Archive for Personal Development – Page 2

How have you challenged yourself today?

You can do more than you think you can.

Have you tried this simple exercise before?

Raise your hand as high as you can.   (Go ahead, try it.)

Now raise your hand even higher.

Were you able to raise your hand higher?

Most people find a way to do so, especially if they’re in a group of other people who are all raising their hands even higher.

The fact is, we usually can do more than we initially think we can. We underestimate our abilities, or we overestimate just exactly how much effort we’re really putting into things already.

How can you go a little further today? Do something different, step outside your comfort zone in an area you want more today?

Lately, I have been challenging myself when I workout and I always find I can do a little more even when I think I can’t almost every time.

This same concept applies to any area of life we want to change or improve our results in. I am making a commitment to apply it in at least one other area that I want better results in and I will post on this in future blogs.

How can you challenge yourself today?

 

You Gotta Let Go of the Goal

On Sunday I was rollerblading, I had a goal of how far I wanted to go, I could see my goal destination, it was further than I had ever gone, as most goals are. I was hot, it was a long way and I started thinking about how hard it would be to get there. As I looked at it so far away I decided to focus on the journey. I might not make it all the way but I could do my best, get some great exercise and enjoy the time I had. I started to notice the breeze, the water was gorgeous, runners, walkers, and bicyclists passed and I loved the sunshine.  I was enjoying every minute and it didn’t seem like effort.

Before I knew it I was almost to my goal, I got excited, I had made it farther than I imagined and it didn’t seem that hard. I started to glide, I knew I would make it and for a moment, I took my attention off what I was doing and I was looking only at my goal. Then it happened, a big bump between sidewalks caught both my roller blades and sent me down in a  front body slam to the sidewalk. My hands went up in time that I landed full on my left hand and chest with the wind knocked out of me. Luckily I didn’t hit my knees or face. It hurt, it hurt bad, but I wasn’t hurt bad.

As I sat there on the side walk I realized this goal was just like any goal, if you focus only on the goal reaching it becomes much harder than it has to be. When you think the goal is so big and hard it will be and you will struggle. When you focus on the journey and just keep doing what you need to do it can become enjoyable and you can get there faster than you thought. When you focus only on the goal and not on what you need to be doing you can miss pitfalls, sometimes big ones that can bring you down.

Goals are tremendously important, but focusing only on the goal can actually keep you from reaching it. Has that ever happened to you?

 

What Happens When You Fail?

So many things we don’t try for fear of failing. Often getting caught up in the what ifs.

This week Diana Nyad “failed” to accomplish her goal of being the first to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.

This was no small goal, Diana is 61 years old, it took two years of planning and training and many people involved to make it happen. Her journey is totally inspiring.

 

When we imagine failing to reach our goal we often imagine the absolute worst situation. Her attitude after ending this quest is as inspiring as the journey itself. I was brought to tears at the end of this video, when Diana is not at all caught up in what was her journey or goal, she is busy supporting others around her, she is one amazingly courageous woman!

Did she fail? Her goal was to swim from Cuba to Florida and she didn’t accomplish that, she did however accomplish so many things that would not have happened otherwise; it shows just how much success can come from failing. While she may feel disappointment at not reaching the goal, the biggest disappointment would be in never having tried.  Accomplishing a goal is not always about just reaching the goal even when you do. It is about the person you become in order to reach it and all the impact you make in working toward it.  What will you step out and do?

Get Your Courage On! 7 Things to do When Adversity Strikes

Adversity affects us all at one time or another whether it is financial, business, relationship or health, you can feel stuck and it can be difficult to see beyond. Here are seven things you can do to help you get your courage on and move through the adversity.

Look for your success – you have many success in your life and you have faced adversity before and triumphed. Take a look at your past successes and see your strengths. Find stories of others who have overcome the struggles you are dealing with.

Don’t get caught up in what if – Running over and over in your mind if only you had done something different, if only you could turn back time is only berating yourself and will not lift you up. No matter what you come up with the possibility exists that even if you had done things differently things could be worse.

Do what you can – Do not avoid things that need to be addressed, open mail, answer calls, handle issues. Avoiding things only leads to larger issues and more negative feelings. Even if bill collectors are calling and you have no money to pay, answer the call and be honest, let them know you will take care of it when you can, that’s it. If people want things from you that you do not want to do, learn to say no. The feeling of handling issues allows you to move on much more quickly than avoidance.

Journal – The exercise of getting the feelings and thoughts out of your head and onto paper can start to help you see things more clearly. You can also journal possible solutions, no matter how silly they might seem, it just may lead to one that works that you would not have thought without clearing your mind. Writing out what you desire for the future can get you started in the direction you want to go rather than feeling stuck where you are.

Let go – Once you have handled all the things you can, let go of the need to change or control. Feel confident in having taken care of things and trust in the possibilities of the future.

Be grateful  – When facing adversity or heartache it is easy to overlook all the good that are present in your life. Take a gratitude break and look for all the reasons and things you have to be grateful for in your life despite the current adversity.

Reach out – Do what makes you feel good. When things are bringing you down the tendency is to isolate, which can compound the negative feelings. Get out, go to the places where you feel good, play the music you play when your on top, talk to that person that always inspires you, read the books you like.  You know what makes you feel good, now is the time to do it.

Get Your Courage On…don’t let adversity stop you!

A Road with No Bumps Please

Where did we get this idea that life was supposed to go smoothly and if it doesn’t something is wrong with us? As if there is a point we get to if we just do the right thing we will experience a life of totally smooth sailing.

I was talking with a friend today who is dealing with some “bumps”. First came the apologies for not being all happy and then the conclusions of all the things they had done wrong and bad decisions they had made.  Again, as if they had just made different decisions, life would be totally smooth right now and somehow because they didn’t they were less of a person or had less of a life.

The thing is life is just that way. Some days are sunny, some are stormy. There are ups and downs. Things do not always go the way we plan. We make the best decisions we can at the time we make them and then things change.

The more roads you travel, the more risks you take, the more bumps you are likely to encounter.

It is not about a road with no bumps or a life with no issues, it is about navigating through, over and around the bumps making the best decisions you can and learning as you go. It is about surrounding yourself with friends and mentors that help you navigate the bumpy road and enjoy the ride!

As Louisa May Alcott said “I am not afraid of the storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.”

What do you think when you hit a bump?

 

What Obstacle is Stopping You?

Obstacles in your mind are smaller than they seem.

What do you think about that keeps you from doing what you want to do?

Do you remember when you wanted to ride a bike and how hard it seemed like it would be? How about driving a car, big and scary right? Things you do now without even thinking about them.

I bet you can come up with a few things that once seemed beyond your reach that you do with ease now.

When we think about doing things they can seem much bigger and more difficult than when we actually do them.

How about you, do you have something you want to do now that the obstacles in your mind are holding you back from?