Are the Lilliputians Holding You Down?

In the story of Gulliver's Travels, the mythical giant Gulliver is incapacitated by the little Lilliputians who tie him down with a million tiny threads. Often, in our own lives, we get held down by little (petty, even) annoyances. Sometimes they have have been around so long, we no longer "see" them. They just become part of the background of our lives. Just one of the things we put up with. Many years ago, when I first started learning about coaching, I was introduced to the concept of "toleration's". These "little" things, left undone, unexamined or incomplete eventually erode our focus and slow our momentum. Although more than 10 years have passed since I began my career as a coach, the list of so-called "little things" that slow people down has remained almost constant. Here is a list that is by no means all encompassing. In fact, it is intentionally brief. I have discovered, in and out of coaching, that I hear about the same things again, and again. So here is a "top ten" list of things that consistently hold people down. Review the list and make a commitment this week to tying up at least a few of the loose ends that, left undone, might unravel the progress you so want to make in your life and business right now. 1) Clutter. Basically clutter is stuff you haven't made a decision about. It might be paper or some other type of junk clogging up your life. Do a "clutter scan" and commit to eliminating at least one clutter clog this week. Set a timer for 30 minutes and work all-out for that 30 minutes - you can do it. Outer clutter often reflects inner clutter. The more clear your outer reality, the more inner peace you will find. 2) Emotional baggage. Are you still letting your emotional history dictate your present and future happiness? What do you need to do to let go of the old emotional junk? Nobody had a perfect childhood. We were all raised by imperfectly trained people - amateurs really - who did the best they could. Get counseling. Work with your spiritual advisor. Find a way to make peace with your past. Let it go. Let it be. 3) Forgiveness. Forgive others for what they have done to you. This eliminates their power over you. You don't have to agree or condone what they did, just forgive them for doing it. Holding a grudge is holding the pain. As long as you hold the pain, anger and grief, you continue to let the perpetrator hold power to re-hurt, re-anger you. Let it go and watch how you gain peace. Forgive yourself for not being the perfect, mistake-proof human you want to be. You are human. You are great and wonderful, just the way you are. The more we let go of any perceived injury, be it a rude driver or sales clerk, or forgiving yourself for your own flaws and imperfections, the more energy you have to embrace the present moment and make the most of it. This change can make a quantum difference in the way you're living your life. 4) Unread books or magazines. Shelve the books you aren't reading or donate them. Recycle the magazines that are more than a month old. And cancel subscriptions you no longer have the time to read. 5) Someone else's goals. Are those goals you've set really yours? Or are they someone else's "should list" for you? Make the decision to figure out which, and then let go of all the stuff that isn't part of your personal passion list. This is your life, live it your way. 6) Out-of-date insurance policies, wills, trusts and other legal documents. Archive away what you no longer need. Make sure your policies and other legal papers are current and cover what you need covered. Regular communication with your professional service provider can keep things in shape for when you need them. 7) Incomplete communication. It doesn't matter if it's a week old, a month old, or a year old. Find a way this week to close the loop. 8) Half-finished hobbies/projects. I had some projects going once for a couple of years. A new friend asked about them after a couple of months (they were still just sitting there). It made me notice them again. One was for something I no longer owned! It made me reconsider all of them. Only one had any relevance to my current life. I donated them to an assisted living facility. You could also donate them to a school, a shelter or some other group or organization that can use them. If you have a room full of half-finished projects they are taking up more space than you realize and are keeping you from living fully and effectively in the present. There are lots of ways you can clean this one up besides dumping them in the trash. But clear them out! 9) Organizations you belong to. Are you maintaining a membership in an organization that no longer fits in with your current life? We change. We move on to different things and different ways. Do yourself and the organization a favor by ending your membership. Make room for someone who is looking for exactly that type of organization. We all need to periodically review our time commitments and ask the questions: Does this still provide value for me? Am I providing value to this organization or just taking up space on their membership roster? 10) Relationships you've outgrown. This one can be difficult. Please don't think I am recommending that you dump your friends or family. However, if you're spending the majority of your time and energy around people who are not contributing to your life in a positive way, or worse, are energy vampires, it's time to raise your standards and re-think and re-feel that relationship. Rethink who makes you feel good and who supports you and your endeavors. As you do that, re-feel the emotion you associate with that person. For example, you think about a parent that may make you feel badly and hasn't been supportive. You re-feel that relationship to, "Yes I love them, but I will limit my time with them. When we are together, I will remember to not take things they say or do personally." Take a look at anyone you may have unfinished business with, make a sincere effort to complete it and move on. This change can make a huge difference in the way you're living your life. Which items on this list are you going to make a commitment this week to tie up? If left undone, any one of them might unravel the progress you want to make in your life and business right now. These "Lilliputians" are just the kinds of things that can tie us down big time! Make the decision this week to get busy tying up the loose ends in your life. And in the process free yourself to be the "giant" player in life you were meant to be! You may have some that don't appear here and I'd love to hear them. If you want help tackling this list, let me know and we will get it done together. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com