Doing as well as we know is both one of the greatest challenges AND greatest OPPORTUNITIES in life. This is because much of life is really quite simple (notice I didn’t say easy):
How to Lose Weight?
– Exercise More,
– Eat Less,
– Eat Right.
How to Succeed?
– Set Goals
– Make Plan
– Implement
– Observe Results, Modify as Necessary
– Repeat
Simple, right?
The key is getting ourselves to DO the behaviors we KNOW will work and getting ourselves to do them over and over and over again until the harvest comes in. Ok, you say, HOW do I get myself to do that? Well, we are all different and it is important to get to know your own personal triggers and hot buttons (hence the importance of self-observation, self-awareness, and journaling regularly i.e. living an examined life) but I’ll tell you some things that work for me:
1) Develop your Self Concept: I refuse to live a “dumb life” or “act stupid”. Just doesn’t work for me. I like myself and I will never, ever sabotage myself; I will be my own best friend, I will believe in myself, and I will give myself loving supportive feedback to ensure I live up to that ideal. I think most of us can aspire to a similar self-concept. My empowering self-image did not spring up overnight fully formed but it started with a commitment to seeing the best in myself and encouraging its growth. As the Native American fable goes, there dwells a good wolf and an evil wolf within of all of us and whichever one we choose to feed becomes the stronger one.
2) Be Intelligently Lazy: I say this tongue in cheek but there is much truth in it. I never want to have to cover the same ground twice and I do not want to have to repeat a grade. Just always seemed to me that doing it right the first time, every time was the short path to the easy life. I will NOT let a few stupid moments of behavior in a “Hot State” blow the work of many, many months of intelligent behavior. I’m much, much too lazy! : )
Closing Quotes:
“To Know and Not Do is to Not Know.”
“Live Smart, Avoid Dumb, Don’t Sabotage.”
“So easy when I want to, so hard when I don’t.”
As always, I share what I most want/need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier