Sunday, February 28, 2010

Committed Decisions

Quote
"Committed decisions show up in two places - your calendar and your checkbook."
Dr. Carole Hildebrand

My Thoughts
We all say we are going to do things. But how often do we follow through? What Dr. Hildebrand is saying is really take a look at where you are spending your time and money. This will show you where you are headed.

Most of us would love to change one or more areas of our lives, but are we committed to it? Or do we keep saying "I'm gonna", "One day, I'm gonna do this". If you keep going down that path you are not going to accomplish very much of anything.

If you would really like to change one area of your life and you keep wondering why it is not working. Really take an honest look at where you are spending your time and money.
For example: If you have a goal to be at your ideal weight by June; but you are not spending the necessary time working out and you are not spending any money related to your goal (trainer, books, supplements etc...) are you really committed to it? I would say it's more of a wish, than a decision.

One final tip: The vast majority of us have weak decision making abilities. To strengthen these start with small things and you will find it will become a habit over time. You could do this with things like deciding to wash the dishes when you see them and actually doing it. Or you could decide to fix something in your house and actually doing it. Or, and this is a very common one, when everyone is trying to decide what to eat for lunch or dinner:

Indecisive Person 1: What do you want to eat?
Indecisive Person 2: I don't know, what do you feel like eating?
Indecisive Person 1: Not sure, whatever you want.
-----This continues on for five more minutes-----
Decisive Person (that's you): Let's eat xxxxx.
Indecisive Person 1&2: Wow, that sounds like a great idea.

By doing this you will not only strengthen your decision making abilities, but also get rid of procrastination.

Until next time....

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Optimism

Quote
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
-Winston Churchill

My Thoughts
What Churchill is talking about here is perception. If you perceive the world as a dark and dreary place, then it will be. If you perceive the world as a bright and beautiful place, then it will be. It is really all about what you focus on.

A word of caution here: I believe there is such a thing as too much optimism. An example would be someone that is so optimistic they feel they don't have to do anything. It may sound something like this: "I know everything will be fine in the end, so I don't have to try.".

If you find yourself trapped inside the box of pessimism, I would like you to become more aware of your thoughts. Also, ask yourself where are these thoughts coming from (news, other people, etc...). Another thing that I encourage all of you to do is write down at least three things that you are grateful for every day. Once you finish writing them down, read them out loud. Both of these will help you start to change your perception.

Until next time...

Monday, February 15, 2010

Time

Quote
We are either progressing or retrograding all the while; there is no such thing as remaining stationary in this life.
-James Freeman Clarke

My Thoughts
You may think that by staying comfortable you are not losing anything. I know I used to think that way. You may find yourself saying things like “I don’t really like what I am doing, but it pays the bills.”, “At least I have a job.”, or “I can always change tomorrow.”. The problem with this type of thinking is that you are losing something. That something is time.

When I was 13 years old my mom died of brain cancer. I remember she told me before she died that she regretted not doing so many things. As a matter of fact, she never said she regretted anything that she had done.

We all like to think that we can always start living the life we’ve always imagined starting tomorrow. But, the truth is we all eventually run out of tomorrows.

I encourage all of you to pursue your dreams. Whatever action you can take now, get started. The clock is ticking.

Until next time...

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Desire to Change

Quote
"Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential."
-John Maxwell

My Thoughts
Almost all of us aspire to be better than we currently are. If you go around and ask most people if they would like to change some aspect of their life, they usually will answer yes.

So, why aren't people changing?

Because so many of us are not willing to put in the time and effort to change.

What's interesting is that Maxwell is saying that the difference is not in abilities. As a matter of fact Bob Proctor calls this the razor's edge. That is the fine line that separates people that always achieve what they want and the people that always come up short.

I know I have said this numerous times before, but it all comes down to how much do you really want to change some area of your life?

If you really want to change, I encourage you start taking whatever steps are necessary for you to bring about this change. If you see an opportunity that resonates with you, go out and pursue it.

Until next time...

Monday, February 1, 2010

Imagination, Part 3

Quote
"Our imagination is the only limit to what we can hope to have in the future."
Charles Kettering

My Thoughts
How do you set your goals? Do you set them using your imagination? Or do you set them using your reason?
Most people start out using imagination, but then they reason themselves out of it.

Here is an example:
Let's suppose someone is earning $30,000 a year.
One day they see something that sparks their imagination, so they start dreaming about earning $500,000 a year.
However, after reasoning this over for a bit, they talk themselves out of this idea.
They end up settling on the idea that they will never earn enough to live the life they truly want to live.

What Charles Kettering is telling us is that we create our own limitations, our own ceilings.
I would encourage all of you to use your imagination when setting goals, don't just settle for what you know you can get. Think bigger.

Until next time....