By Anthony Meindl | Posted Jan. 21, 2014, 10 a.m.

Do you want to know how to have a breakthrough year? In all areas of your life?

Just stay open.

Thats hard enough to do on a daily basis, as we have lots of ways of keeping ourselves from being just that. We become cynical or jaded or glib. We get rejected so we begin to believe in limitations and start doubting. We negate. The more closed we become the more we shut out the possibility of what being open bringswhich is simply more openings. When we stay open we create openings in our life.

And openings are breakthroughs.

I think we believe that breakthroughs occur in a flashy, dynamic, sudden, Boom! kind of way, but Ive actually found that although quantum breakthroughs do occur, those are actually called miracles. Breakthroughs, however, occur on a daily basis by simply showing up. Theyre not nearly as dramatic or perhaps as exciting as what we think a huge momentous experience looks like compared to the actual day-in-and-day-out of creating, but thats the only way we can get there. I know its a lot less glamorous than just being discovered or it magically happening, but we can rely on science because the logic works.

Its laying the foundation. If the foundation isnt laid we cant climb to the next level. Its physically impossible. Breakthroughs occur at the thought level first. We have a new idea or an Ah-ha! or a paradigm shift. Thats a breakthrough.

They also occur at the planning levelwe want to take action and move forward with our idea, and this phase is the bridge we must take to get to the third level: action.

It doesnt matter if what we want shows up right away or it looks like we thought itd look. The breakthrough simply occurs in doing it. Sitting around and having thoughts about something isnt the same as actually taking that something and moving into the world with it.

So, if you want to have a breakthrough year, stay open.

Read more:
The Secret to Achieving a Breakthrough in Your Career