Stop Thinking Small! How to Open Your Mind to Thinking Big

This time of year always excites me. To me, the approach of a new year means new possibilities, a brand new start, and a chance to do more, accomplish more and achieve more. I love the unknown possibilities, and find planning for a new year one of the most invigorating parts of business ownership.

In the spirit of planning, next week I will be kicking off a week-long series on goal setting, including how to identify and plan for your goals, how to measure your success, how to stick with it when you hit a challenge, and how to celebrate your success.

But before we dig into the goal setting series, and in order to position ourselves to make the most out of the process, we need to open our minds to the possibilities. When we’re doing the same thing, day in and day out, it’s hard to break out of routine thought and encourage our minds to think beyond the immediate.

So in preparation for next week, let’s take some time to open our minds to what’s possible and prepare ourselves to break free from routine as we plan for a new year.

Be Willing to Change

Change is scary for many of us, but growth and advancement is impossible without it. In order to open your mind and prepare yourself to reach a new level, you will have to accept the changes that will happen at the same time.

Get Ready to Be Proactive

Goal setting is about figuring out where you want to be and going for it. Nothing good will happen if you’re stuck in stagnancy, waiting for change to come to you. Be willing to commit to your goals and do what it takes to see them through.

Practice Open Thinking

Start practicing acceptance of new ideas, listening better to those around you, and giving every possibility an equal chance. If you can avoid writing off any one idea or dream as unrealistic or unachievable, your open thinking will bring about more possibilities.

Face Your Fears

Everyone fears something, and your fears could become one of your biggest obstacles in the goal setting process. Instead of ignoring them in an effort to get around them, take time to face them head-on, get an idea of where they’re coming from and come up with a plan for conquering them so they don’t impede your planning process.

Let Go of Control

This is a big one for many of us, myself included, but in order to truly experience an open mind, we need to give up some control. Once we stop trying to mold the world to fit our outlook, we will experience a powerlessness that can lead us to new insights and ideas.

What do you typically do to open you mind and prepare yourself for setting new goals and intentions for your business and your life?

Image credit: Grafix007