Why is it that some things come easily to us and other goals seem so hard to attain? Often it’s because we’re conflicted—our feelings are working against us instead of working together.
WHEN I WAS A YOUNG BOY, I would sometimes ride the tractor with my father as he planted corn. He prided himself in making nice straight rows which not only made it easier to harvest in the fall, but it also looked nice when the corn came up. Crooked rows just look sloppy.
I wondered how he did it—driving so straight in a long field with little to guide him. As I got a little older and knew I would be starting to plant by myself, I asked him his strategy.
He told me that he’d look off in the distance and pick a tree or fence post at the far end of the field. But that alone wasn’t enough. He also had to pick another object beyond the one he chose at the end of the field. He would then line them up, and keep them in line—something like the sights of a gun. In doing so, he was able to drive the tractor and tow the corn planter in a nice straight line. The result: beautiful straight rows of corn.
What’s that you say? You don’t plant corn? Well, as you might have guessed, I’m going somewhere with this analogy. In order to achieve our goals, we need to line up our energies. We need to have them working together in order to create and achieve with excellence. When we’re aligned and not at cross-purposes with ourselves, we’re able to accomplish with ease and with elegance.
Let’s use the example of someone overwhelmed by bills. He wants to be out from under his bills. That’s good. He’s clear on what he doesn’t want. And that’s a good place to start. But he also needs to get clear on what he truly WANTS. He needs to visualize the experience of having an abundance of money to pay for his goods and services. He needs to see himself enjoying the power and freedom that comes from a strong sense of abundance and prosperity. As he does, he’ll find it infinitely easier to reach his objective.
All too often, we focus on what we DON’T want. We may get clear on what we do want, but we muck up the process by our conflicting feelings and expectations. Our tendency is to gravitate toward what we’re most resonating—the feelings and emotions that dominate. If we have feelings of joy for what we want, but also have intense feelings of fear and anxiety about the current situation (what we don’t want), we’re conflicted. And we will usually attract the more potent feeling rather than the one we want.
Changing this isn’t always easy. But it’s critical to align our energies so they’re working together instead of working against each other. How many times have you gone for a goal, fallen short, and said, “I knew it wasn’t going to happen.” We don’t always get what we want, but we almost always get what we expect.
So how do we change this? The first step is to recognize the importance of this principle. The second is to get busy changing our conflicted feelings. Focus on what feels good. Focus on the fun, the freedom, the sense of accomplishment you will be feeling when you have successfully navigated this small journey. The more intense you can create these feelings the more success you’ll have.
You can’t not think about something. We can only think about something else. Try NOT thinking about a pink elephant. No, I said don’t think about a pink elephant. Why are you thinking about a pink elephant? What we have to do is replace the thoughts we don’t want with thoughts we do want.
I believe that our problems and challenges are meant to teach us—to help us grow stronger and better and wiser. We’re not at the mercy of our emotions. We CAN change them—with our thoughts.
Look for ways you’ve been working against yourself. And begin to change your thinking. Get all your horses pulling in the same direction. By lining up our thoughts and our feelings, we get things moving in the natural flow of the Universe. We become co-creators with the life force.
Remember, align your thoughts, feelings and energy and you’ll plant straight rows of corn . . . er, I mean accomplish your goals with ease and excellence.
Recommended Resource
Best Life Goal Planner
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