages than you, why not evolve to zero in on those qualities within yourself that you miss? Ask yourself what traits preoccupy you and consider whether it makes sense to work on them.

The snow lion's strength lies in its ability to focus accurately on its targets with skill and agility. He is flexible enough to seek out alternative paths to destinations and readily finds ways to his overcome obstacles. These animals are known to live solitary lives. Its precisely the time alone which enables learning resourcefulness, courage and self-sufficiency to facilitate their survival when the going gets tough.

Like this species, you can grow to identify what you can rely on in yourself. What are your stellar qualities? You have more assets than you realize. Being aware of what lies in your heart will fuel the determination to face unforeseen challenges.  Even if your battles last longer than expected, learn from the snow lion. Open your senses to things all around you. Its never possible to foresee everything. Learn to deal with what comes. Never permit yourself to feel discouraged.