SEASON OF BREAKTHROUGH
Have you ever wanted to break out of the box they had put you in for so long? “They” meaning spectators, outsiders, family, friends, strangers, society.
Or perhaps you wanted to breakthrough the barriers you started to believe and put into place yourself.
Maybe you have a certain narrative that was spoken over you for decades by others. Maybe that narrative created a cycle that still exists in your mind. You are not enough. You are undeserving. You can’t. You are unworthy. You will never amount to anything.
Wherever the source of disempowering messages came from, you bought in. Your life has become the result of restrictions, boundaries, glass ceilings, and untapped potential meant to be broken through in order accomplish your greatest desires.
Internal stories can keep you from living your best life. Such stories act as inhibitors to your greatest achievements and successes. The cycle negatively shapes your identity fueling the self-fulfilling prophecy of, “I can’t,” “I am not enough,” and “I am undeserving.”
This was me. Spot. On. (remnants still spark up time to time, but now with more awareness)
That is why in 2017, I chose the word, BREAKTHROUGH.
My intention of selecting Breakthrough as my word of the year was fueled from the desire to attain a new quality of life. And for goodness sake, I just wanted to do one unassisted pull-up on my own! If you are in the six foot and up club, you can relate.
I had written down a list of goals that I had yet to accomplish on the surface, but quickly learned that quite a bit of groundwork needed to be attended to at the core.
My word was Breakthrough, but my vision was to let go of limiting thoughts and enjoy/experience humanity’s true magnificence every single day. I felt like whatever was on the other side was a new quality life where things that once seemed impossible to me became attainable.
As I grow and observe, I realize this is all of us to a degree. Somewhere inside of us, our internal wiring is providing the blueprint for the actions we decide to take in this lifetime. Whether that is good, bad, or neutral.
Here are the five pillars I learned through my season of Breakthrough:
Self-talk: Give up the stories that limit you. It all begins with a change in beliefs
Abolish the tales that fear has given you. Most of the beliefs you have been bombarded with are often in a negative light, you have to proactively choose the belief systems you want in your life that are going to take you where you want to go, and most importantly who you want to become.
Psychologists say on average we speak 25,000 words a day and we think 70,000 words. So what are you thinking, and most importantly what are you saying to yourself?
Affirm yo self. Two of the most powerful words: “I am…” If you are repeatedly saying aloud or in your head, “I am _______,” (insert blank with: dumb, inadequate, fat, unable, worthless, stupid, etc.) then consequently you are becoming the narrative that you are giving yourself. Reversely, this can be powerful on the opposite end of the spectrum, if you are saying empowering affirmations after your “I am,” then you begin to create an emotion of self-worth and then your actions, decisions, and behaviors reflect that.
Try this!
Where my coffee/tea drinkers at?! A good friend of mine once shared that she spends roughly 20 second affirming herself before she takes her first sip of her cup of coffee. 20 seconds can roughly, equals 5 affirmations. Try this next time you are about to take your first sip of the day. Also, try this with your partner or a friend it is fun to see how they affirm themselves and also you can act as their source for enriching affirmations!
State: Your state determines how you think and feel.
When you find yourself in a state of scarcity, fear, anxiety, inadequacy, or any of the likes you are disabling your ability of making rational decisions that support the life you ultimately want. This can begin with damaging internal dialogue and manifest its way into more physiological disempowering states like shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, sweat palms, etc. When these feelings begin to overcome, you have to bring yourself back to a positive state.
An excellent example to help bring yourself back to a positive state is the 5 second rule that Mel Robbins has been changing lives around the world with. She has told stories of how counting backwards from 5 to 1 and taking action thereafter has allowed her to get out of depression/anxiety, help repair her marriage, become a more patient and present mother, among the list. She first used it to get out of bed in the mornings during a season of severe depression, then she began using it in other situation and resulted in a massive course correction in her life.
Try this!
Exercise, talk a walk, do yoga, count back from 100, draw infinity circles with your index finger, do jumping jacks, pray, mediate, DO SOMETHING! Words, followed by action will always yield the highest result.
Resilience: Biggest battles happen right before the breakthroughs. Don’t let the breakdowns deter you from the breakthroughs
Trust me, it takes work. Triumphs won’t come one after the other. Often times it is small wins or repetitive action made consistently over time (even through the hardships) that will result in the breakthrough you are wanting to have. CELEBRATE THE SMALL WINS.
When you find yourself in the low points, the daily struggles, or that obstacle you can’t even see past, remind yourself of why you want to have this breakthrough. Keep the vision alive, the version you are wanting to become, and the quality of life you are working towards to power you through.
Try this!
Draw a line in the sand. “I used to be_____, but every day I am getting better at ______.” If you find yourself not quite obtaining the goal you are setting out for, use this one liner to breakthrough the old narrative into a refined and encouraging script for yourself.
Gratitude: Offer thanks at the beginning of the breakdowns, before the breakthroughs and before the completion
Gratitude through every single step. This is when the power of visualization comes in. Before you even take action, imagine what the result will look like, feel like and be like. You might be visualizing the health you want to attain, paying off all of your credit cards, your ideal marriage, or competing at the highest possible level you can. Whatever you are aspiring to accomplish or become, imagine how you will feel and offer gratitude in that moment and every moment to follow.
Try this!
Reflect on the outcomes of the stories you are telling yourself. Are you allowing fears and self-doubt to overcome you and guide you out of the life you actually want? Or are you leaning on love and faith to act as fuel to leverage you into the life you are yearning for?
Consistency: The sculptor.
Like a sculptor who perfects their art one chiseled piece at a time, the breakthrough you are looking for most often results from thousands of “minor” and deliberate breakthroughs made consistently overtime. Imagine a block of marble, untouched, unblemished, and yet to be crafted into the art it was intended to become. The artist at hands begins to chip one piece at a time, deliberately and mindfully chipping away to form the sculpture envisioned. Most often, strike after strike occurs in the same place.
For me, it was constantly chipping away at the negative self-image of “worthless” and finding the “worthiness” at my core. Ditching the old script that did not serve me, forgiving those who put the thoughts in my head to begin with, affirming myself, seeing myself as my creator sees me not as the world sees me, and taking mindful action.
The point is, it takes time and consistent effort to chip away in order to create the art we want to become. The best news- we can be the artist (with our creator) and also be art at work. God intended it to be that way, remember that.
What are you trying to breakthrough in your own life?
Be Enriched,
DK
