Have you ever set a goal for yourself where, for a few weeks, you stick with it, you’re moving forward, you feel great, then suddenly, you realize you’ve gone so far off track that you can’t remember when you stopped?

I always feel that way about exercise! I’ll be plugging along each day on my Peloton, tracking each ride, feeling good about myself, then suddenly – it’s been a month since my last workout. What happened? Where did the time go?

It happens to the best of us.

When you’re on a journey to find and live your life purpose, it’s easy to get off track. Living in devotion to your purpose is not easy. You may not know all the steps you need to take. You won’t always see the path ahead of you.

And in those moments, it’s easy to let self-judgement or fear or self-doubt derail your progress.

The good news is that as easy as it is to get off track, it’s just as simple to recenter and get back in alignment with your goals.

They say there’s this “seven-year itch,” where couples who’ve been together for seven years start to re-evaluate their relationship.

It’s a commonly held belief that at the seven-year mark, couples tend to fall into a slump, they start to get dissatisfied with their partners, and they start to question their feelings about the relationship.

I’m not a relationship expert, but I always thought this was an old wives’ tale or a myth made popular by the Marilyn Monroe movie of the same title.

So, as I approach my seventh year of marriage, and as I sat down to write this article, I did a little research.

If you’ve ever paid attention to your thoughts for a day, then you’ve likely noticed some very negative things you tend to think about yourself:

“I ruined dinner again. Everyone will hate this meal! Why do I even bother?”

“I forgot to pay my credit card bill – I’m such an idiot!”

“I don’t know enough to be a health coach. Who would take health advice from me anyway?”

“I haven’t achieved anything in my life. I’m stuck in a job I hate, and I never have enough money. I’m a total failure.”

So much of what we say and think about ourselves is negative. And those negative thoughts influence everything else in your life: Your Beliefs create Emotions, which create Behaviors, which result in Effects.

And the Effects you get reinforce your Belief. So when you believe you’re a failure or you don’t know enough about something, your emotions and behaviors will cause you to act in a way that makes that a reality.

On the other hand, if you believe you have everything you need to be successful or you believe you are smart, capable and talented, your emotions will shift, and so will your behaviors, to allow you to achieve your goals.

Think about the last goal you set for yourself.

Did you push forward past fear, overwhelm and doubt to achieve it?

Or, did your fears, feelings of overwhelm and crushing self-doubt hold you back?

Those thoughts, reinforced over time, come from a scarcity mindset, or the belief that there will never be enough, resulting in feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety.

A scarcity mindset can cause you to limit yourself through your beliefs and actions, preventing you from achieving your biggest goals, keeping you in debt, or destroying your confidence.

You might feel that you don’t know enough, you don’t have the resources, or you’re not good enough to achieve success or build wealth.

You might think, “who am I to go after this dream?”

And if that sounds like you, know you’re not alone, and there’s nothing wrong with you. You just need a subtle shift in your mindset to think more abundantly about your life.

What would you do with more confidence?

Would you boldly pursue your passion and live your purpose?

Would you ask for the raise or promotion you deserve?

Would you put yourself out there to make new friends or attract your dream clients?

Sure, confidence can help you achieve all of those things.

But the truth is: you don’t need confidence to take big steps like that.

In fact, taking the big step creates confidence.

But in between those steps, you can build confidence over time. With smaller, more manageable actions you can start today.

Manifesting is bringing something tangible into your life by cultivating the experience of what you want to feel, then living and believing in that experience so it can become a reality.

An abundance mindset helps you manifest anything you want because it starts with a deep belief that you are enough, that you have enough, and that you’re deserving of the things you have in your life.

It’s a strong feeling of security and confidence in yourself. A belief that you already have everything you need to be successful. That anything you want is available to you.

That deep belief is the foundation for manifesting. Manifesting is about making everything you want to feel and experience a reality for you – through your beliefs, emotions, behaviors, and effects.

Manifesting isn’t about asking the Universe for help, then stepping back and waiting for what you want to just fall into your lap. You have to do the work. You have to take powerful, aligned action to achieve your goals. This isn’t a passive exercise.

Remember: your thoughts create your reality. If you believe you’ll never be good enough to go after your dream job or start your own business, you’ll behave in a way that gets you that result. In other words, you likely won’t take action toward your goals.

On the other hand, if you believe that you have enough knowledge, wisdom, strength, and guidance to achieve your goals, you’ll feel confident enough to take powerful action and manifest those goals.

An abundance mindset is the deep belief that you are enough, you have enough, and there is enough to go around for everyone.

If you’re like most women, you might find it hard to stay in an abundance mindset. Especially if you’re struggling with self-doubt or impostor syndrome.

Over a lifetime, you’ve been conditioned to think in a negative or scarcity mindset. You’ve been conditioned to trust fear over faith, lack over abundance, and doubt over confidence.

Your thoughts create your reality. If you believe you’ll never be good enough to go after your dream job or start your own business, you’ll behave in a way that gets you that result.

On the other hand, if you believe that you have enough knowledge, wisdom, strength, and guidance to achieve your goals, you’ll feel confident enough to take powerful action.

The latter is an example of an abundance mindset; a belief that you already have everything you need to be successful.

When you think about finding or living your purpose, what thoughts come to mind?

Are you excited at the opportunity to find more joy and fulfillment in your life, or are you overcome with fear, hesitation, or overwhelm?

Do you know exactly the steps you need to take to live your purpose each day? Or, are you like most of us: you know you’re meant for more, but you have no idea what that is or how to get there?

When the future is unclear, fear of the unknown can cause us to think with a scarcity mindset.

A scarcity mindset is the belief that there will never be enough, resulting in feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety.

A scarcity mindset can cause you to limit yourself through your beliefs and actions, preventing you from finding or living your purpose.

Thinking about finding your purpose in life? Wondering what you’re meant to do, but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you think you found your purpose, but you’re not really sure.

If this sounds like you, you’re in good company!

These are the same questions I’m constantly asked by women like you, who are looking for more meaning and fulfillment in their lives.

Finding your purpose can feel like a daunting task. It’s overwhelming to think about the one thing you’re meant to do with your life and how you’re going to get there.

Trust me when I say, it’s not as difficult as it seems to find your life purpose. You might just need some reassurance.

Your values guide your decisions and set the tone for how you live your life.

But how do you know if you’re really living your values?

If you’ve done the work of identifying your core values, you may be wondering how to bring your values to life. Or how to bring more of them into your life.

Living your values means to be the most authentic version of yourself in all aspects of your life. Not just at work, or with your family, but in all areas that matter to you.

Just as your purpose is a compass leading you back into alignment with who you’re meant to be, your values guide you back to who you truly are.

If I had to guess, I'd say the first half of 2020 didn't go exactly as you planned.

Between the Coronavirus pandemic and social uprising in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, this year is certainly one for the history books.

While 2020 brought so much fear, anxiety, heartbreak, stress, overwhelm, loss, uncertainty, pain, and outrage, it also brought us "closer" to family and friends through virtual dinners, coffee chats, and happy hours.

For some of us, it brought life and jobs to a halt to allow us to focus on what's most important to us. For those on the front lines, it brought your purpose to light - serving the world in a way you never dreamed imaginable.

2020 is a collective awakening - some of us are waking up to our role in white supremacy. Some of us are waking up to a career that no longer aligns with what we want. Some of us are waking up to the start of healing generations of trauma. Some of us are waking up to realize the lifestyle we're living is no longer sustainable.

We're all waking up to something. And awakening brings profound change.

It’s easy to feel lost, confused, or overwhelmed right now.

The Coronavirus pandemic upended and shut down life as we knew it. Social uprising and protests for Black Lives Matter are demanding radical change. Change for individuals and society as a whole.

Our jobs have changed. Our income has changed. Our social lives have changed. Our belief systems, organizational systems, and government systems are being challenged to change.

Change is overwhelming, even when it’s a good thing. Especially when it’s necessary.

Impostor Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon involving the belief that you’re inadequate, incompetent, and a complete failure despite evidence that you actually are successful. It’s also the inability to believe that you deserve success or that you achieved success as a result of your own efforts, skills, or expertise.

Impostor Syndrome affects about 70% of the population, and minority groups, including women, people of color, and people being “the first” are disproportionately affected.

Core values are the fundamental beliefs you have about your life.

They guide your behaviors, decisions, and actions. They bring about a sense of purpose and self-worth. They remind you what’s important to you and what you want more of in your life.

When you know what’s important to you, you can live in alignment with those values. This leads to greater fulfillment, clarity and self-awareness.

This self-awareness allows you to discover your purpose.

Your life purpose is who you are at your core. Identifying your core values brings you back to your center.

Values remind you who you are and who you’re meant to be in the world. They’re gentle guide rails to keep us on our path and help us choose actions that are aligned with what we really want.

When we find what we really want, we can truly live our purpose. And if every woman lived her purpose, every need in the world would be met.

How often do you put yourself first?

If you’re like most women I know, then it’s not often.

As women, we’re wired to care about the needs of others, to make everyone around us feel comfortable and taken care of. That’s an important quality of a strong, feminine leader.

That same line of thinking also creates opportunity for comparison. We’re constantly comparing ourselves to those around us, putting others on pedestals, and thinking that their needs are more important than our own.

We think if we selflessly give to others, or sacrifice what we want for what other people want, we’ll get those people to like and respect us. We derive our sense of value from the approval of others.

And in doing so, we’re sending a signal to our brain that we’re not worthy of spending time on ourselves. That we don’t deserve to put ourselves first because other people need us.

Putting someone else’s needs before your own makes you believe, even subconsciously, that they are inherently more worthy than you.

Everything in our lives starts with an intention.

The careers we choose, the places we live, the people we surround ourselves with.

Even the food we put into our bodies starts with an intention.

If that’s true, is it possible to use an intention to find our life purpose?

An intention is a guiding principle for how you want to be, live, and show up in the world. It’s not the same as a goal, which typically has an endpoint or an expectation of success.

An intention is a path you aim to align to. It guides our thoughts, actions, and attitudes.

If you consider that your life purpose is who you are at your core, then an intention can help you discover who you’re meant to be, and how you’re meant to show up in the world.

In your career, you’ve probably encountered some great leaders.

Leaders who inspired you to bring your best to work every day, leaders who knew how to develop your strengths, and leaders who cared about you as an individual.

And I’m willing to bet you also had your fair share of not-so-great leaders.

It’s easy to think that certain leadership styles are better than others, especially when you’ve experienced how each one feels as an employee.

As a leader, you want to give your best for your team. You want to inspire them to grow, to do great work, and to find joy and meaning in their jobs.

And to do that, it’s important to take stock of your own leadership style; how you show up every day to lead the people on your team or in your organization.

There’s no “one size fits all” approach to leadership, and styles can be flexed depending on the situation, organization, or even the individual.

The Coronavirus pandemic has upended our lives and demanded more from all of us. We’re navigating a new world of extreme telework, we’re stocking up on months’ worth of food and household supplies, we’re taking on more responsibilities at work and at home.

There are more virtual happy hours, family dinners, coffee chats, and Meetups than one could possibly fit into a week. There are more deadlines, more meetings, more assignments. There’s more pressure to perform, more pressure to get it right.

And there’s more burnout.

How do you view the world in general?

Do you generally think that people are rude and selfish? Or, do you believe that people are generous, kind, and warm?

Do you feel like everyone is working against you? Or, do you feel like others are there to help you?

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Stephen Covey explains that when you live in a world of scarcity, you compete for available resources, even when there is an abundance of them.

Does this sound familiar?

We see this a lot in corporate environments. Promotions and raises are few and far between. There are not enough women on our leadership team or board. We’re constantly in competition with similar businesses, vying for a bigger share of the market.

And in recent events like the Coronavirus pandemic, we’re scrambling for the last roll of toilet paper, the last bottle of hand sanitizer, the last box of pasta or can of beans. When just days before, the shelves in stores across the country were stocked full of them.

Fear of the unknown can cause us to think with a scarcity mindset. A scarcity mindset is the belief that there will never be enough, resulting in feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety.

On the other hand, an abundance mindset flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. It’s grounded in the belief that there is more than enough for everyone.

During difficult or uncertain times, it's easy for our thoughts to spiral. We often think of the worst-case scenario, and each fearful thought breeds another. You've probably noticed this at some point in your life. Sometimes these thoughts are so powerful, they cause us to become overwhelmed and shut down.

Mindfulness helps us slow down, pause, and observe our thoughts and emotions in the moment. This helps us cope with challenges because we're interrupting those fearful thought patterns and preventing ourselves from ruminating over the situation.