TRUTH IS: Too often the limiting factor behind accomplishing our goals is ourselves. Excuses come in all varieties, from truthful reasons, to made up circumstances. (ie. “I need to sleep.” “My body just doesn’t do that.” “I work until 6:30.” “I just can’t eat that.”) Battling our own thoughts is one of the hardest habits to overcome. Recognizing that you are in your own way is the first step to overcoming self-limiting thoughts. Here are several strategies to deal with self-limiting thoughts. These are not the only strategies, but hopefully they may help you or may spark another strategy that gets you by.
Set a Schedule: Take some time to write down a schedule. Seeing the actual plan gives us a more concrete bearing in our direction. When we see what direction we’re supposed to be going it makes it easier to stay on path. Eventually the schedule will become a habit and you’ll feel better about completing the task and worse about talking yourself out of it.
Find a Partner: Having someone to hold us accountable can be of more value than you can know. It’s one thing when we are accountable only to ourselves, but when we have to be responsible to someone else as well, it’s much harder to talk yourself out of it. Make sure your partner is someone you respect and they respects you and your goals as well. Being in like company makes the journey a little more enjoyable. Once you guys have created a habit together, you look forward to completing your tasks together.
Rain or Shine: Be prepared to complete your task in the best of circumstances and the worst. Have a plan A and a plan B. Create an environment where you can be successful in more than one circumstance. If you planned on running outside and it rained, be prepared to find a place inside and/or a suitable plan B. If your alarm didn’t go off, have clothes ready in the office for a quick lunch time sweat. Understand, we don’t always get perfect circumstances, but we have to somehow make things work, have alternative options.
The biggest factor in these three strategies is creating an environment where you have no option but to pursue your task whole heartedly. You’ve taken the option to quit away from yourself. As you set new goals continue to create strategies that have your success in mind and DON’T GIVE UP!