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Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” These sage words of wisdom also apply to the problems we encounter whenever we set out to experience greater success.

Whether we’ve identified a larger goal or committed to live our bigger dreams, what often happens is we stumble along the same worn path used for yesterday’s achievements. We continue to do the things that brought us to our current level of success, yet we mistakenly expect to experience different results. And subsequently, we live out Einstein’s definition of insanity.

Then when our lives don’t change, when our success feels limited and we remain mired in the status quo, we question our goals or dreams. Eventually, we may give up hope they are possible or that our lives will ever change for the better.

What we don't often realise is that the reason for our struggle has nothing to do with our goals or our dreams ... we've simply encountered our success “blind spot”. With our vision obscured, we cannot “see” the new path we must follow or that to do so requires us to change how we think. That if we wish to live more successfully and more abundantly we must begin to think differently.

Here are three quick tips to help you do just that:

Tip #1. Recognise your need to stay safe and secure over your need for growth is the risky choice

Even though you seek change and greater success, you simultaneously crave the safety and security derived from that with which you are familiar. Yet thinking differently or in new ways often leads to an unknown and albeit, “risky” path. By following it you not only need to let go of the familiar you also risk failure, loss, and the possibility you may look foolish too. Remember, though, it’s better to believe in your goals and dreams, to risk everything and to be a fool, than to live a hopeless and dream-less life—a risk from which there is little chance of recovery.

Tip #2. Don’t simply challenge the rules—break them

Your current thoughts about life often stem directly from something taught to you by your parents, your education system or your culture. These thoughts then become the “rules” by which you live. They serve as the basis for determining what is or isn’t possible. Eventually they morph into your success “blind spots”. 

So take a fresh look at your goals and dreams with this new understanding. Begin to identify the perhaps unspoken or unnamed rules blocking your success ... those keeping you stuck in the status quo. Don’t just challenge these rules, break them too. Keep in mind as you do so, that if no one ever challenged the rules or what they were taught, the world would still be flat.

Tip #3. Identify other people with a dream similar to yours (or anyone who simply blazed a new trail)

Then read their stories. Pay attention to how they think, as well as the steps they took based on those thoughts. Realise their level of success is possible for you too. The only difference between you and these other people is how you think.

Use their stories and their words of wisdom to challenge, change and shift your thinking too. Next, make sure your subsequent action steps correlate with these new thoughts. In doing so, you’ll not only say goodbye to your success blind spot…you’ll breakthrough it too!

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In addition to being a Spiritual Renegade™, Jenny Boylan is an internationally known personal / business coach and mentor who teaches her clients how to think differently, so they can live abundantly.