If I want to reach my goals, I need to start by raising the BAR. My body is trying to keep me safe. My brain is wired for perceiving danger. My past experience is full of pain. The irony is how painful it is to push through my body’s natural desire to avoid pain. I can barely see the screen for how hard I’m crying. Thank God for the typing class I took in high school, so I don’t need to see the keyboard. I have snot all over my face. My throat is so tight that I can’t speak. It feels like there’s a bowling ball in the middle of my chest, and I could hurl at any moment from the rollercoaster that’s raging through my abdomen. This desensitization stuff sucks, but I press forward anyway because I have a goal. I’m going to write a whole book regardless of how I feel about it. I’m not going to let my body stop me this time. I’m going to raise the BAR: Become aware of what I’m currently doing to avoid what I need to be doing, Assess my thoughts and feelings to determine what is legitimate and what is a lie of my mind, and Redirect my efforts toward what will move me in the direction of my goal despite how my thoughts and feelings rebel against it.