Set Some Goals, You Big Chicken!

Setting goals and not allowing myself to be sidetracked may not seem like courage, to you, but to do some of the things that I need to do requires me to get some back-bone and leave behind the wish-bone.

What do you need courage for? Why do you need to be brave? What goals would you like to see reached? What would make life better for you?

If you can’t answer that question, then I suggest you give it some thought. You must have some dreams floating around back there somewhere! What would you like to do? It can be personal, professional, relational, whatever. Set that goal and then decide that you will reach it, no matter what.

When you get that do or die attitude, you find yourself overcoming obstacles that you never thought you could. You will look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I can’t believe how brave you were! I can’t believe how courageous!”

Now of course you’ll know you were just being stubborn and not letting go of that goal. But then you’ll know; courage by any other name will smell just as sweet!

Making a Slap From Life into a Gift!

Have you ever had life slap you across the face and then laugh? Oh come on! We all have! The thing is, what do you do when this happens?

Many people just shrivel up. The let their mind go on a rampage and start telling them all sorts of silly things. They listen to this drivel and start to become depressed. Their life starts to really fall apart and they begin to feel as if they are no good and life is not worth living.

Let's say that your car breaks down. No you don't have a lot of extra cash and there are bills to pay. If you get the car fixed, some of the bills won't get paid on time. Maybe you don't even have enough to get the car fixed bills or not.

You start thinking things like how your credit will go bad. You'll have to walk to work, fifteen miles uphill both ways in the snow. Your kids will hate you because they will have to quite soccer and other after school stuff. Your house will be repossessed and your mate will leave you.

Or, you can tell that voice in your head to shut up and start thinking. What bills have a grace period or can wait a week. Is there overtime at work that you could put in? Would your mechanic be willing to let you make payments; say half down and the rest next pay day?

Thinking negatively will only bring you down and stop you from being productive. Thinking positively will help you to see the possibilities. The law of attraction says that what you think about your bring about. Think negatively and bad stuff happens or lingers. Think positively and things get better.

Everybody want more money, a better life, to be more successful. They way to do that is to not let life slap you down. Next time something happens, don't let it get to you! One of my Principles is that no matter what happens, you always have a choice. If nothing else you can choose how you think about something.

Next time life slaps you, use that slap as a motivation to look at how you can handle things better. What can you do? What can you learn? It will make you a better person and help you change a bad habit into a good one!

Steve
A Common Path
Life Change For You

A Labor Day Belief

Yesterday was labor day, but, unfortunately, many people in the US and the world are not employed. There is no labor except the labor of trying to keep life and limb together.

Some can't get a job because there aren't any in their field. The job market is closed. Some can't get a job because in this tight market, the people doing the hiring can afford to be very picky. If you are a little too old or not just right, then they don't hire you.

I know how this can feel because I've been there. In a few minutes or a few days you begin to doubt your self worth. You begin to wonder if you might just dry up and blow away and no one will care. This is what I want to address.

I used to be in a position where I hired a lot of people. Those who came in full of confidence got my attention.Those who came in looking like they believed themselves to be a victim or like they believed they would never get the job, usually didn't. I needed someone that could do the job and I would not have to baby-sit or spend time motivating.

Don't stop believing in yourself! Who knows what the Universe has in store for you? No, maybe you won't get the job you were hoping for, but that doesn't mean that your life is now over. What can you learn from the experience and what might be around the next corner? Believe that you will succeed and you will have a much better chance of actually doing so. Your life can change. You can have a useful and prosperous life. Believe it will happen and act like it is happening and it has a much better chance of becoming reality than if you sit on the couch mumbling to yourself how life isn't fair.
Steve
A Common Path
Life Change For You

Setting Goals; Taking Control

So, what are your goals for your life? What! You don't have any? How do you expect to get where you want to go without knowing how you're going to get there? Oh, you don't know where you want to go.

Sit down with a piece of paper and a pen or pencil and start writing all the things you would like to do. Don't think about them, just write; write as fast as you can. When you just can't write anymore, stop and read over what you wrote. throw out the goofy ones; you know, drive a Ferrari naked through downtown. Now, what's left?

Take one or two of those things that are left and really think about them. Do you really want to do them, to accomplish them? If the answer is yes, then start thinking about how you might get there from here.

My wife and I once climbed Mount Whitney, in California. It's a tall mountain, let me tell you. It is so high that the air gets a bit thin and it is hard to breathe and walk near the top. You know what? I didn't jump from the parking lot to the summit. I walked up. As the trail got tougher, I stopped more. I had specific places that I wanted to get to before the next rest stop. That's how you do it! Just pick a place to get to before you stop and look the whole thing over again.

Another good trick is to tell someone else about your goal. Then, even if you don't feel like it some morning, you have someone who is expecting for you to make it. Tell somebody obnoxious and it will drive you even harder just to keep them from saying," I knew you couldn't do it!"

Set a goal, take control. It's a good mantra for life. Try it. You might not like the struggle, but you will like the results!

A Common Path
Life Change For You

Traditional Wisdom; Where Did it Come From?

Now, let me ask you this. What are the things you do or think that are so ingrained in you that you have no idea where they came from. Let me tell you a story as an example.

A young woman was making Christmas dinner and she was making ham. She cut off the both ends of the ham and then put it in the roasting pan. Her daughter asked her why she cut the ends off.

"I don't know; it's what your grandma did." She answered.

The little girl went out into the living room and asked her grandma why she cut the ends off the ham when she cooked it. Her grandmother looked off into the distance for a moment and then said, "You know I guess I always did it that way because my mother always did it that way."

The great-grandmother was going to be present later that evening and when she got there. The three women, little girl, mother, and grandmother all cornered the old woman and asked the question.

"Mom," the grandmother said. "why did you cut the ends off of the ham when you cooked it?"

"The old woman smiled and answered, "My pan was too short."

We all do things that we do because we follow traditional wisdom or we are trained that way. Often times we are not even sure why we do them. What I want to ask you is what those things are in your life.

Notice the things you do out of habit and maybe even write them down. Why do you do them? What is the benefit to you? Are there ways to do what you do that is different from your traditional wisdom? Do you find yourself getting into trouble because you do things the traditional way? Don't be easy on yourself. Question everything, especially the authority of those who may have given you that wisdom in the first place. Then change. Change your habits. Change your thinking.

Steve
A Common Path
Life Change For You

Can You change?

Can we ever be perfect? I don't think so. This life is a journey, not a destination, and we never stop learning, or shouldn't, until we breathe our last breath. Some people think they are too old to learn or change. Others think that they are incapable of changing. This is nonsense!

This past week-end, we had some friends over for dinner and some reiki. We enjoy treating people, but we enjoy more having the conversation. The couple that was over are friends that we feel comfortable sharing our beliefs with. Anyway, during the conversation something was said, I don't even remember what now, and it caused me to reflect on myself. I realized something I wanted to change and I have been thinking about this for most of the day today.

Everyone I know has aspects about themselves that they would like to change. They are too dependent on others or they are not assertive enough. They think they are lost causes on a one way road to oblivion. They see no hope of anything better than what they have right now. Their dreams have died and, for the most part, so have they. Does this describe you? Why not take just one little thing about yourself and see if you can't, over the next two weeks change it. It might not change completely, but it might improve. If you can do it with one, then you can try another.

Take stock of who and what you are. No matter what the situation, you can be better! You can have the life you dream about. It takes work. The old saying, "there ain't no free lunch," is true, but it may not be as hard as you think!

Life Change For You
A Common Path

What Would You Do to Become a New Person?

What would you do to become a new person? Some people resort to plastic surgery. Some people move to a new town or get a new job. Have you ever tried just staying where you are and changing?

Have you ever gone on vacation and tried to change your personality so that you could play at being someone else? Perhaps you would like to be more assertive or, at least, not so shy. This can be lots of fun! If you are going where no one else will know you, you can change your name, anything you want.

It might be the best thing to totally change who you are. After all, you do have some good qualities. However, we each have things about us that we could change to benefit ourselves and the world.

One way to make a change is sort of like using the vacation game. I’m sure you have heard the old “fake it ‘till you make it” phrase. Well, to some degree, this is ok. Sure, it will feel a little phony to you and, this is the bad part about it, but it does help you to try on a different trait to see how it fits. If you don’t like the changes, you can let them go.

Another way to make a life change like this is to consciously work at changing some trait that you want or don’t like. This is not the same as faking it. In this method, you simply work at the trait you want. Let’s say that it is to become more assertive. Instead of faking that you are assertive, you work at small things at first and then larger. You remind the waitress that she forgot your water, or you speak up when someone steps in front of you in line. At first this might seem uncomfortable, but, as time goes on, it will become more of who you are.

You can have a better life! Many people have overcome great personality issues to become something much grander than they ever believed they could be. You are no different! The success you want, the better life you want is there for you if you will try. What will it take for you to move out of your comfort zone and make a change?

A Common Path

Life Change for You