All this month I've been blogging about how goals can actually be a source of scarcity thinking.  I offer 5 steps to turning this around by creating Abundant Declarations.  I've already discussed the first 2 steps - Capacity and Internal Drivers.  Step 3 is Stepping Back.

In my book, Coaching Into Greatness, I define Stepping Back as the ability to see what is and respond accordingly, instead of reacting based on judgments and presumptions.  Stepping Back feels like insanity to most business people.  There's already too much to do and not enough time to do it and you want me stop?!

Actually, no.  Stepping Back is not stopping.  Stepping Back is more about downshifting, slowing down long enough to take a breather and look around -- to actually pay attention and observe situations.  Becoming the observer is a powerful concept. Many of you who meditate know what I'm talking about.  When we become the observer, we gain the ability to take notice, to capture the nuances of a situation as well as the big picture.  We see ourselves and how we're being in a situation.  Observing, or Stepping Back, allows us to gain perspective and respond, rather than have a knee-jerk reaction to our business in our life.

When people don't utilize this conscious pattern, they tend to hold onto goals year after year.  They have a love affair with their goals, but this isn't like Officer and a Gentleman, it's more like Fatal Attraction!  When we don't step back from time to time and gain perspective on where we are and what we're doing (or not doing) we risk becoming attached to goals that don't serve us, that no longer hold value for us, and that we're no longer inspired to implement.

Abundant Declarations are all about continually evaluating and adjusting your course.  This is related to the 4th step I'll blog about next -- that the path or the journey is more important than the destination.  You know you have a powerful Declaration when you allow life to unfold through you, and you can take the time to step back, look around, and open yourself to possibilities.  There are opportunities coming to us every day -- most of the time we're just too busy, distracted, or tired to see them.

One of my favorite quotes is from Lily Tomlin, who said, "The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat."

Are you running a race at break-neck speed?  How could you benefit from Stepping Back?