Checklists show up in every area of our lives, serving as a means of distancing and staying safe: a “perfect” mate, job, friend, house, vacation, city to live in, etc. They are really just another set of rigid rules that keep us focused on the picture in our head instead of the reality in front of us. Checklists are usually built on our limited past; if we didn’t get what we wanted as children, this musty, dusty list keeps us trying to get those things in our present. Or it might be that you received X in the past, so you don’t expect the present to be any different or better. Your list keeps possibilities narrowly defined. Have you ever noticed you have this huge list, but you can never manage to tick everything off? It feels like work, pulling you AWAY from what you really want.

We think if we get our checklist just right, all our wants will be realized… or we can keep things safely the same (depending on our objective). It’s a means of trying to control outcomes, which never serves your true desires. You’re way better off chucking the checklists, being in the moment and feeling into what you really want. Forget about your job being in X industry or X town. Forget about all the “requirements” you have in a partner. They just keep you closed to possibilities. If you pay attention to your gut instead of the checklist, you’ll be led toward what you truly want. Learn why checklists keep you stuck and operating at the same level rather than expanding your life and leading to fulfillment.