How many times have you felt like a fish out water—afraid, uncomfortable, lost, insecure, uncertain…experiencing all of those discouraging emotions. Every time you step out of your comfort zone in pursuit of a lofty idea you will feel like a fish out of water. However, it is an experience you must learn to deal with if you are going to grow, and move to a higher more prosperous place in life. Everyone moves into this very uncomfortable, unfamiliar state prior to seeing their dreams manifest into the material world. While you are taking those first few steps onward and upward it almost always will feel like something terrible is happening. The fear of the unknown settles in the body as anxiety. In truth, this is a very common occurrence for anyone who wants to realize their dream. So you see, it is actually very good.

The fish out of water syndrome is something all people experience every time they step out of that safe, conditioned, comfortable environment to which they have become accustomed. It happens every time you decide to take that quantum leap, to act on your wishes and turn your dreams into reality.

I love Nike’s infamous slogan, “Just do it!” so suitable for the visionary that goes after their dreams. Nike’s philosophy is, “If you have a body, you’re an athlete.”

My philosophy is, “If you have a mind, you have creative ability.”

The question you want to ask yourself is, “What am I creating?” Make sure you take a thorough and honest look at the results in all areas of your life so you can answer that question, “What am I creating?”

In other words, what type of relationships do you surround yourself with?
Are you living the lifestyle you truly want? Are you earning the amount
of money you truly want, or are you earning what you think you are
capable of earning? Do you do what you love and love what you do?

ALL great leaders, teachers, and philosophers agreed on one thing…that we become what we think about. In other words, our thoughts can and eventually do become our physical reality. It is through our mind and with our imagination that we can actually paint “mental” pictures of what we want.
Now think about this. The mind knows no limits; in other words, the possibilities of what you can “mentally” create are endless. And remember, thoughts can and eventually do become physical things.

Now, to the conditioned mind “endless” is a concept that does not exist. The conditioned mind believes in limited supply. The conditioned thinker lives like a minnow in the shallows, they never go out to the deep. They truly are a prisoner to their own limits, living their life by default rather than by design.

Are you a conditioned thinker? If you often hear yourself say, “I want this BUT…” then you would answer yes to that question.

To the AWARE thinker, “endless” is an absolute possibility. The aware person is determined to create the life they dream about, and will do whatever it takes to overcome any circumstance, condition, or obstacle…making them unstoppable. The aware thinker deliberately creates their life by holding a vision of what they want, taking responsibility for their results and acting on their ideas.

This is not a theory I am sharing with you. You see I have lived in a mental prison, locked in a life I did not enjoy. I have also experienced the joy of waking up every morning with a beautiful smile on my face thinking of the endless possibilities of the creative ventures that would fill my day. Trust me, they are two totally different worlds.

I have no way of knowing where you are in this phase of your eternal journey. However, I clearly remember the day I realized that I was a prisoner to my own conditioned way of thinking, and I did not like what I saw. For the first time in my life I came face to face with the cause of the challenges I was wrestling with every day. It was also apparent it was the very same cause of the various problems I had suffered throughout my teenage years and into my early twenties.

Yes, the cause of my endless struggling in life was and always had been my own conditioning, my own doing, and I was about to change that forever.

At the same time I discovered I was locked into this life I did not enjoy, I also became aware that I had always had the key to freedom sitting right in front of me just waiting for me to put it to use. But the use of that key did not come without a price. I had a lot of work to do, and it was work that only I could do…no one could do it for me.

Along with my newfound freedom came a tremendous desire to teach the information that liberated me from my mental prison to people all over the world. I wanted everyone to understand that when you step out of your safe little world you will at first and for a time feel like a fish out of water and it is SCARY.

What I am sharing with you, I have only become aware of in retrospect. Reflection plays an important role in building awareness. It is also essential for personal growth. While I was experiencing my truth, it was definitely a mental-stretching exercise and still is; although, I am well equipped to handle it because of my awareness. I am a strong woman and I am free.

It is important to understand, though, that any request from life comes with a price tag attached. Praying for more patience does not give you patience, but rather gives you the opportunities to be more patient.

What are you willing to give up in exchange for your dreams? Look around and you will see that even fish have a price to pay if they choose to live in a more expanded world…this is true with all life. A tree must let go of its leaves in the fall to create the space for new leaves to grow in the spring.

I personally have spent thousands of dollars, traveled great distances, invested tremendous amounts of time, and been willing to put myself in very uncomfortable situations to create improved results in my life. Since I pay close attention to what is happening with and around me, I have become aware that there are essentially just two groups of people in the world—the have’s and the have not’s.

The have not’s must see the good they desire before they believe.
The have’s believe in the good they desire so they see it.
Everyone chooses which group they belong to. It may be an unconscious choice, but never the less it is still a choice.

The have’s are happy with their results, although they are forever dissatisfied. Contrary to popular belief, dissatisfaction is a great gift. It is also a creative mental state. It is the juice that primes the pump. Dissatisfaction has been responsible for every great advance of man from the electric light to space travel. You can imagine the joy that filled my heart when I became aware of the truth that dissatisfaction was a creative state. You see I was raised to believe that I should be satisfied with what I have.

I became dissatisfied with my level of income.

I became dissatisfied with where I was living.

I became dissatisfied with my attitude.

I became dissatisfied allowing the media and others to influence my life and my beliefs.

It was my deep feeling of dissatisfaction that drove me to say, “Enough is enough.” I will not be satisfied with living in this little bowl of life any longer. I want to go where the few live freely, responsibly and on purpose. It was when I arrived in that environment that I realized that dissatisfaction was healthy.

As fate would have it, recently a book was placed in my hands, and at the very end of the book three paragraphs jumped off the page and rattled every cell in my brain. One was written on Vision, one on Responsibility, and one on Action. It explained how these three steps would give you anything you want. It was only after reading them that I realized this was exactly what I had done, and I had repeated the same personal growth strategy a few times over the past number of
years.

I created a Vision. I took complete and absolute Responsibility for the results in every area of my life and I moved into immediate Action.

It all sounds so simple doesn’t it? Well it is simple…but it is definitely not easy.

So stay with me as I quickly review my personal Freedom Strategy one step at a time. Then, if you choose, you can join me out here where the water is deep and the rewards are great. Rather than spend any time or giving any thought to the results that you now experience in your life, I want you to build a vision, a picture in your mind, a crystal-clear image of exactly what you want—how you want to live. Paint that picture in words and choose your words carefully. Do such an outstanding job of putting your images in writing that, if I were to pick it up and read it, the same image you are working with would flash upon the screen of my mind.

Next, put the blame game behind you. Release it and let it go forever. Victims never win, NEVER! Regardless of what has happened to you in your life up to this point, put it behind you. Take a look at your results and realize they are neither good nor bad. They are just results. Take complete and absolute responsibility for them, and then realize that your present results can be transformed into that beautiful vision you just built.

Last but not least, you must move into Action. You start now. You don’t wait, procrastination is for the have not’s. Be decisive. Be Action-oriented. You start with what you’ve got and where you are now, and immediately begin moving in the direction of your dreams. The way will be shown one step at a time.

By letting yourself get emotionally involved with your vision, you will feel an urge to take the first step toward your dream. Your mind is telling you what to do. DO IT! It might not and probably will not make a lot of sense, but that is exactly what you should start doing. Do not question it. Simply trust it with unwavering faith.

Every night before you go to bed make a clearly defined list of
dream-building steps that you will commit to moving into Action on the
moment you wake up. Remain in an Action vibration all day, every day, always
moving toward your goal until it manifests into form. That is Acting in
a Responsible manner. The minute you begin to act
otherwise, you are becoming irresponsible and
your vision will immediately begin to die.

You are a creative being. The basic law of life decrees that you are either creating or disintegrating. When you build your Vision and Act in a Responsible manner, you are on the right track. And just like the little fish you are on your way to a bigger, better pond.

By: Tiffany Baron