Friday, June 10, 2011

Plant a seed, reach a goal.

I love spring. It is my favorite time of the year.

To me it is so difficult to get through the winter. Not that I don't appreciate the beauty of snow, but it just feels like a very long and never ending season for me.
So the anticipation of spring makes the arrival of spring so much sweeter. I have never been one for making new year resolutions. I know I can't keep them. It is always about losing weight or exercise  more, but let's face it, during the winter months, I would rather hibernate.

But springtime is different. I wake up and come to life. Just like the seeds.
It always amazes me how a tree can look dead during the winter only to blossom at springtime and maybe bear fruit later in the year.

 Planting new seeds in the yard and see them grow. It makes me think of my own plans. Some of the the seeds I plant for myself are growing fast and some are longer to come through and may need lots of "fertilizer" and patience.

I have tried to make plans many times, but for some reason many of them never seem to succeed long term.

So I took a look at what I was doing wrong. To me it is not difficult to loose the extra 7 pounds, but keeping it off is a different story. I know, that I have to work out and eat less.

The thing is, I am an emotional eater, so it is easier said than done, when it come to eating less. And I must admit, I am not too keen on working out. I find it boring and I wish I could drag myself to do it. I am willing to try something new, but for some reason, when I do find something I like, I don't stick with it. I get bored. I wish it wasn't like that.
I also find it difficult to go to new places with new people. I feel intimidated. I know it is all in my head, but it is stopping me from doing the things  I really want to do.

I have been taking an inventory of my soul and I have found that very often, when I make plans, I haven't thought it through. Here are some of the tips I came up with to reach a goal.

Formulate in a positive way.  Just like, you can't go to the ticket office and say, : I DONT"T want go there" In order for you to reach a desired destination, you have to tell the person at the ticket office where you DO want to go.

Just like you say to yourself. I don't want to be sick. Or I don't want to be overweight. Just for fun try this little experiment.  Don't think about your car. In order for you NOT to do it, the picture of your car pops up in your head, even if it is just for a split second. Our systems doesn't understand the word or command not. 

When I realized that, it made me see the mistakes I made and I could redirect my thoughts.

So always formulate in a positive way.

What is it you want to achieve?
When do you want it to happen?
How does it feel when you have achieved it?

What is your proof that you have reached your goal?

Put a strategy in place.

Make a plan, have a timeline. If it is a big goal, maybe make smaller goals along the way.  Maybe if you feel to overwhelmed, you give up.

One of the most important questions you can ask yourself is, is this something I can do myself or can there be inner or outer challenges.

Are there negative sides by achieving the goal? Is the goal in conformity of who you are? 

Prioritize. If you are being challenged, then ask: will this get me closer or further away from my goal.

If you are too busy reaching your goal, you don't see where you are.
If you are too busy seeing where you are, you can loose focus on your goal or where you are going.

You enjoy the apple while eating.


Have passion. Believe in what you want. Believe in who you are.