Want your life to go higher? Then you have to go D.E.E.P.E.R. This revelation slapped me right in the forehead early one Christmas morning as my friend illuminated the pits of a failed relationship.
Generally, I do well when it’s my turn to be the rock, but this time I was just not in my best state. I thought, “Oh my goodness, we’ve been through all of this before!” As the dread started to set in, I could feel a rumbling in my stomach. Before I knew it, I threw up these words, “Girl! We’ve been having this same conversation for five years! We keep mulling over the same stuff! None of this is new! You have to decide what you want and think in that direction!” No sooner than the words left my lips, I began to experience something; a revelation or awakening of sorts. As quickly as they spewed from my mouth, the words morphed into a visible, tangible being. It was as if I could actually see them walking in her direction. I began to recognize the “being” as a familiar silhouette—a curvy statuette that stood about five feet and three inches tall; hips and shoulders neatly proportioned. It stood at a quick pause, then suddenly took a 180 degree turn and darted directly toward me. The words stepped right in my face, slapped me on the forehead, and in my own voice spoke firmly, “Barbara, we’ve been having this same conversation for the past five years? We keep mulling over the same old stuff; talking about the same unfinished articles, the unfinished book, business ideas, the weight loss…hopes…dreams. Why haven’t you reached your goals? None of this is new! Why are you here? You have to decide what you want and think that direction!”
At the point of this encounter with myself, I knew that if my life was going to go higher, I would have to go D.E.E.P.E.R.!—
—Discover why I was here on this earth and decide what I wanted from life. Through a consistent spiritual practice, I discovered that my purpose is to help others. I decided that I wanted use my writing, speaking, and the gift of transformational thinking to inspire others to live their best life!
—Examine my life to identify the behaviors that were impeding my progress. This was probably the most difficult process. I really had to figure out why I was doing what I was doing to self-sabotage.
—Eliminate the barriers by replacing unproductive behaviors with those aligned with my purpose and my goals. I had to face my fears and rely on God to remove all (well…most) of the “I can’t do its” from my body.
—Plan specific action steps. It was important to create the space to breathe, think, write, speak, and work out so I could be “available” for others.
—Evaluate my progress constantly. I really had to be honest with myself about what was working and what was not. I was also sure to celebrate and make adjustments as necessary.
Realize my dreams! After consistently applying this strategy, I’ve been able to reach my goals and begin creating the life that I want. I pulled out all of the unfinished writing pieces and finished them, lost 30 pounds, began thriving in my career (again), became a Certified Personal Coach, and launched Barbara Swinney, INC.-Personal Coaching and Leader Development Firm; now, walking in my purpose of inspiring and helping others to live their best life!
Want your life to go higher? Join me and let’s go D.E.E.P.E.R.!
