Are You Where You Want To Be?

Are You Where You Want To Be?

Is there something that you may want different, in any area of your life? The answer is 'yes' if you have any new year's resolutions. (Remember them from January...?) To get to where you want to be, I think you will agree that you need to change your behaviors. If you have everything just the way you want in your life, then Congratulations! Nothing needs to change. For the rest of us, you can't keep doing the same things and expecting different results. We all know what that's called...

So we agree that we need to change our behaviors. But what happens when we just change behaviors? How about those resolutions? Are you still working on them or did you decide it was easier to go back to your old ways, to do the same old things. Don't feel bad if that is the case. Many of us, me included, have done the same thing.

"So what's the answer to get past this?" You ask. "How do I get out of my own way?" It's not easy but it can be done. Let's look at what we know. Our behaviors or actions lead to the results that we want or are currently getting. Our results of course lead to our lifestyle. The real questions is "how do we change our behaviors in a positive way which will be long term and sustainable?"

In order to change our behaviors for the long term, we need to change the way that we think. The way that we think subconsciously. Because it's our thoughts or attitudes that lead to our behaviors. So, if we want to change a behavior, we need to change our attitude.

A note on attitudes: We are all conditioned since the time we were very young. It starts when our parents tell us "NO" and continues into our every day adult lives when we read a newspaper or watch the news. How often do you read something positive in the news these days? Most of what we are exposed to on a daily basis is negative. Is it any wonder that most peoples' first reaction to a new idea is 'That won't work.'

So, you want something differently. That's a GOAL. You need to act differently to get a different result. And you need to think differently to act differently. Now we are talking about attitudes. How do you know if your current attitudes are working for you? You do this by measuring it against your goals. Your thoughts behind your current behaviors are either leading you closer to or further away from your goals. If they are leading you further away, replace those thoughts with ones that will be more productive for you.

Here are some ideas to lead you towards improved results:

1) Be clear on what it is that you want.

2) Take an introspective look at your behaviors and decide which ones you want to either reinforce or eliminate.

3) Identify what behaviors will lead you towards your goals.

3.5) Reinforce your new way of thinking through affirmations and visualization. These are some of the most underutilized tools we have access too!