How Thinking Big Changes Your Life
Are you intimidated by the idea of thinking big? Do you have this story going around in your head that you have got to be realistic? Then you tend to set goals that you absolutely know you can do. You don’t have to stretch at all and you could accomplish these goals with both hands tied behind your back. The pitfall is that you don’t really know what you could have done. You don’t experience the magic of stretching yourself.
It takes courage to think big. It takes courage to think big and then risk not getting to the goal.
If you are achieving every single goal you set ahead of time, your goals are too small. Thinking big comes with some risks. Not everyone will like what you are doing and they are sure to tell you about it, too.
One of my big ideas is this. I want world-class health care for everyone in the world. I write this in my journal just about every day. “Thank you for world-class health care for everyone.” After writing this for weeks, I thought I would share this on my facebook profile. I thought, maybe I can get some other people to be part of this vision. So, I wrote. “My dream is for everyone in the world to have world-class health care and I don’t want it to be political”.
Almost immediately, well-meaning people started writing things like…”Silly girl, of course, it has to be political.” And then I had several suggestions to get involved with opposing political parties to start working on my initiative. I was told I was being naive.
I haven’t been called a silly girl since I was about 9 years old. A woman I respected, demeaned my idea by labeling me- a silly girl. What? Instead of a meaningful discourse or anyone even attempting to wrap their heads around this huge idea, it was so much simpler to dismiss me as a silly girl, or suggest that I dim my vision and work within the existing system. Of course, I didn’t take any of this personally. I could see human nature at work. I proposed something preposterous that didn’t fit in with any norms, and people were trying to categorize this post. It was easiest to go to default mode and dismiss me as silly and naive.
I am no closer today to world-class health care for everyone, but I still talk about it. I still write it in my journal. I am still setting my intention for this. I also set my intention for a way for this to happen. What will it take? Perhaps, a massive worldwide shift in how we look at medical care and accessibility. I admit I am very unsure about how this could happen.
But my vision is so big, so massive that it gets me out of my head and into my heart. It also gets me out of my business, out of my day to day life and lets me ask What if? in an amazing way.
It’s okay for people to not like every idea I have. Criticism didn’t hurt me at all. Disagreement and criticism won’t hurt you either.
Thinking big does not have to be a crazy huge vision like this. However, I am a fan of everyone having at least one goal for humanity that could change humanity forever in an amazing way. The things that seem crazy now, might be completely normal in a few years.
Let’s move from this enormous level to a little smaller level and look at you and your life and business and me and my life and business. How can you and I think bigger? In order to change our lives, we have to think in ways we have never thought before.
Disrupt thought patterns. Notice how you (and most of us) repeat the same way of thinking over and over. One day is often very, even eerily similar to the day before. Shake this up.
Our brains even get chemically addicted to familiar patterns.
Are you addicted to being tired? Are you addicted to certain emotions?
Instead of hoping you feel better, what about looking at how you think impacts how you feel, then how you feel impacts how you think? It’s a vicious circle.
Daring to think big helps stretch you out of negative or stagnant thought patterns.
As you near the end of the year and look at the beginning of the new year, you are probably setting some goals. What if you took a second look at those goals and multiplied them by 10 or even 100. This is probably enough to shake you up. Your first reaction might be- impossible! But then, you might ask What if? Dramatic impactful change begins with a vision.
Naturally, as soon as you initiate any habit disruption, your brain chemistry will try to maintain the status quo, the familiar habit. This is called resistance. When you know ahead of time that your ego and your chemistry will try to sabotage your changes, your big thinking, and your new habits, you can be prepared.
This sabotage looks like this,
“I don’t feel like it.”
“Something is off.”
“I’m tired.”
“I need (whatever is a distraction).”
“My parents made me this way, I can’t change.”
Counteract the sabotaging thoughts with remembering your compelling why.
Why are you changing? Why is it important? You can even remind yourself that this is your brain chemistry fighting change. Meditation and EFT are also wonderful energy and thought shifting techniques. Try this Tapping audio on Self-Sabotage
Or this 90 affirmations audio.
Sheri Kaye Hoff
Coach, Trainer, and Author, Sheri Kaye Hoff, is a Business Coach known for inspiring massive action and a catalyst for personal and business growth, joy, and profits in a way that is fun, relaxing, and fulfilling, Sheri inspires people to do the work they love and make more money. Sheri helps business owners and professionals to relax into success. She uses both spiritual and practical techniques to obliterate blocks and create dramatic change. She is a business, leadership, happiness, and inner game expert. She has overcome nearly dying, and the loss of her brother at an early age. She has made it her life mission to discover the keys to happiness and success and then share them with her clients and community. Learn More About Sheri
