One of the greatest powers we all possess is the power of choice. Every day we wake up and make choices that impact our lives either positively, negatively or quite frankly no effect at all.
What do I mean by that? Well: we can make decisions that keep things the way they are. We make choices from the mundane of what we are going to eat today, to the life altering ones like who we take as a life partner, all of which play a major part in what developments take place in our lives. The food we eat on a daily basis can affect our long term health. And who we take as a life partner, I am more than sure each one of us have our own take on that.
When we have made the choice to transform yourselves to becoming better persons, we are perhaps making one of the most significant choices of your lives, in my opinion. Improving the way we function can help us live a more productive and fulfilling life. To change we must first prepare our mind so that our body and actions are in alignment with our desired outcome.
Methods to Prepare our minds:
1. We must Figure out ways to motivate our-selves mentally for the positive change we want to take place in our lives. (“There are a multitude of factors to consider in deciding what it takes to motivation oneself. such as, these seven dimensions of motivation outlined below”).
• Aesthetic – a drive for balance, harmony and form.
• Economic – a drive for economic or practical returns.
• Individualistic – a drive to stand out as independent and unique.
• Political – a drive to be in control or have influence.
• Altruist – a drive for humanitarian efforts or to help others altruistically.
• Regulatory – a drive to establish order, routine and structure.
• Theoretical – a drive for knowledge, learning and understanding.
In the weeks and months to come I will elaborate further, to help those who are having trouble motivation themselves. For now; to simplify the steps, I put forth these examples.
a. A Person trying to lose weight (“gain back their health”) may want to picture an image of themselves a few months from now, when they take off their shirt or put on a swim suit. being at their desired weight and experience the vividly of how that would look and feel.
b. Anyone who wants to become more cultured and travel may want to look forward to any upcoming trips they have planned for the future, or taking the small step of going to the library to get language CD’s to learn the language of the country they would like to visit. Whatever you have to do to motivate yourself mentally do it.
You cannot hope to change if you do not change the way you think. It is my belief that there is something you can do right where you are to move yourself closer to your desired goal.
Get rid of any negative thoughts you may have and focus on the positive. (Again in the weeks to come I will show you how to over-ride negatively using neuro-linguistic programming, which is a topic in and of itself never-the-less for now:
Remember: positive reinforcement can go a long way in motivating oneself to stick to ones goals.
2. We must know precisely what we want and state precisely what is it we want to improve about ourselves. Do you want to make a significant change in the way your body looks and feels? What about the way you behave in your relationships with others?
Are you interested in making more money? (Sit down and actually think about the type of person you want to develop into). “In fact do it now why wait?” Personal development relies heavily on the goals you set forth. Clearly define and outline your goals, to ensure that you have a clear understanding of what type of person you wish to become.
3. Devise a strategy towards personal development.
A lot of people who want a positive change in their life get a life coach. A life coach is someone who motivates people in every aspect of life. This person acts as your guide and strategic interventionist, should you stray from your path towards development.
It is preferable that your life coach be a professional. However, not absolutely necessary. A well read and reasonably intelligent friend or family member can also be your life coach.
Consider talking to someone you can rely on to keep you motivated through every step you take as you try and develop into a better version of yourself. For 21 days at the very least write down what you are changing. Remember to state it in the positive. (example: “I am so happy that I have gained back my health”.)
Why 21 days?
According Dr. Maxwell Maltz plastic surgeon and author of the best-selling book “Psycho-Cybernetics“, In his research he noticed it took 21 days for amputees to cease felling phantom sensations, in an arm or leg that is no longer visible. In another study he found it took 21 days to create a new habit. Since then; it has been accepted that “21 days” of consistent repetition was the quantifiable amount of time to accomplish that end. Put a quick note on your phone or your bathroom mirror, so you have access to it at everyday for at least 21 days or longer if you wish. Constantly remind yourself how you are changing as the days progress.
At the end of the day rate yourself and then reflect on the good things you did and then reflect on some of the things you could have done better. There is some people who prefer just before going to bad in addition, to awaking to engage in this ritual.
Change Your Mind, Change Your Life — Work towards changing who you are every day (if that be your wish) and before you know it you will be a much better person. Even if you don’t feel different everyone else around you will notice a difference in you.
Comments