Overwhelm. Too much to do and not enough time. Too many things and not enough resources. Too many people, too many expectations, too much riding on these things getting done.

The sources of overwhelm are many, and it can certainly seem impossible to make any real progress toward your goals when it feels like the walls are caving in on you. But contrary to what many might believe, feeling overwhelmed is actually not a result of the conditions around you. Rather, it is a direct reflection of your personal perception of the things that need to get done, when they need to get done, and their relative importance in achieving your overall goals.

In no way am I trying to discount your feelings, I totally get it: you feel like you’re drowning, but you want to feel like you’re steering the ship toward all the earthly treasures. Maybe you think that all you need is a shorter to-do list, and in some ways that’s right – but you don’t need anything in your situation to change in order for that to happen (yay!).

What you really need is to feel better so that you can go about using your naturally exceptional mental resources to conquer the great things you were put on this planet to do.

Good news is that is TOTALLY possible, COMPLETELY in your control, and something you can actually do RIGHT NOW.

The fact is this: you’re not going to jump from feeling overwhelmed and frustrated to being happy and joyful in one fell swoop. It takes a series of small mindset changes in the direction of peace, love, and joy before you will actually end up there. But as long as you keep feeling better and better and start garnering some momentum in the right direction, your decisions and priorities will naturally become more aligned, and you can start taking the inspired (ie: not forced) actions that lead you to your goals with ease. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy at its absolute best.

Here are seven key strategies to help few ideas to get you in the right mindset, so you can start using that beautiful mind of yours to achieve all the earthly pleasures you desire. If you like them, make sure to sign up for the FREE Cultivate Your Career Course, your definitive guide to creating a career that fuels your life.

1. Practice letting a ball (or two) drop.