Your goals usually reflect positive changes you wish to make in yourself, your condition, your health, your wealth or your relationships. They often simultaneously fill you with the hope of life being different, and empty you with the familiarity of it remaining the same! You set out to make these positive changes with good intention, and, all too often, you’re soon soothing yourself with good reasons why you are off track. Sound familiar?
Maybe you have used some of these logical-sounding phrases to trick yourself into complacency: “It’s too hard.” “My knees cannot take this.” “It takes too much time.” “My husband/wife/children/dog/mother did not like me doing it.” “I’m too busy.” “It takes too much energy that I need for my job.” “It costs too much.” “It’s too late to teach an old dog new tricks.” If not these ones, you may have some tried and true ones of your very own!
In most cases, the goals were chosen to help you reach a vision you held of better health, a greater sense of well-being, healthier relationships with yourself and others, as well as with time, money energy and success. So, if you gave up the goal, what does it leave you with? Well, for one thing, it leaves you with a life you recognize very well. Is that alright with you?
What prevents you from being on your own team and stepping up to bat with high intention, ready to skilfully hit the ball to your personal best? What happens to you inside when you don’t stick with the program? Are you disappointed in yourself, angry at yourself, or, maybe, relieved? Why do you choose not to keep your commitments to yourself?
You have all the information you need to know that a change in your life would be desirable. You may admire people who have made those changes. So, what’s missing from your personal formula for success? What keeps you and the brass ring at more than arm’s length?
Let’s look at a very common goal: to implement an exercise program you can stick with. For some folks, the only exercise they get is pushing their luck or raising their eyebrows. It is likely, though, that most of you would like to do better than that.
Ask yourself a few questions about your goal. Why do you want to have an exercise program? You might say, “So I can be healthier.” Great! So, why do you want to be healthier? “To have more energy, lose weight, sleep less, look younger, and probably live longer.” Wow! Those sound like compelling reasons!
Next question: What would your life be like if you had more energy, weighed less, slept less, looked younger and lived longer? Well, one thing is for sure: Your life would change. Are you ready for that change? What are the trade-offs between your present lifestyle and your new one? What will you gain? (No pun intended) What might you lose? What would you not have time for if you implemented this program? How would you feel if you gave up this goal entirely and never, ever thought about it again? Is that acceptable to you?
Next to final question: Would achieving this goal give you a deep sense of satisfaction and contentment within yourself?
Final question: Do you deserve to feel that good? If the answer is a resounding “Yes!”, then go for it! If the answer is a resolute, “No!”, then lie back down, replenish your chocolate supply and lie still until the inclination to exercise passes!
I’m sure you are getting the idea. Unless something is deeply important to you AND you feel you deserve to have it, the odds are against you. On the other hand, if it IS important to you and you do deserve to have it, AND you focus your time, energy, skills and resources on the goal, you are almost certain to achieve it.
To catch the brass ring, you have to be willing to stretch! Are you?
C Rhoberta Shaler, PhD All rights reserved worldwide.
International speaker, coach, author & talk radio host,
Rhoberta Shaler, PhD, is an expert motivator. She gives you
the strategies and motivation to shift your results from
acceptable to EXCEPTIONAL in life and business. Subscribe to
her three free ezines at http://www.optimizelifenow.com/.
