3 Ways to Create Lasting Transformation So You Can Achieve Your Goals

Feeling stuck, like you can’t get from where you are to where you really want to be?

Like you know who and what you want to be, do, and have, but there doesn’t seem to be a way for you to get there?

Like you’re working your ass off, but not getting closer?!

Been there. Been there! BEEN THERE! I feel you! Let’s explore ways to start creating the transformation in your life that you’re craving, so you can (finally?) start making progress and building momentum toward the life and lifestyle you really want! 

Here are three ways to create transformation in your life (in order of depth), so you can break free and start moving forward. You can go in this order, one, to two, to three, but eventually, as you become familiar with each, you’ll use them all in conjunction with each other to serve your growth and progress.

Level 1 – Behavioral (strategy & action)

How’s your strategy? Do you have a solid strategic plan to get from where you are to where you want to go, or are you just throwing darts at the wall? Do you have efficient, repeatable systems, or are you recreating the wheel every day? Do you have clear and specific actions that you know if you did, or did not, take each day? 

If you’re just winging it, it’s time create a strategic plan, and then stick with it for a minimum of 90 days. Reevaluate. Repeat.

Don’t have a strategic plan? Books and coaches abound, to help you find one that’s a good fit for you, or, even simpler – GOOGLE IT. There is SO much information out there that, “I don’t know how,” should never be the excuse. Just remember to commit for at least 90 days to whatever system, method or process you choose. Spend some time finding the right fit for you, and then commit.

How about action – are you taking consistent action? Are you showing up every day? If not, create a strategic plan and execute it. Repeat. 

Level 2 – Mindset

How solid is your mindset? Do you really believe you can create what you desire? What are your limiting beliefs? There are *lots* of ways to work on your mindset (I’ll share one below), and you can get info and ideas from blogs, books, podcasts, programs and more. A great coach can also help you dive into mindset in a laser-focused way, to get quicker and more targeted results. 

Here’s one powerful way to work on your mindset: Get out your journal. At the top of the page, write down your desire. Example: I want to make $XXX this year.

Next, list ANY and ALL reasons you believe you CAN’T have/do/be that desire.

Then, question and disprove those limiting beliefs. Sticking with our example, if one reason was, “I can’t make $XXX this year because I’m in the wrong industry,” question it: Can I be absolutely 100% certain it's impossible to make $XXX this year in my industry?

No. I heard of someone who created their own business doing what I do, and makes that much. 
– OR – I can start a side business to make extra money. 
– OR – I can change companies. 
– OR – I can change industries.

Go to work questioning each and every limiting belief you’ve set for yourself in your MIND. Start to notice that the limits you’ve set for yourself aren’t 100% true for everyone, which means they’re not 100% true for you, either.

Opinion (subjective -- I'm too short) vs. Fact (objective -- my height is 5'5")

You might be surprised what comes out when you sit down to write. We often hold lots of limiting beliefs we aren’t mindful of, and taking the time to question and disprove those beliefs opens up new doors, ideas and possibilities.

Level 3 – Unconscious, Emotional & Somatic (the energy in the body)

Just a few signs you can benefit from working on this deeper third level:

1. You’re taking strategic action and showing up consistently but still not getting the results you want
2. You have repetitive patterns that keep playing out and continue to sabotage your results (every time you make a little progress, something happens and you slide backward)
3. Your fear seems to swallow you up; You freeze when you try to take action 

To go to work on this level my recommendation is to find a guide, through a great coach or coaching program. This is my personal bias, because I wasn’t able to go to this level without someone holding space for me and guiding me through the process. I also needed help to stop using my go-to methods for thinking and being, and allow myself to access deeper (less utilized) parts of my being.

My personal experience using the three levels of transformation to create the life and lifestyle I desire:

Level 1: Behavioral – I started here. I focused on systems, efficiency and leverage. I streamlined everything I was doing, and hired out everything I could (not just business, in all of life, in general). Creating systems and efficiency is one of my superpowers, so working on this level was, and continues to be, very natural and fulfilling for me.

Evaluating strategy and creating efficiency continues to be a part of my process (and always will be), but since I’ve built out powerful frameworks, it’s mostly just tweaking here and there, or creating new systems as my life and needs change. (i.e. have another baby, hubby’s schedule changes, etc.)

Level 2: Mindset – I’ve been at work on this one for about two decades. I first was introduced to the power of mindset work through books, and I highly recommend exploring that way! As I created more clarity on my unique vision for my life, what I wanted to create, and how I wanted to show up and serve, I started applying what I'd learned about mindset to my specific challenges, creating my specific desires. Rather than just focusing on general positivity, for example, I started to look at my attitudes and beliefs about how certain I was I could create XYZ outcome.

Just like Level 1, mindset work will be a never-ending process for me – I’ll never stop questioning my limiting beliefs, and looking for ways to train my brain to serve me in reaching my goals. But at some point along my journey, I reached a point where I needed to go DEEPER. One of my core values is growth, so I wanted to continue creating transformation and continue growing, but I'd reached what felt like wall. My mindset was solid, and I was showing up and taking consistent action, but I wasn’t able to continue making progress toward my larger vision and goals. That’s when I stepped into Level 3…

Level 3:  Unconscious, Emotional & Somatic (the energy in the body) – By going to work at this level, I was able to build awareness of my unconscious beliefs and set points that were holding me back. I started exploring the programming I’d built as a child that was getting in the way of creating the results I desired as an adult, and maybe more importantly, getting in the way of allowing that to be a fun, easeful and fulfilling experience! 

(This is the work I didn’t know how to articulate I needed, and I’m so grateful it found me when and how it did [which I don’t believe was a coincidence😊]! I was introduced to, and educated about, working at this deeper level through the Institute for Coaching Mastery, and my mentor, Alyssa Nobriga.)

Working at Level 3 has allowed me to truly TRANSFORM; Not just what I have or what I do, but how I BE. It’s allowed me to start BEING the woman I desire to be, the kind of woman that creates the kind of life I desire to have. (Side note: it’s the woman I already was, but couldn’t access. This is true for you, too – you already are the woman you desire to be, capable of creating all you desire, but you might need some help accessing that power, and showing up as her, like I did.)

In my journey, I spent a lot of time creating my desires in ways that felt like crawling over broken glass. I was so damn determined that I would do whatever it took, but WOW did I create a lot of suffering along the way! I spent a lot of time not knowing how to go beyond the work at Level 2, the Mindset level, or even that there WAS a more powerful level / method of transformation that I could step into. I spent a lot of time spinning my wheels, having really worked Levels 1 and 2, not knowing that about 60% of my opportunity to transform existed at Level 3.

Consider this – only about 5% of our behavior is a conscious decision. That means about 95% of what we do, think and BE is playing out in our lives unconsciously, without our awareness, understanding or decision. You can see the power of Level 3 work – of taking back control of some of the 95% of your life that is running on autopilot.

In case you forgot or temporarily stopped believing – the life and lifestyle you desire IS possible. It’s possible for YOU. Yes, you may need to upgrade your methods, change your beliefs, and go deeper than you have before. But it’s ALL available to you, and the journey can be fun, fulfilling, and insanely rewarding.

Believing in you and rooting for you,

Ali