Inspirational Words and Recommendations

lemurcat12

I thought it might be fun to have a thread for helpful advice we happen upon and maybe reading or podcast recommendations.

lemurcat12

I got this from the coach of my triathlon training group, and its so similar to the type of focus that I think helped me lose weight (and will help me get to goal and maintain) that it inspired me to start this thread.

Here’s the problem with setting goals. They tell us where we want to go but don’t say anything about what we’re going to do to get there. Unfortunately, outcomes are outside of your control. That’s why you’ll hear many coaches tell you to let go of the outcome, instead focus on the process. The process is the small series of steps and acts that you need to take to reach your outcome. These steps are 100% within your control.

There’s a great book out there about goal setting called Burn Your Goals by Josh Metcalf.

Metcalf was tired of seeing people get high off the thrill of setting big goals when they weren’t willing to commit to the controllables. Burn your wish list. I want to see your commitment list. I want to know what you are committed to doing with your 24 hours a day to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. What are you willing to sacrifice inside your 86,400 seconds every day to become the person you want to be? We don’t have control over our outcomes, but we do have control over how we use our time. Time is the only resource that is the same for everyone. Rather than focusing on arbitrary goals, focus 100% of your energy on your commitments and controllables. ...

As far as staying consistent and successful with your commitments and then goals: look at what you’re currently doing. Ask yourself “how’s that working for me?”

And finally, as you set out on this journey, keep these things in mind:

Don’t seek success – seek challenges. Dreams are on the other side of challenges.

Don’t yearn for validation, yearn for learning.

True humility is believing you can do anything you set your mind to and being willing to confidently take steps towards your dreams knowing that you were created for a purpose. If you are waiting on your moment, know that when the moment arrives you won’t be prepared. Because while you were waiting, others were training. When the moment arrives, only those who have been training and expecting the day to arrive will be ready to seize the opportunity. And those people tend to create and attract many of those opportunities to them because they’ve been training rather than waiting. Ask yourself: “how would I use my 86,400 seconds today if I knew I was going to get the opportunity of my dreams?” The opportunity will come. Will you be ready?

Believe in yourself and be the author of your own amazing success story. Remember, if you want to get different things out of life or yourself, you must believe. To believe is to trust. When you find yourself stumbling on your beliefs or struggling, ask yourself: is this belief beneficial for my life?

Remember, it won’t be easy but it WILL be worth it. There will be stumbling blocks along the way. Anyone can dream a dream, but the real question is how much are you willing to suffer. How many times will you be willing to say NO to instant gratification in order to say YES to your dreams that are so far off they feel you will never reach them? How many times will you hear the feedback that is tough? How many times will you be willing to preserve in the face of adversity? WILLINGNESS is a part of any long-lasting behavior change or improvement.

And if you fail along the way? Remind yourself: whatever happens to me today is an opportunity to learn and be better for tomorrow. Failure is your First Attempt In Learning. It’s a path leading towards success.

CumberlandGrammy

Oh boy, that's a powerful message I needed to read and will want to return to and reflect upon. Thank you for sharing, Stephanie, and for creating a place for this.

timothyjlunk

Wow, that is really good!