Motivation Monday: Who do You Choose to be?

                             “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to be.” – Carl Jung

   Every person on Earth has something happen to them that they dislike. Divorce, health problems, loss of job, car breaks down, a death in the family, or any other major problems. How do you react to these? Do you wallow in misery or do you do something about it?

   Unfortunately some people allow these issues to define them. Just because you’re unemployed doesn’t make you a loser. The definition of you is how you respond. Setbacks in life should spur you into action, not the other way around. If you are struggling with this then go back and look at the times when you did step up during adversity and took care of it. Everyone has at some point.

   The reason people get down when something difficult happens is because mentally they convince themselves that it’s the worst thing that could happen. The only time it’s the worst thing is if you choose not to learn, grow, and do something about it. If you lost a loved one it’s probably pretty certain the person that passed wouldn’t want you to grieve any longer than you should. You don’t need to forget them, but you do need to move on.

   Now is your time. Who do you choose to be? You have greatness within you. You can overcome any obstacle life throws at you. No matter how bad things might be you can do it. Make the decision that you will choose to be a superstar in your life. Be an example to yourself and people around you that you will rise to the occasion. The time is now to be the person you are capable of becoming. Only YOU can do this!

4 Keys to Reaching Your 2014 Goals (Resolutions) and Beyond

Happy New Year everyone! Many people decide to sit down and write down their New Year’s resolutions or goals for the upcoming year. Some of these are well thought out and then some people have the same goal to lose weight each year. How do you make sure the goals you set are ones that you may actually reach?

   When you decide to write down your goals make sure they are goals that make you stretch and grow. Goals are not important just because you reach them. They are important because of the person you become in the process. Don’t take the easy way. Let your goals make something of you.

   Goals or resolutions first of all need to be something you have a passion to reach. Setting a goal to lose weight makes sense if you need to. Obviously for health reasons it is very important to live a healthy active lifestyle. Despite this you may not actually want to commit to eating right and exercising to lose weight and get healthy. When you set a goal you want to reach you will do whatever it takes to get there.

   There needs to be a passion for it. It must be something that you cannot imagine not doing. When you set goals like that then you will do whatever it takes to reach it. You will follow your passion and do the hard work necessary.

   When people write out resolutions or goals they write a couple things down on paper and that’s it. That is also a reason people give up. They don’t have a plan. When you set goals there must be a plan accompanying it in order to reach it. Goals aren’t reached many times because you have no idea how to get there. This is critical in particular when it is a difficult or complicated goal. Make sure you have a plan in place to get there.

   If your goal is to lose weight then write down what you will eat and how often you will work out. When you write out your plan though you have to stick to it and be committed to following it. If you quickly write out your goals without a real plan the chances of reaching them are slim. If you are driving somewhere you plan how you will drive there no matter how many times you have made the trip. If you don’t have a plan then you will drive aimlessly. The same goes for goals.

   If you have a passion and a plan then the third thing is persistence. The goal has to be attacked on a daily basis. You should review your goals daily and look back to find out what you did that day to move you closer. Keep close tabs on what you are doing. You have to be persistent with goals to get there. If you aren’t, before you know it six months will have gone by and you will have done nothing. Being persistent will not only help you reach the goal, but it will improve your esteem and confidence because you will begin seeing what is being accomplished. This will cause you to be more persistent and become the person you are capable of becoming.

   Finally, patience is necessary to reach your goals. You need to be willing to let ideas develop and certain things to come into play to make it happen. When you get impatient you make a rush to judgment and this can keep you from seeing a goal through. If you need to make a difficult decision then be patient and make sure the decision is well thought out.

   To see your goals accomplished in 2014 and beyond it takes passion, planning, persistence, and patience. If you utilize these four things when reaching your goals then nothing will stop you.