Removing Obstacles to Our Goals, One Hurdle At A Time

Let's imagine our goal as the finish line of a race.  Each obstacle is a hurdle.  Instead of jumping over each hurdle and slowing down for each one, you have "special powers" to eliminate each hurdle.

In this analogy, our goal, the finish line, will be to take a much deserved vacation.  Together, we can do this!!  What obstacles come to mind?  If you are not on board with this, your first obstacle might be lack of faith, "oh come on, really, she thinks I'm gonna take a vacation??  She's certifiable!!"  

This is good stuff, identifying beliefs that hold us back.  I won't take it personally, OK?  Stay with me here.  Vacation consciousness can start with a long weekend.  Strengthening beliefs, one step at a time:  priceless!!

All new concepts can be overwhelming.  I am really good at taking inexpensive vacations because I lived it and breathed it until it I knew it, backwards and forwards.  It became a passion for me when we decided I would stay home with the kids and our income was cut in half.  

Timeshares, bought resale, were the answer for us.  When we started, we bought one in South Africa for $1000 and traded it to incredible 5 star resorts.  That no longer works, but there are always loopholes, secrets, and out-of-the-box ideas for any goal you have.  People are giving away timeshares under the "bargain basement" section of tug2.net.  (Although you might have to pay closing fees and if you default on yearly fees it hurts your credit.)  Reducing resistance and being open to new ideas is the key.

Common obtacles, or hurdles, to a vacation are:  I don't have the money; I don't know where to start; I can't afford to eat out; travel is stressful.......now we will break each one down further.  Obviously, money isn't an insignificant topic.  For purposes of moving forward, step by step, we will work on simple ideas.

I don't have the money:  flights are expensive; hotels are expensive, car rentals are expensive............

Let's start with flights, there are several ways to go here:  you can sign up for airfare deals or alerts to get you more comfortable with lower prices and to take your brain off believing that your goal is impossible.  Southwest has $59 fares, travel agents have email alerts (I am signed up for travelbyjen.com), an airline tracker called Kayak has email alerts you can sign up for, all of these cost nothing other than the time to sign up.  I receive a daily email from The Points Guy, thepointsguy.com, learning about how to accrue airline miles.

In addition to moving the needle in your mind off "impossible", Louise Hay has an affirmation, "I'm willing to release the need to (in this case, it could be) believe a vacation is impossible for me."  Then we can add a "secret sauce" for affirmations:  "releasing conflict from every cell in my body".  (The "secret sauce" can be much more elaborate, I will add to it but don't want to overwhelm you today.)  

Final thought for today, many people who don't take vacations believe on a deeper level that they aren't worthy or deserving of them.  "I'm willing to release the need to believe I don't deserve a vacation."  Releasing conflict from every cell of my body.

Our overall strategy is releasing resistance to new beliefs while taking baby steps toward our goals, to avoid feeling overwhelmed.  It won't work.  Why not?  Break it down, list your reasons.  It still won't work.  Why not?  Break it down further.  Sometimes I dig down 5-10 levels on why I'm stuck.

Attach joy and a sense of accomplishment to each small success, "yay, I signed up for email alerts today!!"  This is a multiple part topic.

Have a wonderful day!

xo

Conni

Today's Mantra:  I am worthy of pleasure in my life.

Mantra for Every Day: I choose to send love to all; receiving love back multiplied in infinite proportions, creating and nurturing pathways of love.

Countdown to Vacation, "Anticipation is Making Me Wait"

Did you know that there are positive psychological effects in planning and anticipating a vacation?  We are looking forward to spending some quality time with family and friends soon.  Every time it crosses my mind, I get so excited!!

Tara Parker Pope wrote an article for the New York Times, entitled "How Vacations Affect Your Happiness".  The article states,  "Researchers from the Netherlands set out to measure the effect that vacations have on overall happiness and how long it lasts. They studied happiness levels among 1,530 Dutch adults, 974 of whom took a vacation during the 32-week study period. 

The study, published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, showed that the largest boost in happiness comes from the simple act of planning a vacation. In the study, the effect of vacation anticipation boosted happiness for eight weeks."

So make plans, and make them often.......for an overnight, a long weekend, a sabbatical, or glamping.  Teach yourself to believe you are worth it, practice makes perfect!!  If you always have a vacation on the horizon, even a low-cost, waiting-for-the-deal excursion, you are boosting your happiness quotient.  Schedule time away, even if the destination is a mystery in the beginning.  

There are plenty of low-cost ways to snag an inexpensive hotel at the last minute, plenty of ways to glam up camping and plenty of ways to save for either of these, if money is a concern.  You could do a house swap, or even stay with out of town friends or relatives.  You can pack a vacation box with all of the things you enjoy when you get away:  games, gadgets, a picnic set and your crazy Hawaiian shirt............wouldn't it be fun to see that box every time you go into your closet?  That is the beginning of making it real!!  Enjoy planning and executing vacations, because as Carly Simon sings, "these are the good old days".

Have a wonderful day!

Xo

Conni

Today's Mantra:  I intend to make time to plan a vacation!!

Mantra for Every Day: I choose to send love to all; receiving love back multiplied in infinite proportions, creating and nurturing pathways of love.