Arrow Tips: What Are They and How Can They Help Me?
Welcome to Arrow Tips. Let me explain. Many years ago I found myself living in what felt like an emotional hell. I knew the only way to start picking up the pieces of my life was to first start believing it was possible. I was completely lost. I wanted to believe that good things could come out of pain. I wanted to believe that my life could get easier and better. Honestly, I just wanted to believe that EVERYTHING WOULD BE OK. In fact, my sister gave me a framed picture of those very words that I kept on my bathroom wall for years. But things didn't feel OK at the time. Slowly, things did improve in my day-to-day life. But, I wasn't anywhere near where I hoped to be in certain areas. I spent TONS of time studying things about mindset, positive thinking, goal setting, the law of attraction, spirituality, business coaching, personal coaching, brain rewiring, anything I could find that would help me move forward and not only reach my goals but have the life I wanted to have. I was committed to changing myself in order to get what I wanted.
In time, through growth and determination, things changed drastically. But when I first started out, it was really hard. Why? Because truthfully I really didn't even know if it was possible. As I said, I wanted to believe it was but, I had so much evidence to the contrary. In reality that just seemed like wishful thinking because NOTHING was really changing for me. I had a lot of doubt. Prior to these major life-changing events that left me devastated, I had confidence. I was strong. I was happy. But that person became broken and lost. In spite of that, what I did know was that I was a powerhouse of belief for OTHER PEOPLE. Just not for me.
One day I was watching an interview with a famous movie actor discussing his acting process. He said that when he accepted a role, he would completely EMBODY that character, not only on set but way before he ever took the stage. He would spend time thinking like his character would think, feeling how that character would feel, and behaving how the character would behave. He, quite literally, would trick his mind into believing he WAS that character. At that very moment, I had a mind shift.
Overcoming Obstacles
“Be original, create a new persona, and have fun with it.”
I thought, maybe I can't quite believe things are possible for me, but I can always believe things are possible for other people. So, I asked myself, "What if I could create a new persona for myself? Who would she be? What could she accomplish? What if all the things I was trying to create in my life were actually possible for her?" And with those questions, ARROW was born.
I spent the next couple of days, imagining who this new persona would be for me. What would she (the other part of me) represent? I envisioned her as a brave warrior with a bow and arrow. I wanted to believe that no matter what my goal was, I ALWAYS hit the target dead center. I never missed it. Whatever I put my mind to, I would score high. I was strong, precise, fast, and unstoppable. This is why I named her Arrow.
Whenever I had things I had to do in my life that felt scary, or impossible, I would call on Arrow. I found that even when I really wanted to believe in myself, there were times I was so scared, so defeated, so out of my element, that I just couldn't do it. I created her for those times. I remember many instances where I had a monumental amount of pressure weighing on me. Rather than freaking out and choking, I would tell myself that even if I couldn't quite believe in myself, I could believe in the possibility for Arrow. Arrow always hit the target dead-on. After all, isn't that what I did all the time for friends and family? I always believed in possibility for them. And during the challenging moments in my life, that's exactly what I did. And it worked. It got me through some scary times. It got me to believe in possibility when I felt there was none. Deep down I knew Arrow existed in me. She was always part of me. She was just buried. I pulled her up and embodied her for the moments I needed her until she became my more dominant persona. She is now a natural part of me.
So ARROW TIPS are the tips I am going to give you to start changing your own mindset and becoming the master of your life so you can achieve any goal, no matter how big or small you feel it is. And today's Arrow Tip is to do exactly what I just explained in this post. Create a version of yourself that you aspire to be. The truth is that we are all just playing different roles anyway. You may play the role of a mother when you are with your kids, a businessperson when you are at work, a sister, a daughter, a son, an employee, and so on. If you're having a tough time, why not create a new role for yourself that you can embody? This is the first step in consciously creating what you want anyhow. If you can't quite believe things are possible for you right now then create another persona. One that you step into during challenging times. Give her/him an identity that represents what you most need in that moment. When you feel any limitation, embody this character and allow yourself to play that role. Don't be too serious about it! Have fun with it. I told my kids when they were very young... Arrow is my other persona. So, my son decided at that time to draw a picture of Arrow for me and here she is below. All these years later I still keep a copy of this picture on my phone in case I feel afraid and I forget who I really am inside. I'm happy to say it's been many years since I've had to pull her picture up.....and that's the overall point......all you have to do is remember who you really are inside........
If you too find yourself in a situation that feels overwhelming or impossible then take this Arrow Tip and run with it! And to really transform your mindset then start at the Arrow Tip #1 blog post and work your way through all of them. It's best to spend at least 1 week focusing on the action steps for each tip. Change your mind and you will change your life.
And remember....YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE!