Proven Strategies to Jumpstart and Action your Intention!

Let me open by wishing all of you an incredible, fantastic, magnificent, and ecstatic New Year. Now let’s get to something that I wish to share:

Do you feel like a work in progress? Well, worry now more! Below is a list of strategies that I have used and practiced with many clients in my private practice and coaching program. As a project, you may and can use these methods and strategies for your own good and purposes. John and Sarah are clients who have utilized these methods successfully and I wanted to bring this forward to all to jumpstart the new year. Of course, their names have been changed to protect their confidentiality. So here we go…

Section 1:

• Set the intention that today you will experience and create enormous happiness.
• Meditate on the theme, “let it all go”.
• Exercise: focus on a powerful and productive feeling and experience of rage and the creative power of the inner beast/monster in a fun way. This is part of drama therapy and is to be conducted in a playful but productive way.

Section 2:

There are several archetypes inside every human being. I will mention only a few of them and you can add your own. They are the artist, musician, creator, songwriter, implementer, producer, sales representative, marketer, executive, content creator, comedian, warrior, hero etc. The list goes on. Here is the program set forth for John and his beloved friend Sarah.

1. Don’t compare yourself to others. If you do compare, learn what you must and improve yourself. Remember you are you. There is nobody like you and there will never be another you. Do what you do for fun. Never forget that. Do what you do for fun and enjoy every minute of it.

2. It’s the journey that counts. Not the destination. Enjoy the journey.

3. Learn how to tell great stories. Be interested and learn how to listen and learn. Hang out with people smarter than you. Get great feedback. Give constructive feedback when necessary and requested.

4. Don’t be difficult. Don’t be annoying. Be pleasant. Charming and helpful. There are other words and terms that I could use here. But I won’t. You can fill them in as you see please.

5. Practice every day. Put the work in. Practice being industrious. Develop a discipline and a ritual. Have passion and determination in everything you do. Be prepared for the next day’s challenges. Pay attention to your dreams at night. The unconscious mind likes to open up and give you its goodies. Discuss what you have discovered. Who will listen?

6. Gigs/jobs are reputation builders. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, be aware of your reputation. My wife and colleague Reisa has an incredible reputation wherever she works and wherever she has to be. Most of all, she has a great reputation with me and the rest of her family.

7. Friends and family can keep you safe. Learn how to protect one another from yourself and others. Allow into your life those who can build you up and you can support. Learn when to move on and disengage from troublesome relationships. Boundaries are important and so is powerful and constructive feedback. Be safe. (Archetype: the protector.)

8. Your image matters. Persona influences. Keep it clean and as attractive as possible. (Archetype: “the real you and “the unreal you“). There is that “You” that you present in public and there is the “You” that lives deep inside of you. How much access do you have to that real you? What are your defenses and your blockages.? What holds you back from being the real you and the creative you?

9. Talent and skill are not enough. Can you entertain the idea and the theme of being the greatest “You” of all time? Do you have the determination and the passion to compete, not only with others, but with yourself? Do you have and do you work on your productive and powerful mindset? What about your work ethic?

10. Wherever you are, there is an audience watching, judging, and evaluating you and you are doing the same with and to them. Judgment is an archetypal theme and a necessary component for living. What is your audience going to get? What does it feel like to them and to you? What does it look like? I have coached and done therapy with some of the richest and most famous people in their fields and that includes show business, TV, movies etc. In the workplace, there are people who are your silent fans and you are a fan to some of them. What is it that those people get from you that makes them a fan of yours and vice versa? Every situation is different and requires different mindsets and skills. As an assignment, check out why you are a fan of some people and not others. You might also want to try to understand why you are attractive to some and not to others.

11. Irreplaceable versus replaceable. This is an extensive area to cover. I have coached and done therapy with people who have gone through this experience of being either irreplaceable or replaceable. I have done research in this area and written about it. There are some people in your life that are not replaceable. There are others who are replaceable and should be replaced. I have been replaced by some and I have replaced others. It’s called marriage and divorce. It happens in family and business life and affects everyone of us. It becomes painful for you when you have to replace someone or something. It is just as painful when you get replaced? To whom and to what are you irreplaceable?

There also comes a time when you have to replace the place where you have lived, where you have worked and your job and your profession. There is a time to move on up over, and beyond. You are probably in the process of making small moves right now. What are those moves? What has to be changed, improved, eradicated, put it on the shelf for future use? Is it time to lighten up, to simplify, to get rid of stuff? I have had to do counseling with hoarders. That belief system thinks nothing should be replaced. Everything collected has some future value and will be used. I’ll leave the rest up to you to make your own conclusions about when to move on.

12. Go where the work is. “X” Marks the spot. When it’s time to move, move. Follow the opportunities. Go to where the treasure is. Make that phone call. Contact that person. Make that connection. Send out that notice. Get the point?

Conclusion: This is just a brief description of a specific set of strategies applicable to most any area and/or theme. Use them where you see them as being valuable. Feel free to send me your comments and suggestions. Let me know which ones struck a chord with you. Perhaps change is around the corner?

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Paul J. Hannig, Ph.D. LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist in private practice in Southern California. For over forty years, his goal has been to help his clients define who they are, overcome obstacles, deepen relationships, conquer anxiety and depression, and evolve to the next stage of their lives in the most successful and productive way possible. For more information, visit his website at www.psychotherapyhelp.com.