By Eric Martinez
July. 31. 2011-
Have you ever heard a friend, family member, or a co-worker say “I think it’s time for a change in my life, starting next week I am going to do such and such with my life.” I am sure many of you have heard people say this or maybe you have said it on several different occasions yourself. It’s one thing to actually take action and set a goal or make a change in your life as opposed to just saying you are going to do it, easier said than done, right? Well I have personally heard this from many people. Most of the time they will start and then quit or have some sort of an excuse as to why they couldn’t continue their goal that they set out to accomplish. I never understood why one says they are going to change their life or set a goal, but never actually does and quits half way through because they hit an obstacle that they feel they cannot overcome or they are just plain old afraid of failure. It’s time to stop making excuses and come up with solutions, if you say you are going to do something, then do it and actually commit to it and challenge yourself! Do not quit half way through or get discouraged, do it for yourself and only for yourself. I am going to be giving you some tips on how to set a goal and stick with it, we are all winners and leaders in our own respective ways, let’s start acting like it and setting better examples.
First and foremost before committing to a goal, you must prepare yourself for change. Whatever your goal is you have to prepare yourself mentally and physically for this. I recommend starting off with a small goal you know you can accomplish easily; this will build momentum and set your mind right for a more challenging one. Also, ask yourself, what’s most important to me? What would reduce the most stress? Make sure to brainstorm and research the pros and cons of your goals. What will you gain and lose throughout the process? Engage with others about your goals and get their support. Trust me, having close friends, and family support will make the journey that much smoother.
So once you have your goal set, map it out thoroughly and take action! Some stages to consider when making a change are as follows: Pre-contemplation- You are in a state of ignorance and nothing convinces you to make a change in your life. Contemplation- The most popular saying when contemplating change is “Ah maybe next month I will get serious.” When you are in this stage it’s easy to beat yourself up because you feel you are not in the next stage as soon as you should be, you feel you are not making sufficient progress. Preparation and Progress- Think how great the outcome will be when you make the change and achieve the goal. Move yourself into preparation, build motivation, and ask yourself what’s it going to take to get there? Take Action- Write your goals down and put them in places that remind you at all times. Make a “Big 5” for each week; this will help keep you focused on what needs to get done for the week. Actually take action on the change, no excuses, only solutions! Maintenance and Relapse- Go back to your preparation and map of your goal and tweak it to see what stood in your way and figure out how to get around it.
We have all the tools here to set ourselves up for success, so why not take action and get it done? I believe many people are afraid to set goals and make change because they are so comfortable with what they are doing in their daily lives, people are so accustomed to their routines it’s hard to change them. Also people are afraid of failure and don’t like admitting it, if you fall off the track, get back on within 2-3 days and keep pushing, there is no excuse to flat out give up! “Success breeds success”, remember that. Try looking at the areas that you have been making progress and lean towards those. Another thing to remember during this process of change is to reward yourself for small steps you make, small steps are progress, so acknowledge yourself for it. Never beat yourself up about a situation; the stress is not worth it.
Progress is never a straight line, there’s always going to be obstacles and struggles throughout your journey of change. Embrace those obstacles and look at them as challenges, never fear them because you might get discouraged. There is always a way around obstacles, don’t say “Oh maybe next year I can overcome what came up.” No, the time is now! Not next year. Look for your support group to help you get through it. I am not saying setting goals or making change is easy to do or can happen overnight, everything in life is a challenge. But if you want to do something, you all have the god given ability to do so, you just have to make these goals a priority in your lives and stop making excuses, plain and simple. Once again we are all winners and leaders in our own respective ways; let’s start acting like it and take action!
“Live A Dynamic Lifestyle”