From Fear to Action and Results in 8 Steps

This is Part 2 of the series How to Live in the Unknown without Fear. Read Part 1 here.

There are many practices to create the right mindset required for stepping through the Fear Barrier into the Growth Zone. These next 8 steps are about how we manage our mindset and based on what I have learned from many wise people and how I live aim to live my life everyday. Of course, I am not fearless! Naturally, I feel fear sometimes, so I consciously manage my fears to take the required action to create the change I desire.

1.Surrender to Sitting in the Void of the Unknown

We never actually do know what is going on, in fact. We need to accept that we don’t know what will happen in the future. Therefore, in reality, we are always in the unknown. Sometimes we think we know and sometimes we can be pretty sure that certain things will happen … but never 100% until it actually happens. Even with psychic ability, we still can’t tell for sure what will happen in the future. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we did and we could predict the lotto numbers, huh … but then everyone would win so it wouldn’t be worth it. Ah well. ON the other side of the coin, it would make life too predictable and boring I think.

Once you can accept that we all live in the unknown and that all we can do is make decisions in our present, you will be able to surrender to where you are. So let go of your stress and worry because the only thing it works for is making you feel anxious.

You are where you are and what has happened has happened.

A good way to come to grips with reality is to change your perspective as to “why” things are happening. I find it helps a lot to trust that all is happening for my highest good and for some good reason, even if I can’t understand how in the moment.

Work towards keeping your intention to:

to sit calmly in the unknown
let go of your worry about and fear of imagined negative outcomes
relax into where you are at the present moment
realize there is no point stressing about the current situation
look for the lesson in what is happening for you
feel and express gratitude for what you do have

It is really important to be present and surrender to the fact that you don’t know, so you can let go and allow your life to flow.

2. Focus on what you want – Positively and Optimistically

This is where your intention and attention are critical. What you focus on is what you get, according to the Law of Attraction. So, set your intention for the positive things you want to happen, think about how good you will feel when they do and stay optimistic that it will all come to you.

Focus on positive outcomes and give them your attention … but don’t be attached to them. That is a hard one to explain but I hope it becomes clearer in the step Let go of your Emotional Attachment to Outcomes.

3. Create Intentions, not Expectations, to allow Flow

You’ve probably heard it a hundred times and thought, “Sure sounds good, but what does that mean I need to do?”

Basically, it means you give up your expectations of how things should work out and where you think you should be. Just don’t expect that that is how it is going to be for you.

Stop trying so hard to:

control how things are going
make things happen for you

When we expect certain outcomes, we set ourselves up for disappointment if those expectations are not met …

… and they often aren’t!

How many times have you been upset by what didn’t happen because you expected it should? Or vice versa, by what did happen when you thought it shouldn’t?

An intention is different to an expectation.

An expectation means that is the only outcome we are prepared to accept.

An intention is putting an outcome we desire out to the Universe, whilst still accepting that it may or may not occur exactly how we want it to.

We need to specify what we want and then let go of our emotional attachment or need for it to happen that way. It is a toughie for sure and one I still struggle with … on a regular basis … especially when it is something I really, really want.

Let Go and Let Flow.

4. Let go of your Emotional Attachment to Outcomes

When we attach all our good feelings to a certain outcome, we energetically block all the other possibilities. We can only think that the outcome we want will make us feel good or be good for us because we have decided that is what is best for us and what will make us happy. Truth be told, we don’t know everything at the time and there is a source of energy (I call it the Universe or Source energy and you might call it God) that is guiding us and can deliver outcomes that we could never even imagine.

Have you ever let go of control and found wonderful things happened to you that you had not considered possible, or even thought about?

This is why not having an emotional attachment to a certain outcome allows us to be open to other possibilities. This openness enables us to go with the flow, even if it doesn’t turn out exactly how we want.

When we put so much time and energy into that moment of disappointment for what did or didn’t happen the way you wanted, ie did not meet your expectation, we delay our future satisfaction in what is coming to us.

Only when you are open to changing your behavior or consider a different opportunity, does that opportunity have the chance to make it through to you! That is how you let flow.

We only think we know what is the best outcome, but we don’t actually know what other alternatives are possible and how they may work better for us. We may not be able to even comprehend what we could have if we set our intention and allow the energy of the Universe to flow for us.

5. Take the Path of Least Resistance

Someone gave me this piece of advice a long time ago and, at the time, I wondered what it actually meant. It has taken me many years to really “get it”. It means, if things aren’t working out, if they don’t feel comfortable, if you keep coming up against resistance, like dead-ends and brick walls, then stop pursuing that path. Try something different that is easier and flows more easily because that will be the path you are meant to be on.

If things are not working out for you easily, then that is probably because it they are not meant to.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

Find another path … with less resistance where things flow more smoothly.

Explore different options and take the path that seems the easiest to follow – where things do work out, where good things that you hadn’t even thought about happen. And if that doesn’t happen on your next path choice, after giving it a good try, then stop and re-evaluate. Keep trying until you find the right path.

What are signs of resistance?

I rely mostly on my intuition and my gut feel to work things out these days. It has proved me right time and time again as it is my most intelligent guide.

What is a great way to tell if I am listening to my intuition or disregarding it?

Our intuition serves as our guide to help us know when we are in alignment with our right path. Things that are ‘meant to be’ often fall into place easily, sometimes to even to our pleasant surprise. If you are feeling uptight or anxious or even just uncomfortable about something and you are not worrying about imagined negative outcomes, then it is probably your gut feeling or intuition letting you know that you are not on the right path for you. This is when you are actually feeling the resistance.

I remember years ago I was offered a great job as a sales manager. It was really good money and I wasn’t working at the time … but something felt wrong. My gut felt tight and stressed when I thought about it. I turned that job down and immediately felt relief, like a weight had lifted off me. I later heard things about that company and the person I would have been working for that confirmed I had made the right decision. Sometimes the resistance is in your body. Listen to it and take heed.

The more you follow your intuition, the less anxiety and physical stress you will feel. Those stressful feelings will be replaced by feelings of contentment, fulfillment and happiness when you are following your intuition. You will feel more sure about yourself and question your decisions and actions less. Your life will become an easy flow, with some rocks to jump past on the way, but even they won’t stress you out as much.

6. Staying in the Present with Gratitude

It is important to find as much as you can to be grateful for and express your gratitude often.

The more you find to be thankful for, the more you will have to be thankful for.

Take time each day to identify at least 3 things you are grateful for and express your gratitude aloud or, better still, write it down in your journal as per The MojoCircle Mindfulness Ritual. This will help you recognise when you are feeling in positive flow and when you are feeling resistance and out of flow.

As you feel more and more gratitude for what you have, you will probably notice yourself saying “I feel happy” … even when nothing miraculous or hugely exciting has happened that day. 🙂

7. Take Action to Create What You Want

Always take action. When I say “Sit in the unknown”, I don’t mean give up and stay there forever. Create, move, do something and just take action to move forward. Be messy and willing to make mistakes. It’s all part of the journey. Action is the only way to make the unknown known which, in turn, allows you to grow and expand in yourself and life.

If you really don’t like your present situation, then the points above become even more important. Take whatever action you need to create the change you desire and allow yourself to dive into the unknown willingly. When you create change in your life, you open up to a much bigger unknown space as you step out of your comfort zone and into the Growth Zone. Go for it I say! And I have and do!

8. Focus on the One Next Step!

I was actually amazed at what happened once I made the decision to sell and move to France. Things started falling into place and opportunities opened up for me that I hadn’t even thought of before. Nevertheless, it was was still accompanied by feelings of overwhelm at all I had to do in a short time period.

To combat those feelings, I had to make a list of all I needed to do and outline a plan of when I needed to do it by.

Then I executed each step, one at a time. I approached my new life just one step at a time – although sometimes they were very big steps I must admit – like having a total knee replacement when my house went on the market.

To avoid succumbing to the overwhelm, especially when making such big changes in life, I kept my focus on the one next step that I needed to do each day and even each moment of the day. Now, that is especially hard for someone who may well have ADD and gets distracted very easily – but my plan kept me on track. Okay and a lot of discipline too.

Just focus on that one thing you need to do, think about or decide on next. Then when that task is done, look at the next single step. Having a plan with my list of To Do actions made it much easier to follow this process. Sometimes I also found that the one next step I needed was actually to take a rest and do nothing for a short while. Rest and recovery is very important as well.

It makes life so much easier than trying to change your world all in one go. As they say:

Conclusions:

So to sum up, don’t avoid the unknown … welcome it with open arms for all the new opportunities it can bring to your life. It is all about your mindset, which is really what my 8 steps are about – adopting the mindset that will allow you to create the life you want.

If you would like some coaching to help you adopt this mindset and create the change you desire in your life, send me a message. I’d love to work with you on creating change in your life to get your mojo flowing.