Resolutions or Resistance "Want to change, but can't commit?"
Here are some simple steps to ensure a successful you!
By Brenda Graff
As the New Year begins each year we all make silent committments to ourselves on changing something in our lives...whether it be to lose weight, stop smoking, make more time for family, finish a project that we started several years before or just to stay more in contact with loved ones. However, soon after the month of January passes the urge to persue our new goals begins to fade. Here are some helpful tips on following through:
Be realistic! Don’t set goals with unrealistic timeframes. Whether it’s to lose weight, paint your house or write a book. Get a poster board and in the center write 2005, make a list of things you want to change or accomplish by also including directly underneath each one the reasons you have that goal...this will put your projects into a realistic perspective. Number each one by priority. On the right side repeat the numbers you have listed on the left side, but leaving out the information.
Place that poster somewhere you will see it everyday, in the bathroom, closet, your car, make a miniature version and place in your planner.
First thing in the morning, read over your list. Read your list before you go to bed each night. Do this every day until you complete that task.
Don’t procrastinate! Get started immediately towards that goal, even if you only spend five minutes a day working on it. If you are consistant as each day passes you will become more dedicated and spend more time on it....becoming more focused and goal oriented.
Do not expect immediate results! Be patient and watch as things evolve over the days, weeks and months.
As zealous as you may be to make that comittment to changes in your life, it is better to keep it to yourself until the results have surfaced. This way, you avoid any potential cynicism from those closest to you, especially family....who can be our worst critiques. This will prevent the "Burst My Bubble Syndrome". It is so easy for those that know us well to put down an idea or scoff at something we may have failed at trying before. Do you realize that the windshield wiper was invented by a woman named, Mary Anderson who developed the mechanism in 1905 and in the 1930s, Helen Blair Bartlett developed new insulations for spark plugs. More recently "Erma Bombeck", her success wasn't without a price and she had to overcome many hurdles to get into the position she earned. Whatever your goal is...if greatness is your goal...be prepared for obstacles, criticism, long nights, little sleep, tears, and unpopularity! These are just the downfall, but the other end of the coin is so much brighter. You have to be willing to accept the fact that you may bump into walls in the process of achieving your goals, but learn to bulldoze right through them! Become an over-comer first and you can achieve anything!
Research everything there is on the subject of your goal...using internet, library, magazines, newspaper, videos, talk to others who may have more insight on the subject, visit places pertaining to your goal. Become like a lion roaring about for his prey....go after the information like you haven't eaten in months!
Keep a daily journal. At the end of each week read over it, see what has transpired or what you need to work on. Compliment your accomplishments for that week! Reward yourself somehow.
Never give up! Even if you don’t see results right away...remember "The Little Engine that Could".... "I think I can...I think I can"... Soon you’ll be saying, "I know I can!"
I will leave you with some famous quotes that gave my life and career a boost!
"Four steps to achievement: plan purposefully, prepare prayerfully, proceed positively, pursue persistently." - William A. Ward (American dedicated scholar, author, editor, pastor)
"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have and should have." - Louis Boone (Author of "Growing Wealthy")
"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfection, but instantly see about remedying them - every day begin the task anew." - St. Francis de Sales (a 16th-century priest whose "Introduction to the Devout Life" instruction as been viewed for 16 centuries
"If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing." - Will Rogers (One of the most prominent male actors of Hollywood)
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." - Martin Luther King Jr. (A preacher and the preeminent leader of a movement that continues to transform America and the world)
“Fake it...till you make it". -Brenda A. Graff (Wife and Mother of six, Author of "With Six You Get Laundry")
(In other words, if you don't feel like smiling, smile anyway, if you don't feel like writing, write anyway, if you don't feel your someone important, be anyway. Use this in all areas of your life...after a while... you will find yourself becoming more and more like the person you want to become and eventually become a beacon for all the world to see and encouraging to others who struggle as you once did.
-Brenda A. Graff - Author of "With Six You Get Laundry" available at Amazon.com
