Gaelen
04-12-2006, 07:17 AM
When we started the April challenge, a dozen of us publically agreed to:
Pick a single positive behavior change to make this month, one positive change that can help keep us focused on our long-term goals of health improvement and weight loss/maintenance.
For some, the goal was to increase/improve their exercise commitment (and I'm sure Shadow is holding them to that goal!) ;) Some wanted to work on water intake, and they together figured out methods that would help. Others wanted to devote more time to focusing, to 'me' time, to doing things that helped them feel accomplished, fulfilled, and/or expanded...and time spent looking inward is usually always productive!
For those of you who are feeling especially challenged as April moves by and spring gets into full gear, it's not too late to jump in to this challenge. What positive change do YOU need to make this month?
Maybe you are finding yourself drifting off plan and off course. Remember, you're the pilot of your own ship--so what positive step could most help you fix that? For the two dozen people who've answered this week's poll, the number one response to the question "what three things most help keep you on plan" is participating in an online support community. Twenty of the 24 people responding picked participation as one of their top three choices. Now, participation can take many forms--from rapid one-liners that don't give people much more information than they had before, to sharing insight, personal experiences or scientific information. But as any good teacher can tell you, sharing meaningful information with others about something that matters to you is often the easiest way to reinforce positive behavior in yourself.
In this week's poll, journaling menus is currently coming in a distant second to active participation. Even combining all the menu journaling choices, only 14 people chose any type of menu journaling as something that helps keep them on plan. But if you feel you're drifting off course, and you think menu journaling will help, then how can you take responsibility for piloting your own ship? What positive steps can you take to build a productive habit that helps keep you focused on your long-term weight loss and health improvement goals?
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These are reminders from a goal-setting exercise I use with people who need to design training programs; will they help you firm up a goal that you need to work on?
Work out what your goal is. What you want to become? What sort of person do you want to be? Picture what changes you want to make in yourself and in your life...for the better, of course.
Set stepping stones (or sub-goals) as sign posts along the way, to guide you and ensure that you stay on track. They can be your short-term or medium term goals, say one month to one year. The marathon runner doesn't think of the finish line, but, the lamp post in the distance...or the next drink spot.
Take small steps... and one at a time. Thinking of the big picture often seems impossible, so it can be very discouraging. You can get get loads of satisfaction from taking one step at a time. Attaining sub goals can help you with a more immediate focus and it rewards you along the way in your pursuit of the grand plan.
Make daily affirmations to yourself to keep yourself positive and focused on the way ahead. The voices you hear in your head (unless you're wearing one of those cool foil hats to prevent alien infiltration) come from you, so make sure you're saying something to yourself that's worth listening to!
Have written goal checks to ensure that you are on track - on the right path. These are a good aid in reassessing your performance and how well you are doing on your chosen path. It's never too late to give a course correction or change direction if you realize that you've drifted--but you have to keep checking your 'compass,' your goals, and be sure your current actions are going to get you to the goal!
Set priorities. It is important to have flexible goals; they are not set in concrete and can be changed as you change and develop. Remember changing goals in mid stream doesn't mean losing ground (or "the plot"). As long as you grow personally, you are making the most of yourself.
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What positive steps are you going to be responsible for taking today? Have a good one!
Pick a single positive behavior change to make this month, one positive change that can help keep us focused on our long-term goals of health improvement and weight loss/maintenance.
For some, the goal was to increase/improve their exercise commitment (and I'm sure Shadow is holding them to that goal!) ;) Some wanted to work on water intake, and they together figured out methods that would help. Others wanted to devote more time to focusing, to 'me' time, to doing things that helped them feel accomplished, fulfilled, and/or expanded...and time spent looking inward is usually always productive!
For those of you who are feeling especially challenged as April moves by and spring gets into full gear, it's not too late to jump in to this challenge. What positive change do YOU need to make this month?
Maybe you are finding yourself drifting off plan and off course. Remember, you're the pilot of your own ship--so what positive step could most help you fix that? For the two dozen people who've answered this week's poll, the number one response to the question "what three things most help keep you on plan" is participating in an online support community. Twenty of the 24 people responding picked participation as one of their top three choices. Now, participation can take many forms--from rapid one-liners that don't give people much more information than they had before, to sharing insight, personal experiences or scientific information. But as any good teacher can tell you, sharing meaningful information with others about something that matters to you is often the easiest way to reinforce positive behavior in yourself.
In this week's poll, journaling menus is currently coming in a distant second to active participation. Even combining all the menu journaling choices, only 14 people chose any type of menu journaling as something that helps keep them on plan. But if you feel you're drifting off course, and you think menu journaling will help, then how can you take responsibility for piloting your own ship? What positive steps can you take to build a productive habit that helps keep you focused on your long-term weight loss and health improvement goals?
--------------------------------------
These are reminders from a goal-setting exercise I use with people who need to design training programs; will they help you firm up a goal that you need to work on?
Work out what your goal is. What you want to become? What sort of person do you want to be? Picture what changes you want to make in yourself and in your life...for the better, of course.
Set stepping stones (or sub-goals) as sign posts along the way, to guide you and ensure that you stay on track. They can be your short-term or medium term goals, say one month to one year. The marathon runner doesn't think of the finish line, but, the lamp post in the distance...or the next drink spot.
Take small steps... and one at a time. Thinking of the big picture often seems impossible, so it can be very discouraging. You can get get loads of satisfaction from taking one step at a time. Attaining sub goals can help you with a more immediate focus and it rewards you along the way in your pursuit of the grand plan.
Make daily affirmations to yourself to keep yourself positive and focused on the way ahead. The voices you hear in your head (unless you're wearing one of those cool foil hats to prevent alien infiltration) come from you, so make sure you're saying something to yourself that's worth listening to!
Have written goal checks to ensure that you are on track - on the right path. These are a good aid in reassessing your performance and how well you are doing on your chosen path. It's never too late to give a course correction or change direction if you realize that you've drifted--but you have to keep checking your 'compass,' your goals, and be sure your current actions are going to get you to the goal!
Set priorities. It is important to have flexible goals; they are not set in concrete and can be changed as you change and develop. Remember changing goals in mid stream doesn't mean losing ground (or "the plot"). As long as you grow personally, you are making the most of yourself.
------------------
What positive steps are you going to be responsible for taking today? Have a good one!