Stop Sabotaging Your Success

December 10, 2012 By

You just returned from a conference or workshop or just completed some on-line training and you are excited!  You now have a ton of new ideas and can’t wait to get started on them… but wait, you have something to finish first.  Or maybe lots of somethings to finish first before you can implement all this great new stuff.  Well, no problem, you will just do it later.

The trouble is that later never comes and you end up with these great ideas just sitting on the shelf or in your head.  After a while you forget what that great idea was or you think to yourself “Yeah, well, it wasn’t that great an idea anyway” and talk yourself out of what could have been a really amazing idea that lead to a lot of success.  Or you might remember that you shelved your notes, manual or other information and all you need to do it get it out…but where oh where did you put it.  Oh well.

I see this all the time with weight loss and trying to eat healthier.  Clients say they have tried everything from Weight Watchers to personal training and other various self-help programs.  The information sounds great and gets you excited but when left to your own devices it just never seems to get implemented.  You start to feel like you never see results, so why bother in the first place.

What I have discovered is that those who tell me they have tried everything are really sabotaging themselves.  There is often no follow-through with the information or direction they received.  In reality they just don’t put forth enough effort yet they believe they tried everything and again nothing has worked.

Truth be told, it can be daunting and confusing to know what to do with all the information acquired.  The best option is to put your ideas into a plan so that they become actionable and lead you to your success.  My tips below will help you do this.

  1. Know what your end result(s) is/are.  Begin by looking at what you want to accomplish.  Example:  I want to lose 10 pounds in three months.  Once you have a starting point, you can decide how you will go about losing those 10 pounds. Now you are ready for the next step, putting those ideas into a plan.
  2. Write it down.  The saying “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” is very true here.  By writing down what you are going to do, you can hold yourself accountable.  You know exactly what your steps are so you don’t have to guess–or worse, forget!  You have a blueprint; a plan to follow and all you need to do is follow it.  A great tool here is a timeline and/or a tracker sheet.  Decide which step you will take first and so on.  This way you will always know where you stand at a quick glance and can course-correct.
  3. Get an accountability partner or coach.  Find someone you trust or hire a coach to hold you accountable to what you say you want to do.  Make sure this person will be completely objective.  A coach who specializes in what your goals are will be able to not only hold you accountable but also hold your hand and answer any questions that come up.

These tips are universal!  They help with everything whether you want to lose weight, eat healthy, increase your income, build a business or have better relationships.  Knowing what your end results will be, having a plan, and being held accountable are all key to reach success.

When I work with my private clients, we follow this same process and they get better results more easily without a lot of stress and aggravation.  They know they are setting themselves up for success and that the failure and frustration they knew in the past is long gone.  They report having peace of mind, joy and lots of fun living their lives…on top of great success for themselves and their goals.

What about you?  How will you feel once you pull a project off the shelf and take action on it now? Feel free to share your thoughts, insights and revelations below!

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: , , ,

Are You Wondering How You Can Easily Move Forward

May 7, 2012 By

Do you know the place in your head where you put things for ‘later’… and then later never comes?  I do!  And boy was it causing me angst.  See, I just learned that by doing that I was putting off making decisions — and we all know where that gets us don’t we?  It gets us no where!

For example in the case of someone being overweight, by a lot or a little, there’s a black hole – they just put stuff there to deal with later.  In my experience, the stuff is often things they have happening in their lives that they would rather not have happening.  So they put their feelings away for later by eating to conceal their emotions.

Does that sound like you? Did I scare you?  I hope so, because what I want is to bring awareness for you just like I had awareness recently about my own black hole.  Let me tell you the good news: it almost always comes down to fear.  We are afraid of something, whether it’s ourselves, others, or the unknown.  So what do we do?  We put things away to deal with at another time when we think we won’t be afraid.  Well, guess what?  Later has arrived!  It is time to deal, decide and move on!  The big buzz word now-a-days is ‘moving forward’ – yet, in my practice I see lots of people doing just the opposite, they are standing still.  I’m discovering this is because they haven’t dealt with their black hole.

Let’s deal with it! Here are seven steps that will help you deal with it, begin to make decisions and then follow through so you can move on.  Because I know — really, I do — that you do not want to be or stay where you are.  I’ve had clients and people close to me in the exact same situation and they always say, “I want to move forward but I don’t know how”, so let me get you started moving forward.

  1. Acknowledge that you have a black hole and what it is.
  2. Recognize that your black hole served a purpose for you. At the time that was a good thing, but not anymore.
  3. Think about where you really want to be or how you really want to feel.
  4. Decide on ONE thing you can do to take a small step forward toward that goal.  Say it out loud and then write it down.  Put a date when you will do it and post it where you will see it.
  5. Take the action — DO — what you said you would do in Step 4.
  6. Celebrate your small step and be proud of what you have accomplished! Reward yourself responsibly.
  7. Repeat Steps 3 through 6 over and over again until you have eradicated your black hole and reached your goal.

Seriously, how hard was that?  It is not impossible, right?  I just followed those steps myself.  See, I like to play along with you because not only am I inspired by knowing that you will be taking these steps, I am a true believer in walking your talk.  It’s not “Do as I say”; it really is me doing it as well!  If I inspire you to take action, then I’m a very happy person!

I’d love to hear about your black hole; please share your thoughts, insights and revelations below.

 

© Copyright 2012 Kim Ravida Coaching. All rights reserved. Feel free to use the material from the article in whole or in part, just makes sure you include this complete acknowledgement including the live website link and let me know where the material will appear: “Kim Ravida, owner and founder of Kim Ravida Coaching, is a Certified Professional Coach and a personal and professional motivation mentor. In essence, she motivates people to stop beating themselves up and helps them get off their butts so that they maximize their time and energy to quickly get what they want in their lives… and love their reflection! Kim produces a weekly ezine where she shares insights, inspirations, tips and ideas for setting and reaching personal and professional goals. To get more information or sign up, please go to www.kimravida.com.”

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: , , , ,