Focusing on What You Have Control Of

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By Cheryl Jones

What causes you to feel stressed or even overwhelmed?

Start by making a list of all your stressors. (This might be stressful!)

Look at your list. Take a few breaths. Put a “C” next to all of the stressors you have control of.

Pick the top five things you’d like to address in the next six months. What feels most important to address now? What’s screaming at you?

Set a goal. Determine one thing you will do today, tomorrow, and for the next week. This should be a minuscule goal – something so easy that it feels silly to even be considered a goal.

This exercise is about being aware that you’re taking a tiny step every day toward alleviating the stress or solving the problem. This awareness is critical.

When we’re overwhelmed we freeze. We don’t see clearly. We don’t access our inner or outer resources. Instead of getting overwhelmed, we can focus on the one step we are taking each day to move in the direction we wish to move in.

It is possible to create an authentic life one moment, one step, and one breath at a time.

Reprinted with permission from Cheryl Jones’ blog at themindfulpath.com.


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