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December 29, 2016
We all have made resolutions with such great intentions. I’m going to live on my budget. I’m going to lose twenty pounds. I’m going to blow that goal at work out of the water. But, then as time goes by, it is February or March and our resolution is lying in a heap back in January with little to show for success. We mean well and we really want to live on a balanced budget, lose weight, or excel at work. Perhaps we are our own worst enemy. Maybe we tend to focus on the “have to’s” and “can’t’s”. If we change how we think, then maybe it will be December and we will have achieved the goal and so much more.
Commitment.
Choosing a lifestyle change, not a resolution. Pick one thing you want to change and need to change. It can be small or huge, but make sure it is something you are passionate about. Something that needs to be done. Make it a lifestyle change. Don’t make it about one resolution for one year. If it is that important, make it a healthy habit and lifestyle to lead to a healthier life, physically, financially, spiritually, and emotionally, which will impact your personal and professional life. Then, commit to it.
Get Rid of the Stinkin’ Thinkin’.
We all talk to ourselves. Whether out loud or by our thoughts, we communicate messages to ourselves hundreds of times a day. Make sure those thoughts are positive. Instead of thinking I “have to” think I “get to”. Instead of I “can’t” do this or that, eat this or that, or spend this or that, think I “can” eat healthy so I am healthy. I “can” tell my money what to do, rather than it telling me what to do, and I “can” succeed at work.
Reward yourself.
Set benchmarks for success and reward yourself for achieving those marks. You eat an elephant one bite at a time. Acknowledge when you hit that next mark towards your goal. Also, when you fail or make a mistake, don’t just stop. Failure is not fatal, keep pressing towards the prize.
“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” CS Lewis
