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Diet & Nutrition

2010-10-01 10:11:00

Achieving your goals

Question: What can I do to get over the hurdles preventing me from achieving my goals?

Answer: You’ve dreamed and you’ve set goals. Are you making progress toward them or have you already reached them? If not, the question you must answer is, “Why am I not there right now?” You can probably name a thousand circumstances to describe why some goals have eluded you until now. “I don’t have enough money,” “I don’t know how,” or “This or that has happened to me.” each statement focuses on circumstances. The truth is you’re not at your goal because you don’t believe you can get there. Dr David Schwartz says, “The size of your belief determines the size of your success.” Our thoughts determine our beliefs and our beliefs determine our actions. You must accept responsibility for where you’re at now, identify your limiting beliefs, and then take action on your belief that you can accomplish your goals. The first step is accepting responsibility for where you’re at now. Placing blame on poor upbringing, poor economy, or a poor spouse will get you no closer to your goal. When you accept full responsibility for where you’re at now, you can accept full responsibility for getting where you want to be. Realize you can decide to move forward, or you can decide to stay stuck in your current mode. The next step is identifying your limiting beliefs. Limiting beliefs come from past experience or things other people have said you have decided are true. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.” Henry Ford said, “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t you’re right.” In the past, I’ve told my children “I can’t,” either means “I won’t” or “I don’t know how.” “If you don’t know how let me show you, if you won’t let me spank you.” “I can’t,” doesn’t exist at our house. It is a limiting belief and it lives in the same realm as “I’ll try”. “I’ll try” simply means “I won’t.” Wipe it out of your vocabulary. You decide, either you will or you won’t, there’s no in- between. Take an honest look at where you are and identify the limiting belief that’s holding you back. Once you identify the limiting belief that’s getting in your way, work on changing it. The brain does not simultaneously hold two conflicting thoughts, so the key to believing differently is to replace the limiting belief with a positive one. Reframe the negative thought, changing it to a positive one. For example, if your thought is,” I can’t lose weight” change it to “I can eat and exercise in ways that allow my body to be healthy.” I suggest writing the new beliefs on cards or paper where you can look at them every day. Use scripture or favorite quotes to help you stay in positive belief mode. Read good books and fill your mind with stories of others who have accomplished their goals. I heard a great piece of information the other day. The same year Babe Ruth had his record setting home runs, he also had his most strike outs. Amazing that such a great legend kept swinging even when he had, what some would call, failures. Finally, take action on your goals. . Belief without action is useless. Take at least one positive step every day toward your goal. Brian Tracy says, “Everything counts. Everything helps or hurts and everything counts.” Any movement toward the goal creates momentum. Identify your greatest strengths and capitalize on them. Instead of focusing on why you can’t do something, focus on the strengths and talents that are uniquely yours. Building on those strengths propels you forward. You can accomplish any goal you believe you can accomplish. By accepting responsibility for your current situation, you open the pathway to your dreams. Identify any limiting beliefs that are stopping you currently and determine to change those beliefs. Then act on those new beliefs and then enjoy the fruits of your labor. Remember YOU CAN.