It’s time to gut-check and this is how you’re going to do it

If there was ever a time to gut-check, it’s now. Here’s how to get real about where you’re going next.

by: E.B. Johnson

Life is hard right now, and it seems to get more difficult by the day. There are a lot of pressures and responsibilities that come along with modern living, and that’s only been further impacted by the current state of the world. It can be hard to remain calm as the chaotic winds of life whip up around us, but when we dig deep, and do a real gut-check we can often find that we are capable of changing our own lives in some really powerful ways.

Now is the time to examine who you are and examine what it is you really want from life. We are standing on the brink of a new age, and when we come out on the other side it will be up to decide how we define it and ourselves within it. Take the time now to shine a light on the self-defeating patterns and limiting beliefs that are holding you back. Open up, and start building the person you’re going to the be on the other side of this brave new world.

It’s time to dig deep and take charge.

This is an uncertain time, and it only seems to grow more uncertain by the day. Now, more than ever, we have to start taking responsibility for the quality of our own lives, and we have to start building the futures that we need to be happy. We can become the masters of our own lives, but it’s going to take getting creative, and it’s going to take getting a handle on who we really are right now in this moment.

With the growing pandemic and increasing uncertainty, we have to start making decisions and we have to start taking charge of our own lives. For this, we must assess both where we’re at physically and mentally, but we must also do a gut-check on things like our relationships and the financial decisions we’re going to make.

Getting a real take on where you’re at in this moment is absolutely necessary, and it’s especially necessary if you’re in the midst of major upset or unexpected pivots. As humans, we’re incredibly resilient and able bounce back from just about anything. That often requires us to tap into the better aspects of our natures, however, and get realistic about what we’re doing wrong and how we’re letting our own future slip by.

Understanding why we sink the ship.

We are the number one cause of our personal failures, and this remains a fact despite the odds that are placed against us. Think of your life like a ship. You are the captain and it is you who decides the direction that ship will said. At the end of the day, if the ship flounders and sinks on the rocks of unpleasant mediocrity — it’s your fault. You call the shots. You respond to the hardship life throws your way. So why do so many of fail to succeed?

Zero purpose

If you’ve ever taken the time to ask someone what their purpose is in life, you know just how hard that question can be to answer. Discovering our reason for meaning isn’t an easy process, but it’s a necessary one. When we know our reason for existing, we know how to best navigate ourselves in the directions of our deepest and more truthful desires. Many fail to identify with this true sense of higher purpose, though, and that is why so many find themselves stuck, scared and living a life mis-aligned with their real calling.

Rearview-mirror syndrome (RMS)

Rearview mirror syndrome refers to a constant and obsessive looking-back, which limits our opportunities and causes us to constantly relive and repeat the past. We begin to believe that who we were then is who we are now, shutting out future opportunities and denying ourselves the opportunity to thrive the we were meant to.

Failing to identify patterns

There’s a certain power in detaching from our mistakes or our failures, putting them behind us so that we can move forward. There’s also a certain danger in it too — especially when we come to believe every single thing we do only affects that one individual moment. Everything we do is connected, and every action we take leads to another one and another one. Altogether, these add up to patterns of behavior and belief that determine whether we create a future that’s fulfilling, or a future that’s limited and bleak.

No accountability

Failing to take accountability for our own actions, desires and needs is one of the biggest reasons we fail in this life, and it’s one of the most common reasons we find ourselves battling against a miserable mediocrity. If we want to be exceptional, we have to summon our courage and step up to the plate when we make a mistake or need to take action in our lives. Without accountability, there’s room for growth or opportunity.

Poor circle of influence

The people we surround ourselves with are important, and they contribute greatly to the way in which we see the world and ourselves within it. Even if you aren’t close to someone, their beliefs, their world-view and even the way they carry themselves can have a serious impact on you. Whether it’s fair or not, we’re all guilty by association. If there’s a certain life you want to live, a certain goal you’re trying to achieve…surround yourself with people who support those goals, or people who have achieved that success for themselves.

Zero personal awareness

Awareness of self is something that comes with time, but it’s also something that we actively have to seek out. Cultivating this type of awareness lends itself to helping us get in touch with our emotions, as well as the authentic layer of self that often goes abandoned beneath the pressure of day-to-day life. Personal awareness is key in bolstering our intuition and assisting us in navigating the challenges of life through identifying our own best strengths.

Not enough urgency

Too many of us get caught up in the hustle of living and find ourselves saying things like, “I’ll do it later”. We take life for granted, and lose all sense of urgency when we’re comfortable, or complacent about what we have going on in our lives right now. That’s why now — more than ever — we have to dig deep and take a long, hard look at where we’re at, so we can start creating new and exciting futures for ourselves.

Digging deep to get a grip on your reality.

Before you go jumping off the deep end into desperate actions, it’s important to get a grip on your reality — so you know precisely what you’re working with. Outside of the current pandemic, we have skills and abilities that can empower us to take charge of our lives in new and unexpected ways. In order to truly gut-check, we must take a good deep breath of reality, and break it down piece-by-piece.

Physical state

Take an inventory of your current physical state. Most of us are exhausted right now, and so physically run down that it feels impossible to imagine getting up off the couch and doing something productive for ourselves. Threats like obesity, cancer and heart disease are still on the rise, and it’s up to us to ensure that we’re healthy enough to fight whatever fights might be ahead. Really check in on yourself, and note the places where you could make small improvements to push yourself forward out of a slump.

Financial health

In the U.S. adults have more debt that ever, and that’s a fact that’s unlikely to change as time goes on. Part of gut-checking in a time like this has to be considering your finances, as well as the way you think about money and relate to it. What small changes can you make right now that will lead to big results in future? Are there subscriptions that can be cancelled? Big-ticket purchases that can be postponed? Consider the full spread of your financial health, your employment, and then consider too how it impacts your happiness.

Mental and emotional balance

Our mental and emotional balance is a critical piece in taking charge of our futures, and finding a way to move forward through adversity. Sit with yourself for a while and take an emotional inventory. Really dig into how you’re feeling and don’t shy away from those nasty thoughts or emotions like sadness, anger or grief (at loss of possibility, income, etc.) To find balance, we first have to identify the imbalance and use this to help gut-check ourselves in tough times and challenges.

Relationships

Relationships are important, and now — perhaps more than ever — it’s important that we appreciate them for what they are and focus on the ones that help us to feel joy and fulfillment. Lean into those relationships that nourish your soul, but only after taking a good, hard look at those relationships in order to suss out which are worthwhile and which are not. Not all connections are created equal and not all friendships add to the quality of the life we’re trying to build.

Taking action for change in an increasingly chaotic world.

Digging deep and getting in touch with ourselves just isn’t enough in these trying and uncertain times. If we’re going to come out on the other side of hardship better than we were before, we have to commit to take action and use our gut-check as the inspiration we need to get us moving. Even in the most uncertain of times we can create life-affirming change, but it’s something that can only come from within and with great focus and will.

1. Draw a line in the sand

Ultimately — at it’s core — a gut check is one thing: committing to take action. In order to take action successfully, we have to draw a line in the sand and make the committed decision to become a better version of ourselves or create a better life. Without this commitment as a first step, no further action can be taken, and no further growth can be undergone. Before we can change our lives for the better, we have to make the decision to be better and do better.

Embrace the aspects of life and self that you want to change. Acknowledge what’s holding you back or leaving you stuck in mediocrity, and make the decision to put in whatever work is needed to change it.

Don’t tell yourself that you’ll get around to it next week, next month, or next year. Don’t spend this time of fear and uncertainty detract you from your true purpose on this planet. We were all meant to thrive, and we were all meant to do it on our own terms. Take this space to dig deep and discover those terms for yourself. We are the only ones who control what we want, how we’re feeling and how we react to the world around us. Get real about your feelings and the steps you need to take to feel happy and successful.

2. Let go of the small stuff

There is so much that goes wrong in this life that it’s impossible to worry and stress about it all. When we fail to let go of the small stuff, or fail to master our fear of failure, we can find ourselves getting hung up on small details that don’t matter and mistakes that we won’t remember. Letting go of the small stuff frees us up to worry about the big stuff.

Practice the art of letting go daily, until you’re able to master it with ease. Start small, by letting go of small emotions or inconsequential situations that will detract from your overall mood, or exhaust your store of emotional energy with relatively little payoff.

Gradually, you will be able to build up your detachment and find your way to a balanced way of thinking. Cultivating this skill can assist us into tapping into our higher good, and it can help us to maintain a system of calm when things get challenging. There’s only so much space in our lives, and we have to make the decision on what to fill it with, and what to remove from it. If we allow too much of the little, negative things to take up space — we don’t leave any room for the good to come in.

3. Be precise and specific

No matter what you want from this life — no matter what your ultimate dream might be — you have to be precise when creating momentous change, and you have to be specific too. Knowing where your short-comings are is not enough. Gut-checking, digging deep and figuring out where you want to end up is not enough, either. We have to be specific about or goals and then use action to achieve them.

Once you’ve had a chance to gut-check, spend some time really getting up-close-and-personal with the things that you from your life. Find a quiet place where you can clear your mind and spend some time in silence, and imagine what you ideal life would look like 10 years from now. Then 20. Be as specific as possible and really lean into the details.

Write these details down and refer to them often. When we have a clear and specific picture in our minds, or know exactly what it is we want, it is that much easier to create a clear plan of action to achieve it. Don’t just shut the door once you know what it is you need to change. Life is not meant to be watched, it’s meant to be enjoyed and interacted with. Create momentum and create the life you want with specific and clear detail.

4. Get your physical reality in order

If you’re a physically abled person, there is no reason you can’t improve on your physical health despite the chaotic conditions of your life. There are all types of physicals improvements we can make in our lives, and they don’t all involve running marathons or drastically changing our diets. We can become healthier versions of ourselves just by making a few small tweaks each day and asking ourselves some core questions.

Look back at your physical inventory. Prioritize your biggest issues. Do you need to lose a few pounds? Work up a 15 minute exercise routine you can stick to and eat a few more salads each day. Want better skin, or just feel like you need to generate a little more energy? Make sure you’re getting enough water each day, and create a sleep routine that works.

There’s no denying the stress that comes with modern living. Our physical state of being is just as important as our mental state. Without balance between the two, it’s impossible to find the energy we need to get up time-and-time-again, in order to fight the outward and inward battles that must be triumphed over. Improving our physical health is a practical and inspirational way to improve our lives which can actually be seen on the outside. Neveer underestimate the power of a little outward confidence.

5. Reshape old beliefs

When you get real about things like your physical health, your emotional wellbeing, your relationships and your finances — it can open up a can of worms that shines a light on some truly negative beliefs. Part of gut-checking is confronting those nastier beliefs that keep us limited and keep us living perpetually in a state of fear.

Don’t shy away from any bad, dated or limiting beliefs that make you uncomfortable or insecure. Instead, face them. Embrace them. And accept them for what they are. Only when we embrace our old beliefs can we come to terms with them and reshape them, into more positive and capable facets of who we are.

After you’ve identified your beliefs, work backwards and identify the factors behind them that contribute to their perpetuation. Things like childhood trauma or relationship breakdowns can go a long way in causing us to belief negative things about ourselves. Connect with your inner, higher self and use those strengths to address these limiting beliefs. Celebrate your victories (big and small) and use that light to shine out the darkness of skewed and broken beliefs.

Putting it all together…

There’s no denying that life is hard, and it grows more challenging by the day. For that reason, it’s time for us to dig-deep and really get in touch with the things that give us life meaning or otherwise keep going. By getting in touch with where we’re at right now, we can start planning for our futures and get a more realistic grasp on what we want.

Draw a line in the sand and make the decision to become a better, more authentic version of yourself. Stop settling for less, and stop letting the panic and the chaos distract you from your higher calling and purpose. Let go of the small stuff, and learn to focus on the “big-ticket” items that bring you closer to your true purpose. Once you’ve had a chance to dig deep and gut-check on what matters to you most, form a plan of action and get precise and specific about what you want and what you need to do. We are only as good as the circumstances we create for ourselves. Start manifesting that reality, by taking care of your physical body and nurturing your mental and emotional mind. When we take deeper look at ourselves, we often uncover old or limiting beliefs. Rework those obstacles and expose them to the light of your new truth, transforming them into the fuel you need to thrive despite the circumstances.