Have Your Own Personal (Harlem) Renaissance

Maya Angelou once said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” Are their changes you need to make? Does each and every time you really get behind an idea and go for it, you somehow get sidetracked and lose your momentum. Why is that? Here are some of the main culprits.

1. Unrealistic expectations: Often we expect goals to happen the moment we set them. Or, we expect to instantly expect to be a new person after taking the first step in the right direction.

2. Dependent upon emotion: People are emotional. When a new idea is adoptive it has a strong emotional pull. Especially if the person see the idea as a solution to a problem that was depressing them. Most people pull themselves out of a holiday funk by making New Year resolutions. But, those decisions are emotional and once the excitement wears off and reality sets in the resolutions are dropped.

3. Overwhelmed by commitment: In an article on goal setting, Steve Pavlina talks about people’s perception of time and how goals that do not immediately reward actions becoming overwhelming.

4. Don’t Establish a plan “B”: It seems like a good idea to establish a plan “B” as a fall back if your original plan doesn’t work, but having an alternative plan suggest to your subconscious that your plan isn’t good enough and that you expect to fail.

5. Assuming you can maintain on autopilot: It is said that it takes 21 days to establish a habit. People often do great the first thirty days of their goals and assume that the habit has taken effect and they can now cruise on autopilot. Don’t let a habit fool you. Yes, you may have established a pretty good routine, but habits are strengthen by time and use and most habits that people seek to replace have been established for far longer than new ones. Turn away for too long and they will rear their ugly head. A successful new habit still requires daily and weekly assessments to make sure they stay on course.

6. Always think Positive: James Baldwin said, “I’ve always believed that you can think positive just as well as you can think negative.” Health benefits that positive thinking include increased life span, lower rates of depression and distress, resistance to the common cold, better psychological and physical well-being, reduced risk of death and better coping skills during hardships. Positive and optimistic people live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don’t smoke or drink alcohol in excess.

Take a look in greater detail at each of these goal killers. Examine them one at a time and try to find ways to make change in your life.

Adapted from Personal Renaissance.

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