Do you ever feel that your zeal for meeting your goal has vanished? Do you want more passion for your life’s goals? Are you just making excuses, for why your goals are unattainable?
Well, what are you going to do about it? What are the steps to follow to get your enthusiasm back? If you can break down your specific problems into smaller pieces and address each one, your chances for success are good! In “Make Happiness Happen,” (Parade, January 2010) Robert Maselle reported that “With practice, we can change our habits and even our natural disposition.”
Change your attitude: To make progress in life, we must want, as individuals, to change our circumstances or selves. Talk to yourself through the day, resisting destructive voices and disabling fears inside.
Devise a self-assessment: List things about yourself, other individuals, and your situation that stunt your ability to pursue your goal. What you can change or eliminate? Focus on that, rather than things you cannot control.
Find time to rest: Designate one day per week for relaxation and unstructured fun. Take long weekends off each quarter and non-stressful vacations of at least two weeks each year to recharge your batteries. You need to rest your body and mind regularly, which may mean having “alone time.”
Reduce stress: Surround yourself with people who build you up and are positive and fun. Stay away from negative, gossipy people or those who demean, annoy, or frustrate you and others. Talk yourself up when you begin to worry.
Exercise regularly: Make time for least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise five days a week. Cardiovascular exercise allows endorphins to enter the bloodstream, builds a body and mind that can withstand stress, and releases negative energy. Regular exercise increases longevity, reduces the chances of disease, lowers cholesterol, decreases blood pressure, increases happiness, and makes the body look slimmer and younger.
Eliminate electronic distractions: Turn off or silence smart phones, email, instant messaging, and Facebook (even twitter) for parts of the day to enhance your concentration and productivity.
Resolve conflicts: Pick your battles; however, if you see patterns of inappropriate behavior or things still bother you days later, address them privately, professionally, and in person at a good time. Confront, resolve, forgive, and move on!
Organize your time: Organized individuals set specific objectives each day, stay focused (preferably on one project at a time), make daily to-do lists, and eliminate distractions. Keep a master list of everything you need to do in the future (out of sight so it doesn’t overwhelm you), along with a short list each day that can be realistically completed. Small successes feel good and add fuel to the larger journey.
Organize your space: Practice keeping a neat desk and a good filing system so you won’t waste time looking for things. Handle paper items promptly so a mountain does not build up on your desk.
Expand your mind: Build time into your schedule to read newspapers, magazines, and books that improve your personal and professional self. Great books offer new strategies and ideas for creating great organizations and people. Your mind needs to be challenged into new ways of thinking and functioning. Above all, practice humility. Listen to others’ ideas and don’t be a know-it-all.
Don’t expect perfection: Keep high quality standards, but don’t saddle you, your spouse, your staff, your friends, or even your relatives with unrealistic expectations.
And most important Get Started: You will never reach any goal if you do not start! Once you start, more forward toward the goal EVERY day! You can do this!
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