I was listening to a story recently from someone who had made the hard decision to end their long-term relationship.  It was a conversation that they had rehearsed for nearly ten years; sometimes working on ways to make it work better, and other times just accepting it for what it was, an unhappy relationship.

They recognised that they had been putting on hold the decision, believing that a way forward could be found, only if they gave it one more try.  They kept pushing the snooze button on their relationship.

But there comes a point in many peoples’ lives when enough is enough, and something arises that becomes their wake-up-call for change.  As the saying goes, it can be the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’, or from hearing or witnessing another person’s inspiring story and personal journey.

Many of us have experienced being on the receiving end of bad news, when our known view of the world suddenly changes over night.  The death of a friend at an early age, our other half wanting to end the relationship, being made redundant, something stolen or broken, or someone close moving to another country.

It’s up to us whether we use these moments of tragedy and uncertainty to be our wake-up-call, or to keep pushing the snooze button instead.

I hear clients talk about from a relationship breakup they find a reason to get fit and healthy.  Or from being overlooked in a role, to sign up to a training course. Or by thinking about someone they admire, to follow in their footsteps and try dealing with the situation from a different perspective.

Isn’t it a fabulous feeling to be reminded that a more fulfilled life is possible by simply giving up or changing something?  I’m sure it happens to most of us at least once in our lifetime and when it does, it’s like a bolt of lightning on a clear day, both scary and exciting.

But what happens when our life is seemingly in balance and we’re not faced with redundancy or ill health or a rocky relationship, when in fact we are happy?  How do we listen to our heart’s desires then?  In my experience we all have an inner alarm clock that is timed to wake us up now and again, and which rings in our ears our true direction and desires.  The only thing is we keep hitting the snooze button.

So, before you hit the snooze button in your life:

  1. Sit down and write a list of everything you are saying ‘yes’ to in terms of time and energy.
  2. Now imagine what more would be possible by saying ‘no’ to at least one of these things.
  3. What can you can say no to (this could include delegating or delaying)?

Get curious when you believe you can’t say no to anything, as we sometimes say yes out of habit or sense of duty without stopping to give ourselves the choice.

I’ll bet my alarm clock that you can say ‘no’ to more than one commitment on your list and be able to say ‘yes’ to at least one of your heart’s desire.