Everyone wants to be able to improve their lives in some way: to heal something, to start something new, to find their soul purpose. As long as we are alive, this process continues. Everyone has a next step waiting to be taken, and everyone – absolutely everyone – has trouble accomplishing it. In fact, we spend an inordinate amount of time making up reasons and excuses for not moving forward.

Being stuck can be extremely painful. The desire you have to change a habit or improve your life comes from your soul. When you do not move forward with it, you block the very expression of your soul. The frustration that accumulates over time because of dysfunctional patterns of self-sabotage merely represents the surface issue.

Here are five practical things to be aware of so you can break free and move forward in your life more effectively:

1. Get over the fear of humiliation. Most people are controlled by the fear of being humiliated. How do you get over the paralyzing fear of being humiliated and worry about what others will say? By recognizing that your true locus of control is inside you. Looking outside ourselves for approval, acceptance and love, is a trap of the ego. The fear of being humiliated by external feedback, is really based on pride. True commitment to the journey of our souls brings with it a deep sense of humility. When we no longer look outside ourselves for approval and affirmation, we finally align with the true Source of our being. That relationship moves us to a place of deep inner honesty and humility because we identify with our true identity as souls.

2. What reality do you live in? Do you find yourself bargaining that you will get on with what you need to do as soon as the children are grown, or after you are out of debt, or once you get a new job? Are you dreaming of the life you’d love to have if only you had the money, time or resources? If so, you may be living in a fantasy world! On this planet, results come from matching vision with action, step by step. Instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity, the question to ask yourself is, “What I am I doing in the meantime?”

Appeasing the yearning of your soul with empty rationalization and promises, is not enough. You need to start taking action to bring your life into alignment with the guidance you are being given, or else you are living in a fantasy world. If not, you may end up in guidance overload – overwhelmed, stuck or frustrated – and you’ll have nobody to blame but yourself!

3. Guidance Overload. Guidance overload comes from asking for help from too many people but never acting on any of the information that you've stuffed into your energy field. When planning a change, it is normal to start gathering information for ways to move forward. The trap lies in over-analyzing each piece of guidance and information or waiting for another, and another, piece to appear before taking action. This can move you into analysis paralysis or guidance overload, where there is too much information floating around in your mind, all triggering your fears, anxieties, limiting beliefs and memories of past trauma - and you don't know where to start. Guidance overload is also an indication of having given your power away to others instead of taking full responsibility for your life. It is not a happy place to be at!

To break free from guidance overload, you need to go back to the beginning and start with the very first step that needs to be taken. When fear arises in response to that step, deal with it! Our greatest power lies in choosing our truth in the face of our fears. When you have taken the first step, you can ask for more guidance.

4. Become A Mystic In The Marketplace. For many centuries, mystics lived on the fringe of society. They did not mix with the masses or participate in affairs of the world. This has all changed. Today, the level of consciousness on the planet has tipped the scales to offer potential for unprecedented growth and change. Spiritually awakened beings are being called to participate in this worldwide shift by becoming mystics in the marketplace, and not on the mountain or in the monastery.

To answer the call, you need to learn how to commune with your soul to access the inner guidance that is stirring there. Every change that you wish to see in society, starts with you and the field of consciousness that you are holding. You are called to be the change you desire to see in the world, and you change the world around you through the power of your evolving soul as you hold the energy field of love wherein consciousness can evolve. In a world crying for healing, there is no greater service you can offer.

5. Find Appropriate Support For Each Stage of Growth. Successful personal growth depends on being able to determine where your learning needs fine-tuning and then to support that with appropriate correction and feedback. Whether you need a new skill or a compassionate ear, listen to your needs and find the support to ensure your success.

Collectively, these five keys can be very helpful to identify where progress may be stagnated in any area of your life, and to help you break free so you can live more effectively.