This week’s blog is a video! Check it out!!
We tend to believe excuses are legitimate reasons for our lack of success. We need to identify them and overcome!
We make time for what we truly want. What do you want? Are you letting excuses get in the way? Watch this week’s blog and find out how to put them in the past.
Click here to sign up for the weekly newsletter. Get Fit!
Like Line in the Sand Consulting on Facebook! Like!
Most likely you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution and most likely it is very similar to the one you made last year. What’s going to be different this time? What is going to get you over the hump? Are you really going to “try” this year?
We’ve all said it. We’ve all thought it. We’ve all heard it… “I’m going to really try this time…” We make commitments to ourselves and convince ourselves that this time it is different. This time I am really going to try!
Did it work? Did you achieve this time, or did you just try and fail…again? So often, we tell ourselves that trying harder is the answer. Try with all your might, try like there is no tomorrow! Why doesn’t “trying” work?
The real question that needs to be asked is, “Do I believe success is achievable?”
When we continually tell ourselves, “I’m going to try,” as soon as we start “trying” our subconscious mind says we’ve succeeded and it is time to shut it down. Believe it or not, success depends on the way we talk to ourselves. When we use words that don’t frame our goals as matter of fact we sabotage our success.
The word “try” means just that “to try.” As soon as we actually begin “trying” we’ve succeeded and our minds think we’ve completed our initial task. Game Over…
“Try” also has connotations of difficulty and pain. We like the easy roads and the paths of least resistance and trying doesn’t facilitate ease.
So now what? Where can success come from?
What if your “self talk” was only framed in the affirmative? Instead of telling yourself you’re going to try this time; see and talk to yourself as if you’ve already accomplished the goal. See yourself as having already accomplished what you desire. How does that make you feel? Do you have a new self-image? When you begin to see yourself in this light, your mind will start to work in conjunction with these new beliefs and helps you fully achieve them.
The negative connotations are gone too! Your mind believes success has already been achieved and acts accordingly…
You can achieve your biggest dreams if you’d just start to believe, act and talk as if you’ve already achieved the success you desire!
When I achieved my weight loss success I told myself I could reward myself with a certain car. At the beginning, that is all I thought about. I imagined what I would look like, what it would feel like and how proud of myself I was. I began to believe it had already happened and my life began to harmonize with those new beliefs.
I was no longer stuck in the “trying” mode! I was on my way to ultimate weight loss success…
Quit TRYING! Start Believing in YOUR Success!
Why Not Me? Why Not Now?
I heard someone say this last night and really resonated with me. As I continue to help people realize their potential with weight loss, I cannot help but think of what I want to accomplish too. I love helping people overcome their struggles with weight. My clients have success because I help them understand that they are the only thing standing in their way. For years they’ve told themselves that they’re not worthy or they can’t do it. I believe anyone can have success if they change the way they “talk” to themselves.
For over 5 years now, I’ve had success with weight loss, but I’ve struggled with taking my professional game to the next level. So it hit me last night, when I heard these questions. Why not me? Why not now? Most of you know I want to be a professional speaker. I want to inspire others to have the success that I’ve had. I want to instill in them the confidence that “If I can do it, so can you!” I have a great story to tell, but I’ve not been active in trying to speak about it. In 2012, that changes.
I am putting this out there, I desire to tell my story to audiences of all sizes and inspire them to finally make that change. Why not me? Why not now?
I tell my clients that they must believe in their success before it can ever happen, but professionally I haven’t accepted my own advice. I have a story to tell and I need to realize that 120lbs is a big deal. My motto for the next year is going to be, “Why not me? Why not Now?”
How many more people can help in 2012 when I begin to fulfill my dream and tell my story to more and more people? I’m excited about what is coming for me. If you’re looking for bigger and better things, ask yourself… “Why not me? Why not Now!?”
On Monday when I usually sit down to write my weekly article, I just wasn’t “feeling it.” I justified not writing one this week by telling myself, “no one really expects you to write this one since it is the holidays.” Most likely, very few actually realized I did not write one this week until just now… So much of our life is like this, we justify NOT doing things because we ask ourselves, “who will really notice?”
When we find ourselves acting or reacting because of what someone will say, we need to find out who we’re really accountable to? I got caught in this trap earlier in the week. I wasn’t feeling “motivational” so I justified not writing an article this week. As the week has progressed, this decision has hung over my head and it’s been constantly on my mind. One decision has “derailed” my week because it has been compounding in my head.
So this morning I got up and ran. I decided that I was in control and who cares if anyone will notice or not. I NOTICED and that is important! As I thought about a topic, I couldn’t shake the phrase, “better late than never.”
This saying is so true! Better late to get started or back on track than never getting started. When we decide to commit to something it is a big moment, but a bigger moment is when we re-commit to our goal. My goal is to write a new article every week and for the last year and half I’ve lived up to that goal. All it took was part of one week to realize that even though no one else might notice… I NOTICED!!
Commit to yourself that whether you’re waiting to get to started or you’ve gotten off track… Get back on it. It is better late than never to get started on your goals. With the new year approaching it’s a perfect time to start.
Do you know people that have trouble believing in your success? It’s not that they don’t want you to succeed; they just don’t believe you’ll actually accomplish it. These people might be your friends, or they might be acquaintances that don’t know you very well. Have you met this person? Can you picture them in your mind? How do they make you feel? Are you frustrated? Do you want to give up?
I’m sure we all know someone like this. They never intend to knock you off your game, but their lack of belief can kill your momentum. Why do we give them this power? Why do we let them “get in our head?”
I’m asking these questions because with the holidays we’re probably interacting with more people than usual. We’re going to holiday parties and family gatherings and telling people what we’ve been up to. It is during these “innocent” conversations that we start to tell people what we want to accomplish. As we do this, skepticism starts to creep into our minds. We’re told we’ve got “big dreams,” and “ that’s going to be tuff to stick to.”
After a couple of these conversations we start to believe the skepticism. We begin to think why am I working so hard for this? Then the holidays come and we’ve gone overboard!
This year, commit to yourself that you’re not giving away your power! As you gear-up for the holiday parties create a plan to stick to your goals. Prepare for the skepticism and believe in yourself. You’ve made great progress to this point; don’t let the holidays slow you down. Keep your momentum and crush your goals. 2012 will be your banner year!!
What do you know to be “truth?” During this time of year there are many kids who “know” whether or not a certain “jelly-bellied” man exists. They believe it with such conviction that no other “truth” is possible. I would imagine that at some point as a child we were right there with them. We truly believed anything was possible. But then something within us changes. Denial begins to set in…
So often when I talk to people, I hear a ton of DENIAL. I hear people talk about what they “know” and what they have “figured out.” These conversations are always interesting to me. I enjoy listening to people who have made choices in their life and then rationalized those choices to the point that they “know” what their issues are.
I like it because I used to be one of those people. I “knew” my metabolism was “slow.” I “knew” that I was meant to be a big guy. But most of all, I “KNEW” it was out of my control and my life was not affected by my weight or size.
Looking back, I never really “knew” anything. I had just fed myself lies for so many years that I actually started to believe that the “fat life” was my destiny. I believed that no matter how much I tried, I was always going to be big…
So what changed?? What made me start to realize I could change my destiny?
I began to believe in possibility. When I believed the lies, I lost the ability to see dreams as possibility. The mind has the capability to snowball in thought… When negative self talk begins, the easiest progression is to let the negatives compound and the next thing you know you’re over 300lbs. and life is nothing like you thought it would be.
Then you reach that point where one of two things happen… Either you begin to believe in possibility and change; or, you accept where you are and believe stronger in the lies.
I chose to believe in my dreams again! I made a conscious decision to change what I thought about myself and those positive thoughts began to snowball!
I think that is why I enjoy talking to people who are in self denial. I used to be there; I can relate and understand what it takes to change…
Where are you? Do you “know” everything? Or, are you open to the possibility of a greater “you?”
Your dreams show you your potential; your beliefs make them possible! Begin dreaming again and make your goals come true beginning this season!
Where are your energies and thoughts focused? Are they focused on the things in this life that you cannot do or have? Or, are you focused on the possibilities of life and ready to tackle them? As we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving, I’d hope you’re focused on the positive things in your life. I’m afraid though, too often this is not the case. We start to think about ALL the food we’ve eaten over the past couple of days and think, “Why keep trying?” “I’m never going to reach my goal…”
So, let’s ask the question again… Where are your energies and thoughts focused? Are they focused on what you don’t have or haven’t accomplished? Or, are you focused on moving forward and where you’re heading?
Can you feel the difference in those two questions? As I just re-read those questions my mind and body changed after each of them.
The first question took the smile off my face and I felt a pit in my stomach. Amazing! Just reading that made me feel almost sick because of where it took my focus. If I would have stayed in that state the rest of this blog would not have been written. I would have started to focus on the fact that it is late and I wanted to have this posted already… The negative path we take is easy to go down; it starts with just a simple question. Where are you focused?
When I read the second question, I cannot help but be more positive. The smile comes back to my face and the true possibilities of life are all before me. I get excited and I feel like I have a ton of energy. I get this feeling of anticipation for “what’s next?” Instead of heading down a dark path of negativism, I am running up a path fully lit and headed for the stars!
Too often, we get bogged down in the “I can’t” of this world and all our energy and attention gets focused there. It is an energy draining walk to head down the path focused on the poor choices, lack of motivation, and any of the other excuses we tell ourselves.
So how do we get started running on the other path leading to the stars?
I wrote a few weeks ago about asking better questions. Frame the Question This is one of those opportunities. When we can recognize the negative path we are walking, it is time to ask a better question.
What are the possibilities I can focus on? Where is my next opportunity coming from? Your mind is going to quickly give you the negative answers… “There are no possibilities or future opportunities.” “It is easier to just stay on the negative path.”
How bad do you want to change? Recognize the limiting belief of the current path and open your mind. Ask with certainty of an answer and you’ll find it.
Your mind will soon be a factory of new idea production. It will feed you with ideas that will sustain you for life, but you must commit to yourself that the new path leading to stars is better than the dark path leading to nowhere.
Are your questions energy draining or energy producing? Your mind and body will tell you the answer. Are you listening?
I was encouraged by one of my clients tonight. As soon as we began talking, I could tell something was different. There was energy in her voice and I was immediately energized just by talking to her. Everything that came out of her mouth was positive and exciting. I couldn’t help feeling the energy she was giving me.
She’s began to accept the changes over the past few months as a new lifestyle. She’s embracing being more active. She doesn’t always look forward to the gym, but “I don’t always look forward to work either,” she said. This was a great point. There are things in life that when we commit to them, we are going to make it happen.
She’s kept up with her food journal and that has made another difference for her. She’s aware of everything that goes into her mouth. Being conscious of food choices is half the battle!
She’s turned a corner and excited to be there! But with all the success she’s had, that wasn’t the most important part of our conversation…
She already has a plan for the holidays! She’s thought it through and knows what and how much she’s going to have. She’s given herself permission to enjoy the holidays without depriving herself and regretting making poor decisions.
For most of us, the holidays come every year and we give ourselves “unrealistic” goals and then get depressed when we can’t live up to them. Once we hit that point, the wheels fall off and we spiral down making more poor choices…
A workable plan is such a big step because the more we eat with a plan in mind, the better decisions we make. The better decisions we make, the more consistent life and our weight loss journey is going to be.
I was so encouraged when she told me of her plan and how she is going work her plan. Portion control with self control!!
Enjoy your Thanksgiving and look forward to the holidays! Eat right and live right.
What do you do when you’re just not motivated?
Let’s say you’re sitting at your computer and just not feeling it. You know you need to get something done, but for some reason you’re just not motivated.
Do you give in to the lack of motivation? It would be easy to say, “I can get this done tomorrow.” The “next day” is always the easiest excuse to run to. We’ve all been there! We’ve told ourselves that today is just not happening, but tomorrow will be so much better!
Really? Do we honestly believe that tomorrow we’ll be in a better position to get the task completed?
As I sat at my computer tonight, I really had no motivation to begin writing. There were so many things that I wanted to do and writing just wasn’t one of them. So I started to think about what would happen if I didn’t write tonight. Would the world end? No. Would it kill me to not write tonight? No. Would it soften my resolve to the commitment of writing every Monday night? YES!!
I realized that if I didn’t write tonight, I would have to re-evaluate my commitment to writing and personal growth every Monday evening. You know what happened? I began to be motivated to write. I wanted to fulfill the commitment to myself that I made a few months ago. If we can’t stay committed to ourselves, are we truly committed? Too often we let the commitments we make to ourselves just fall away, because we soften our resolve to ourselves.
When we start to let our commitments slack, it becomes easier over time and eventually we begin to expect it from ourselves.
The best thing I did tonight was I just started. I didn’t have a pure topic, but I knew I needed to start. What I’ve found is the best advice when someone asks me what I do when I am just not motivated; I simply answer “Do It!” We tend to over think things and get lost in details. We feel better about not doing anything because we confuse the issue with excuses. If we would just get started, the answers and the path would become clear.
I mentioned earlier that I didn’t have a topic when I just began typing this evening, but you know what? It worked. I got out of my head and just started typing. When we stop thinking “I can’t” our brain starts to realize our commitment to the task and end goal.
Do it! Get involved and stop listening to the excuses. Excuses will always be there, but it is how we prepare ourselves to respond that matters.
Commit to yourself to always, Do It! Get started and go with it. Remember you’ll be that much closer to the end goal by staying on course!
The Get Fit! Program can help you stay motivated or just find the motivation to keep walking forward. We’re not always going to feel like running on this journey, but if we can at least walk we’ll keep getting closer to our goal!
Running from the “Food Police”
For years, I was on the run! I was running from being accountable to anyone about what I was eating. I didn’t want to hear it. I believed I was “just fine” with how I ate and what I ate. NO ONE could tell me or suggest to me that I was on a dangerous road.
If you were to say something to me about what I was eating I immediately costumed you in a police uniform and started to hear the sirens. Just like a guilty fugitive, I was suspicious of everyone. I felt no one really had my best interest in mind. I KNEW they were just out to get me!
In my mind, I was innocent of any charges of “wrong doing.” I ate because the “police” were stressing me out. I felt I was always being scrutinized. The only way I knew how to react to the scrutiny was to be funny… I thought, I can make them laugh by eating more and more! Laughs were better than judging eyes and it is where I was comfortable.
Another reaction I had was to make fun and “call out” the food police. I felt they were “undercover” and the best thing I could do was “blow” their cover!
I’m sure you’re thinking, “Really?” “Food Police?” What’s the point?
Well, I came to another realization today as I was speaking to an employee group. As I was telling my story, I could see my past as a “life on the run.” I was never truly comfortable with myself and I deflected that uncomfortable feeling on to those that only wanted to help me.
The “food police” only had my best interest at heart but I was too blind to see it as helpful. I could only see it as they wanted “to change me!” They were offering help, but as most addicts fail to realize, I saw it as oppression.
The best feeling I remember is when I finally gave up. I turned myself in and accepted the help that they had been offering for such a long time. It was in that moment that my relationships changed. I wasn’t running anymore and I could finally see them as helpers and confidants in my journey.
For the last 6 years I’ve been on a different “run.” A run that has allowed me to lose the weight for good and be happy with the life I have. Life is better when you’re not on the run. Turn yourself in to the “food police.” They are there to help and when you accept the assistance great things WILL happen. Stop Running and Start Living!!