“The power to control your life lies within you.”

As the year starts coming to a close do you feel like you are struggling to stay on top of things or are you trying to push through for that last hurrah at the end of the year? Most importantly are you taking some time for yourself amongst the list of all your to-dos?

If you are anything like me, you will be doing your best to push through some of your goals such as a better workout routine, a push on your business activities but at the same time struggle with this thought at the back of your head that says “it’s nearly the end of the year, why work so hard when you can’t make any real difference for the year?” I think that is the number one flaw in many people’s thinking because no matter how few steps you take now, they are progress towards achieving your goal. It is never too late in the year to start something. That being said, if you want to start a diet on Christmas, you are just setting yourself up for failure but I digress.

At this point in time, you may be in the full throes of a major life transformation journey or you could be at the starting point, it doesn’t matter. Either way, you will have days when you are just so overwhelmed that you are starting to become paralysed by the situation and before you know it, it’s Christmas shopping and family trip planning and dinner organising and you get busy being busy, you feel more overwhelmed than ever and worse, disappointed by your own lack of progress. You have guilt weighing on your shoulder and at the same time you feel justified by your busyness because you feel like you have done something even though it is not working towards your dreams.

Before you throw in the towel and give up on working on your dreams for the rest of the year, I would like you to imagine the next few weeks as you working the hardest you’ve ever worked. Imagine that when New Year’s Eve comes along and you think about the year you’ve had, wouldn’t it feel amazing to remember your last few weeks as you working your ass off for the life you want. Not for anyone else but you. Now, I do understand that there are family obligations and I do not advocate not spending time with your family but there are times where you should keep your time exclusive to achieving your dreams and time for your family and personal obligations. Most importantly when you are feeling incredibly stuck, I want you to take a deep breath, block off some time for yourself, perhaps a few hours over your morning cuppa and do these 5 things below to help you get back on track and take back control of your life.

1) Acknowledge your current situation

Take a step back and look at what you are working on right now. This could be any major goals in your life that you are trying to achieve. Whether it is a healthier lifestyle, building a business or rejuvenating your relationship, anything that you are working on right now. What do you see about your current situation? Have you been making any headway? Be completely honest with yourself, have you taken the steps you said you would? There is no judgement here, only facts. You need to see where you are in order for you to move forward.  

2) List down what is it that you feel stuck with right now

Now that you have acknowledge your current situation, think and list down what are you feeling stuck with and why. Over the course of any mission or projects, there will be things that crop up along the way that makes us feel stuck, unable to move. Sometimes it is the sheer amount of things that we need to do, sometimes doubts keep us in our place and sometimes we can’t move ahead because we are still unclear about what it is we are aiming for. Just think about why you feel stuck right now and don’t be afraid to dig deep.

3) Be grateful for what you have achieved

Now that you can see what is holding you back, I would like you to feel gratitude and pride for what you have already achieved. When you are dealing with the mountain of tasks you have to do to get your dreams on the right track, you sometimes lose track of the awesome work you have already done. Many parents do not notice how big their children have grown until someone else who only sees them once a while comments on how much the kids have grown. Likewise, you may not be able to see the progress you have made on your goals until you take a step back and think about what you have achieved. Go ahead, make the list of achievements you have made and be grateful and proud of them.

4) Take some time out for yourself

As you are doing this exercise, I would like you to physically make an appointment with yourself. You need to take some time out for yourself. Not next year, not next month, make it this week. You can choose to do anything that you enjoy, and you should not be concerned about work at all on that day. You can go for a massage and a coffee or nice lunch, you can take the time to go to the beach or a park, you can also take the time to go shop leisurely and then stopping for a beautiful long lunch. Whatever it is you choose whether by yourself or with others (I like to do this by myself for complete recharge and I highly recommend it), just make sure it is a full day of not working and you will find yourself recharged and ready to get back to it the next day.

5) Create a plan to get back on track

Have you scheduled your time off for yourself? Fantastic, now we can create a quick and straightforward plan to get you back in gear after your time off. Now, this isn’t a 50 page business plan so don’t get crazy with it. It is simply just a few lines in your notebook that lists down what you need done and how you will be tackling it. Pick 3 things that are the most crucial to helping you move forward. Next, decide on the 3 tasks you need to do for each item and simply plan to achieve 3 tasks per day. You can plan for more once you are in the full swing of things. For instance, one of things I am tackling is writing a book, the three tasks I will need to do this week is

1. Create an outline for the book
2. Create an outline for each chapter
3. Create detailed description for each chapter.

I might choose to dedicate 1 or 2 days to these tasks or dedicate 2 hours per day. It is up to you whichever way you choose to do this. Just plan this for the upcoming week, no more than that. Again, you can plan for longer duration in advance when you are in the full swing of things.

Now that you have completed these 5 steps above, how do you feel? Do you feel a sense of catharsis, do you feel like you now have a clearer direction forward? These 5 steps are not just good for one use, anytime you feel like you are in a state of being stuck, you can use these 5 simple ways to get back in control. If you are looking for more tips and advice on how to consistently take action, make you sign up for my ebook below to help you gain the confidence you need to achieve your dreams.