Are you finding it hard to make progress or arrive at your next breakthrough? If so, you might be sending out mixed signals.

We want growth but fear change. We want success, but don’t feel deserving. We want love and intimacy but may be afraid to get close, get hurt, and be vulnerable. And so we hedge our bets, guard our emotions and send out mixed signals.

What I mean by this is we express some clarity about what we want while simultaneously creating resistance. We empower or invent obstacles and project ambiguity. I think I want to, but I’m not really sure.  I’m ready for improvement and my next opportunity. Well, almost ready. Really, really close to ready.

This push/pull tension doesn’t make life terrible. It just keeps you where you are, creating confusion, frustration, and the illusion that you are incapable of forward movement or positive change. That’s simply not true. Life is about energy and growth. So, here are five steps to help you.

1. Clarify what you Want.  Rather than choosing from today’s options, seek what drives you. What qualities do you aspire to have? What do you want to experience, become, and contribute?

2. Amplify the “Why?”  Instead of seeking practical justification, find the purposeful necessity and greater meaning for your ambitions.

3. Expect Answers. When you put clarity and purpose out into the world, you get answers and opportunities you didn’t exactly anticipate. When that happens, understand how it both validates and tests you. Do you really mean it?

4. Go with the Flow. Once you’re in the stream of new energy and opportunities, you are moving, but don’t exactly know where. That may freak you out, and your tendency may be to throw up blocks and barriers. Instead, to the best of your ability, ride it awhile, and see where takes you.

5. Learn and Discern. Once you’re in the flow of growth, you get a lot of information quickly. As you learn, discern what’s most interesting and relevant to you, how it makes you feel, and how it shapes your clarity about next steps.

So stop sending mixed signals blocking your growth. Express your desires, create some momentum, and ride uncertainty, allowing it to change you for the better. Until next week, stay Off Balance On Purpose.