EFT For Action and Success: The Ugly Truth
Written by Steve Wells
This is something virtually nobody wants to hear: You will need to be willing to feel some uncomfortable feelings if you are going to achieve your ultimate goals. Why? Because in order to become successful you will need to get yourself to do some things that you don’t currently like to do.
Taking steps towards success by definition requires you to go outside your current comfort zone and into a zone which is currently a discomfort zone for you.
Can’t I Use EFT For Uncomfortable Feelings About Success?
Can’t I just tap those bad feelings away?
You can try. But my research shows that those people who are most successful are those who can get themselves to take action despite their bad feelings. They don’t wait to feel good.
Trying to tap your bad feelings away before taking action can even work against you, keeping you from ever starting. Even in the tapping world, there are far too many people who are held back by waiting to feel good.
Are you saying I just need to “feel the fear and do it anyway”?
Not quite. EFT can help you to make the discomfort of moving outside your comfort zone more bearable. It can also help you to transform those feelings.
But the “ugly truth” is that in order for you to truly grow and succeed, you will still need to be willing to do some things you currently link discomfort to. The best use of tapping may be in helping you to bear with that discomfort until it transforms and becomes a new comfort zone for you.
When we try to tap away bad feelings we can also set up a resistance inside which makes it harder to change: What you resist, persists!
So How Can I Use EFT For Action and Success?
The best method I’ve found for myself and most of my clients is paradoxically to work not on tapping away the bad feelings but instead tap on accepting and allowing and flowing with those feelings.
Here you still focus on the uncomfortable feelings, but instead of trying to eliminate the feelings with the tapping, you tap with the intention to accept and allow. And as you do, you’ll find those feelings will tend to move and flow through you; as they do they move you and inform you.
Soon, you’ll find your so-called uncomfortable negative feelings are not the barriers you once thought they were.
Get into action and Tap as you go. This is truly the best of both worlds.
Step One: Identify a Goal
Identify an important goal, something you want to do, have, or be. Let’s say you want to get a book written. First ensure this goal will help you live your important values.
Ask yourself:
- What are my values? What is most important in my life?
- Will achieving this help me to live my values?
- Will achieving this be good for me, good for others, and good for the planet?
If the answer to these questions is a definite “yes,” continue to the next step. If not, search for a better goal that will allow you to live your values.
Step Two: Identify Action Steps For Success
Identify the action steps you need to take to achieve your goal and succeed.
Example: You decide that you need to do some writing every work day.
Step Three: Break It Down
Break larger steps down to some specific small actions and identify something you can do in the next 48 hours to help you succeed.
Example: You decide that you will write for 15 minutes each day starting today.
Step Four: Find Objections To Success
Now think about taking those steps toward success and notice any objections that come up for you.
What are your negative thoughts about doing this or about your ability to take these actions?
Examples might be: I don’t know what to write; nobody will be interested in what I have to say; I won’t persist even if I do get started; I won’t do it every day; I can’t find the time…
Step Five: Using EFT For Success
1. Tap on Objections to Success
Start by tapping on your objections and blocking thoughts by focusing on each of them as you tap continually on the energy points. You can focus on one at a time, or put them all into the mix together.
For example:
Eyebrow point: I don’t know what to write
Side of eye: Nobody will be interested
Under eye: I won’t get started
Under nose: If I do I won’t persist
Under mouth: I won’t do it every day…
Collarbone: I can’t find time…
And so on…
2. Tap on Feelings About Success
Notice the feelings that arise in your body when you think about taking action and/or when focusing on your objections for success.
Example: As you think about writing your book and the above objections, you notice a tight feeling in your chest.
Put your attention on those feelings and tap continually (any points, any order), noticing any shifts and following any changes in feeling and thinking.
Example: You focus on the tight chest feeling and start tapping. As you tap you notice the feeling shifts to your stomach and now it is a fluttery feeling. You put your attention on the fluttery stomach feeling and continue tapping. The thought, “I will fail” comes to your mind. You focus on this thought and continue to tap. You notice that the feeling in your stomach has started to calm down. You keep tapping and the feeling moves to your throat. It is like a lump. You focus on the lump and keep tapping. You feel the need to yawn (a good sign that energy is moving). You yawn and now the lump is smaller. You keep tapping…
3. Tap on Actions for Success
Example: You sit down to write. The thought arises that you aren’t ready yet! The tightness in your chest has returned. You feel a need to check your emails in case you are missing something important…
You start tapping, this time with the intention to allow those thoughts and feelings to be there and bear with them whilst taking your desired action.
You tap for a couple of minutes, just to take the edge off your uncomfortable feelings.
Step Six: Refocus on Success
Refocus on your intention and take action.
Example: You remember you goal of a published book. You open up to the first page and write. The negative thoughts intensify: This is rubbish! You write anyway, allowing the thoughts to pass through. You feel like stopping. You write on. You reach a block and can’t think what to write next. You tap. You write some more…
The next day you do it again. Ultimately, step by step, your book is written.
