My right foot slowly nudged my bedroom door open, and I had to stop. Clothes were spewing out in two dozen different directions all over the floor.

Waistbands of tracksuit bottoms were trying to explode from underneath the bed. There was no way to walk in without stepping on something. And I spied the faint outline of a running shoe underneath a pile of crumpled tee shirts.

My disbelief lasted for at least three commercials. Then I heard Cerce Lannister call to me from the iron throne.

After wrestling with a mountain of clothes, I managed to close the door. I flung myself back on the couch, feeling faint and slightly exhausted.

I will tidy my bedroom soon. Definitely. Maybe even tomorrow night. I promise.

Procrastination stifles goals

When we look at something that seems insurmountable, it is easy to stuff everything back under the bed or into a closet and shut the door. Just close that door, again.

“Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.” – Wayne Gretzky

It’s the same way with pretty much everything we want to change in our lives.

We imagine our ultimate end goal, running a marathon let’s say. But when we see ourselves at the first mile, we are already exhausted by our thoughts and drowning in our stress sweat.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Find out how to cure your procrastination HERE.

The realisation that John Snow eating a rabbit in the woods and the Red Witch looking at herself in a mirror is a pathetic excuse for not doing what needs to be done hit me. Off goes Game Of Thrones and I started to deal with my mess piece by piece.

This post has six pieces of advice to help you find the courage, motivation, momentum, support and perspective to leap into the unknown.

What is your motivation to change

When deciding to make a change, you must first identify and understand what you want to change. In essence, what are your reasons for making the change in the first place?

Associate Professor Anthony Grant, from the University of Sydney, suggests you should start by identifying what is important to you. This means defining your core values.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

Grant suggest you need to be able to identify what about your goal that makes you feel better and more expansive. What about your goal adds to you as a person?

The logical premise is that when your core values and goal align, thinking of your goal will trigger a positive gut feeling.

Practice getting outside your comfort zone

I used to dread the uncertainty that comes with change. And that was one of the main reasons I used to avoid change. Because when you make a change, you don’t know what will happen.

Related Post: How To Become The Best Version Of You in 2018

If we let this fear stop us, we may never create the opportunities to experience some of life’s most fulfilling experiences.

A simple way I found to fight this fear is to practice doing more things that scare me. Think of it like exercise: when we do more things that scare us we are strengthening our emotional muscles.

Imagine how it will look after the change

For many of us, the idea of making a change brings up feelings of fear and discomfort. It takes a lot of motivation to push past those emotional obstacles and keep going.

In these moments, having a clear picture of how much better things will be on the other side can spur us on.

Suggestion: Jump forward in time and imagine a day after you have reached your goal. Write down three ways that day will be awesome. Make it as sensory-rich as possible.

Most of us respond well to visual stimulation so you might want to find a few images that represent how that day will be outstanding. For me, a song can make it more sensory-rich. Other people might associate a smell. The sweet smell of success. Do whatever makes it compelling for you.

Take one small step, and then another

Taking action, however, small a step it is will boost your energy and optimism. Identify one small, manageable thing you can do today to move toward your goal. Then take action and do it.

Take a moment to notice the positive feelings you experience when you take action on your behalf.

Now take another small step forward. Before you know it, change starts to happen.

As the saying from Lao Tzu goes, “Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Contemplating the enormity of all that’s before you isn’t going to propel you forward.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

The primary motivator that leads us to keep on persevering is taking baby steps. When we look at the big picture, we can get overwhelmed with all the intricate stages involved in achieving that goal.

Alternatively, try breaking the big picture goal down into manageable and systematic baby steps. And then work your butt off to achieve them.

Celebrate and document your wins on a regular basis. I suggest you do it daily. The achievement of your baby step goals will help you achieve the change that you’ve been seeking.

Being in the moment

There is a saying from Karen Salmansohn that illustrates this point very well, “The grass is always greener on the other side – until you get there and see it’s AstroTurf. Symbols are never reality. Someone might have amassed material success and fame, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy. So, don’t go judging a person’s life by the cover.”

How many of think that the grass is greener on the other side? Often, when we get to the other side, we find that this is not true.

Our desire to be happy provides the motivation to change our lives. Too frequently, we are so busy focusing on our pursuit of happiness that we miss the joy of actually being in the moment.

An attitude of gratitude

Sitting on a bench eating an ice-cream or walking in a park with a friend is a moment of happiness. Appreciating and showing gratitude on a daily basis is experiencing happiness in the moment.

This is what living our life in the moment is all about. Don’t miss these moments because you are too busy focusing on your pursuit of happiness.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward

We all possess a tendency to resist change. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Change is beneficial for us in both our personal and professional lives. It exposes us to new experiences and people and makes us more flexible and opens up the doors to more opportunities.

Suggestion: Write down one thing that are committed to doing in the next week that scares you or at the least makes you feel uncomfortable.
It can be rock-climbing, saying “no” to someone, or going out to a movie or dinner alone.

And then do it again next month. And the month after that. Then you  keep on until you embrace change and look forward to it.

Now get out there and live an OUTSTANDING life.