Applied Happiness Coaching

2010 has been officially declared “The Year of Action” in my circle. We are taking everything we’ve all planned to do over the last couple of years (sometimes even longer), and we’re creating checklists and plans to achieve everything we can. There really is no better time than now! It’s a brand new year, and a brand new decade!

A personal credo I’ve adopted this year is to try everything once – if it’s available, I’ll go for it. I’m not a fan of Calamari, clams, oysters – basically anything that has the consistency of snot or tentacles. Against my inner resistance, I was able to knock one of those off my ‘to-do’ list! While I won’t ever order it for myself, I feel good about telling my inner voice of fear to “cork it.” This was a tiny goal; an infinitesimal achievement in the grand scheme of things, but it made me think about how we all perceive obstacle, dreams, goals, and moreover, what we define as “insurmountable odds.”

Recently I went to the studio (Planet 10 Studios, Chicago) to hear a lecture on touring. Martin Atkins who has been in more bands than years I’ve been alive, has written a pretty phenomenal book on touring as a band. Tour: Smart is a thorough look at what it truly takes to succeed on a tour, and as a band in the industry. While it doesn’t apply to me because I’m not a touring band – I just play the local scene or fun – one of his points struck a bigger chord.

Don’t be intimidated by grand endeavors. We’ve been conditioned since birth that we can be anything we want to be, if we put our mind to it, but we’ve also been conditioned to fear taking on more than we can handle. This is the ‘more than you can chew’ analogy we’ve all heard. Atkins made a grand point by telling the story of his travel to the Great Wall of China.

“The Great Wall is definitely one of the Wonders of The World, but up close it’s just a fucking pile of bricks. Yes, it’s a LOT of bricks, but there’s no miracle here; it’s just a LOT of work done with the bigger picture guiding the job. Every huge thing is made up of very small pieces. A good life isn’t about the big things, rather, it’s the small things that make a difference.”

Brilliant words, no? It helps to remind us all to stay focused on the big goals, even if they seem too big or too far to reach. Ask yourself, “what is an insurmountable goal?” What do you define as impossible? What goal do you dream of achieving, but you toss it to the side because, “it’s just a pipe-dream?” If you took that virtually unreachable goal and broke it into its elements (parts), would it still be as scary?

It’s time to break it down and STRETCH. Stretching is reaching past what you know and understand to learn new things, and expand yourself as a person. This year, it’s all about stretching and developing yourself and your own personal power. When you set a goal for yourself, what kind of system do you put in place to measure your progress? Do you have a partner or supportive person to keep you encouraged and moving forward? I highly recommend partnering with someone to achieve great things together this year. Hold each other accountable, and push each other to STETCH.

Benjamin Disraeli said, “Nothing can resist a human will that will stake its existence on its purpose.” When you set your intention on achieving a goal and you take action to make it happen, purposefully and consistently, you will achieve it. It’s about being strong in your convictions and commitments. Stretch and expand yourself in everything you can, my friends. Remember, while the ladder may represent an incredibly difficult climb, it’s still just one rung at a time to the top. Take a few steps every day!

Peace, Love, and a Million Successes to you all!

Blake