So how big do you want to be?  I guess that depends on who you are.  If you ask a child, she would say as big as Mommy or Daddy.  If you ask a teenager, he would say his favorite pop star or professional athlete.  And if you ask an adult, you will surely receive a diverse mix of answers.  What’s the meaning of big anyway?  “Big” as it refers to being successful, or even better – wildly successful!

Aren’t you tired of playing small?  In fact, the only thing that stops people from being successful is their own small thinking. It all starts with you.  Because you can truly be as big as you allow yourself to be. It’s your beliefs and those messages that you send yourself which cause you to feel small. It’s time to expand your thinking if you want to be successful.

Being successful requires you to connect with your personal power.  It’s about growing up and being seen for you – for your value. It’s your willingness to get noticed in a big way, even in spite of your fears.  It means having conviction and aligning yourself with something that represents who you are, and then having the ability to shout it out loud to the world because you believe in it.

But you must believe in YOURSELF, first. And you must believe in yourself so much, that you are able to mess up along the way and be okay with that.  To believe in yourself so much that you are able to hold fast to your convictions, despite any opposition. To be okay with whatever happens, because you believe in your own personal power and value, and this is what you bring to the world.

Start by making a decision to go for it and being committed to the process along the way. And that process includes action. Taking right action will move you forward to success. Realize that you may experience some discomfort as you break out of your familiar patterns, but this is typical of change. Just allow it to happen without judgment and continue to proceed with your action plan.

So I ask you, how big do you want to be and how can I help you get there?

Does the fear of making a mistake stress you out? Or just maybe you feel compelled to color within the lines? For most of us, when we set out to do something, whatever it may be, we’re usually very intent on doing it right in order to not make any mistakes. But keeping that mindset can actually get in the way of succeeding.  When we try very hard for things to go a certain way and force ourselves to work within specific guidelines, what we’re doing essentially is limiting our creativity and our ability to grow. Being afraid of making mistakes can cause our thinking to become stifled. And when this happens, we refrain from taking risks. So if you’re looking to take your life to the next level, then holding back in this way is not going to support the process.

Overall, our society tends to view mistakes in a negative light and this contributes to our own fears around failing. However, if you are not willing to make mistakes then most likely you are not trying anything new. And then what are you really learning? If you want to progress, it’s important to learn how to put a positive spin on them. Consider for a moment, the mindset of one of the great inventors, Thomas Edison. Edison believed that there was no such thing as mistakes as long as you were able to learn from them. And he should know, since it took him over 10,000 times to figure out the proper filament for the light bulb.

Therefore, in order to change your perspective, you must be willing to consciously choose what you focus on. After all, if you’re constantly thinking of trying not to make mistakes, guess what usually happens? You wind up making a mistake. Instead, bring your attention to what you’re really looking to create in the moment and this will give mistakes less power and importance. Release the need to do it right, or for that matter perfectly. Just be willing to do it. Open up to all the possibilities for adventure and allow yourself the freedom to think outside of the box. Mistakes may, or may not be made. But this time you can view them as signposts that you are stretching yourself and growing; and therefore, use them as tools for learning.

You can try out this new way of thinking by applying it to a task that you are working on this week. Since you’re experimenting here, a small action rather than a big one will do fine. But whatever you choose, just allow yourself the ability to NOT do it perfectly. In fact, feel free to “mess up” in order to be okay with feeling this new experience. Have fun with it and let your creativity soar!

And now, I’ll leave you with these quotes to ponder…

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.
~ Oscar Wilde

A mistake is simply another way of doing things.
~ Katharine Graham

As human beings, we are always in the process of creating…whether it’s a job, a relationship, a new opportunity or simply something more. In fact, as long as we are alive, we are always creating. However, the main point to keep in mind is “what exactly are we creating?”

Take a moment to look around at your life. Do you feel satisfied right now? Are you happy with your circumstances? If not, then it’s important to understand “how” you are creating these results. With that in mind, the key factor here is to create consciously rather than unconsciously. When you consciously create you can get positive results. When you create unconsciously, the results are hit-or-miss. If you are getting mixed results, then you must consider that you are not being fully conscious and focused when you are in the process of creating. When this happens it is easy for limiting beliefs to sneak in and sidetrack your best intentions.

After all, we have been pre-programmed, usually by those who raised or taught us with beliefs, attitudes and judgments, which make us who we are today. Unfortunately, those viewpoints are not always positive and affirming. When we unconsciously create by applying those past limiting beliefs to our present day decisions and circumstances, it causes us to produce less than desirable outcomes.

The way to overcome this is to practice being conscious in your daily life. Learn to be fully aware of what you are looking to create. Then think of the beliefs that you will need to support that outcome. Take the time to focus on those beliefs many times during the day. This requires consistency and discipline, especially at the beginning because you are literally paving new pathways in your brain. However, over time this becomes second nature, something like a habit. The main difference here is that you are developing a good habit rather than an unsupportive one.

To further assist you, use the following tips that are designed to increase your level of consciousness:  

• Make the commitment to becoming more fully conscious.
• Practice being the “witness” in your own life.
• Learn to “press your internal pause button”…in other words, slow down and take more time to process information before proceeding with decisions.
• Live your life by being proactive rather than reactive.
• Be more present in the moment.
• Stop multi-tasking! Focus, focus, focus.

• Be honest and accountable to yourself and others.
• Keep your body fueled with healthy food; minimizing sugar, fat and caffeine.
• Steer clear of any activities that are used for avoidance or escapism such as overeating, shopping, drinking, smoking, watching TV, etc.
• Write out your thoughts in a journal in order to gain clarity.
• Follow a daily meditation practice, which is a classic tool for raising consciousness.  Ommm…