(Part 2 of Mini-Series on Breakthroughs)
I’m excited to continue our discussion on the topic of breakthroughs. In fact, I believe they are a gift from God. Today, I’ll discuss what stops people from having a breakthrough and what helps them create the opportunity to achieve one. As I share these ideas, I encourage you to take notes, reflect on your life, and be open to taking action.
A quick review on what’s a breakthrough: It’s a moment of clarity when you see something different. A knowing. It brings you a feeling of excitement because you know you are on to something big. A fresh new way to look at something. It happens in an instant it’s like the veil has been removed! You’re calm, yet excited at the same time. You know, in that moment, your life is going to change.
As a Bible Believing Christian, before I share ideas with you, I always pray and ask God to guide me. He has given me my podcast and this opportunity to share through this blog. I want to honor him. I spend each and every morning in God’s word and prayer. So, as you listen to my episodes and/or read these posts, I encourage you to pray and have discernment. I believe God wants us to thrive in all the areas of our lives. The breakthroughs we experience, I believe, are his way of transforming us.
First, I want to share several factors that will prevent you from the experience of having a breakthrough.
- People pleasing. People pleasing is a form of lying. It’s being all things to all people, believing if you become who you believe they want you to be, you will be accepted. You know if you are a people pleaser living for other people’s approval. This is living a counterfeit life.
- Trying too hard. This one is sneaky. We think the harder we work trying to force a result, we will experience a breakthrough. This is actually counterintuitive. If you’re working from this place, this will shut you off. This will close you. A breakthrough comes when you’ve quit resisting. If you are forging your way through life with frustration, you may have some small temporary success, but you will be miserable.
- Living in a state of negative energy. It starts with the conversation going on in your head. If you are ruminating on your past failures; you are beating yourself up because you are disappointed in yourself. Or if you live in a feeling of unworthiness.
- Living in a place of confusion. You have thoughts of what’s possible and then your brain goes to all the thoughts of why it’s not possible. You are living in chaos in your brain. Keeping yourself in this place of what Dan Sullivan, a business mentor whose advice I respect, calls living in the gap.
- Being stuck in a place of certainty. What this means is you have made up your mind about something or a circumstance. You are stubborn in this place of being right. You’re not open, you’re closed.
- Believing you can control your outside world. If you can just get everyone and everything to be the way you want it. Basically, being a control freak.
- Fighting for your limitations. Always arguing why things won’t work out.
- Living in a place of lack. Living from a place and a belief of there is only so much and there is not enough. Living in a place of lack often breeds feelings of scarcity and limitation.
As you read that list, I hope you were checking in with yourself. Sometimes we are blinded as to what is holding us back. There are other factors, too, but these are what I specifically wanted to highlight.
Now let’s address things that will provide an opportunity for breakthroughs.
- Being open-minded and curious. Being willing to look for answers. Believing there is a better way and searching.
- Being willing to learn and experiment. Not just gathering information, you have to be willing to put new ideas into action.
- A desire for a better solution. You must believe there is always an answer.
- Being willing to question why you believe what you believe. Be open to looking for your limiting blind spots.
- Consciously putting people in your life that believe in you.
- A relaxed belief of anticipation. The key word, relaxed
- A willingness to be alone with yourself and think about your thinking. Getting away from filling every moment with outside information like social media. Praying during this time asking for guidance.
- Training yourself to be present and focused. This is a skill you can train and discipline yourself to have.
- Being aware of distractions. Be disciplined enough to calm and quiet your mind to be present in the moment.
- Loving yourself enough. Also means loving others enough to improve and giving your best.
- Wanting wisdom not just knowledge. Putting knowledge into practice will allow you to experience breakthroughs.
- Experiencing your life through a place of gratitude. Live from a place of being thankful for even the little things.
- Looking at your life from your head and heart. Have a service minded attitude at the core of who you are.
What I’ve shared with you are biblical principles. We are going to examine these ideas further in the next post. I am going to be very real and vulnerable explaining how these truths changed my life and brought me the greatest breakthroughs that I’ve personally experienced. So, you don’t want to miss next week’s installment: “Fixing Your Broken Compass.”
Monette hosts a weekly podcast: Mornings with Monette. She has been a lifelong learner and and appreciates the opportunity to share what she has learned–both through her podcast and here at The Best-Life Project (based on the content of her weekly podcast). Her messages are raw, honest and straight from the heart. She lives in Albuquerque, NM with her husband Leland. They have three adult children and are enjoying living their best lives filled with travel and adventure.