Last week I shared with you some insights from the very funny movie, “What About Bob?” (and some great clips!) If you missed that post, you can read it and watch the clips here:
https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/what-about-bob/
In today’s post, we’re further exploring the concept of ‘baby steps’ as it applies to your life and your use of tapping.
In last week’s post, I talked about the idea of ‘baby steps’ and how it relates to making positive progress in your life, and with tapping specifically. Oftentimes, we’re so focused on grand results that we ignore what’s directly in front of us, what we have control over today that will eventually LEAD us to those grand results. The unfortunate outcome of this approach is that we ‘fail’ and then beat ourselves up for it. And then the cycle repeats itself, builds upon itself, and just makes things worse. I recommended the idea of taking ‘baby steps’ forward and shared some ways to do so. Again, you can read the full post here: https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/what-about-bob/.
Today I’d like to talk about what happens when we take even just one of those ‘baby steps’, and what we can do to facilitate their continuation and enhance our personal experience of success.
So let’s say you did some tapping last week, or you’re doing some now, and you make progress. Something that was bothering you now isn’t. Maybe something that was stressing you out now feels light and easy. Or you had been procrastinating about doing, actually got done. You’re on the right path…well done…!
So now what?
The usual approach is to just move on to the next thing, find the next thing to work on, worry about, get done, and so forth. I’ve had some people share with me the frustration of tapping on one issue, clearing it, but then finding another one pops up! And it seems like it’s never-ending! 🙂 Well, the reality is, it is never-ending! And what I mean by that is not that your problems will never go away, but that once you move through something, there’s a natural inclination to grow, to learn more, to handle the next thing. And that’s wonderful! Especially once you move through your ‘problems’ (the pressing, super stressful issues around health, finances, relationships, etc.) into ‘challenges’, places where you are simply looking to learn, grow, heal without the burden of massive stress and pain.
For example, let’s say you have a bad back and you use a combination of tapping and stretching to heal it. Now the pain is gone. Well done! Now your next challenge might be to continue to strengthen the back, or to take up a sport you couldn’t play before, etc. There’s still a challenge in front of you, something you want to get done, something to improve, but it’s not surrounded by pain and misery! 🙂
But I digress, because what I want to talk about today is what to do once you’ve taken one of those little ‘baby steps,’ and how to recondition the mind for further success. As I said, when we complete something, our approach is often to just find the next thing – and it’s ok to look for the next thing…what’s not ok, or what I suggest you might want to change, is the fact that we often move from one task, accomplishment, achievement, etc. with little or no acknowledging of ourselves for getting it done!
What does this look like exactly? Well, let’s make it very real and take a look at this blog post and my experience with it. I truly enjoy writing, and it’s such an enormous pleasure to get to communicate with so many of you. At the same time, it’s not always easy to do, in that it takes focused energy to write, and it’s oftentimes easier to put it off, do something else, etc. So when I do write, it’s something that makes me feel great and I’m proud of it. IF, I allow myself to feel those feelings…and there’s the rub…
When I finish this post and share it with you, I have two choices.
A. I can think to myself. “Ok, done! Let’s keep moving, what’s the next thing I have to do? Well, I’ll have to write again, so I might as well get started on the next one. Or, I have a million things to do, let’s keep crossing them off.”
B. I can pause, take a deep breath, feel the positive feelings of my accomplishment (however big or small!) and perhaps even ‘tap in’ those good feelings. “Ahh….it feels SO great to get that done…what a joy to be able to express myself, to share it with others, and help them in their journey. I am SO grateful for the opportunity to do so..what a gift…!”
And it doesn’t even have to take long. It can be 30 seconds or a minute to recognize those tasks that you’re really proud of getting done. It can be 2 seconds if you’re happy that you washed the dishes! Or it can be a day of basking in self-appreciation and pride if you got that big raise, or published your book, or whatever big goal or dream you’ve accomplished (heck, make it a week of basking!)
The key is to take the time, however short or long, to acknowledge yourself. Hey…have you acknowledged yourself for reading this blog post? 🙂 I’m not kidding! It clearly shows that you have a commitment to yourself, to your family, to improve your life, and to make the world a better place. Well done! I’m acknowledging you, but much more importantly, you need to take the time to acknowledge yourself.
Besides being fun and feeling good, this simple practice reconditions our brains for success. It reconditions our brains to look for the joy in our accomplishments. It trains us to see that we do so much more than we ever give ourselves credit for.
Try it out for a few days. If you want to use tapping with it, simply bask in those positive feelings and tap through the points. If you want to say something out loud, you can either congratulate yourself or simply say, “I choose to lock in these positive feelings now”
As promised, another short clip from the film, “What About Bob?”….
Question: What are you proud of? What thing, big or small, are you acknowledging yourself for today? Post below! (share everything, no achievement is too small! And bask in the feeling as you share it!)
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