Which Obstacle to Change is Holding You Back?

2020-11-19 ~ adminlife

Change occurs naturally, but it can be difficult to keep it flowing in the direction you want. According to some estimates, 80% of New Year resolutions fail. When it comes to losing weight, more than 95% of dieters regain the weight they lost within three years.

Even if you sincerely want to make positive changes in your life, success may elude you. Maybe you’re sabotaging yourself without realizing it. Maybe you’re skipping essential steps that would make your efforts pay off.

Find out what is holding you back from living the life you want. Take a look at three common obstacles to personal change and learn how to overcome them.

Living With Uncertainty

Clinging to what’s familiar can give you a sense of security. However, staying in your comfort zone may mean missing out on a more meaningful life.

Let go of judgments. Stop rushing to categorize people or events. Slow down and open up your mind to other viewpoints.
Clarify your vision. When you know what you’re trying to accomplish, it’s easier to make specific pans. Reflect on your goals and write them down.
Focus on gains. When you’re taking on a challenge, imagine the rewards as well as the possible pitfalls. Motivate yourself by thinking positive. Even if the outcomes aren’t what you had in mind, you can learn from the experience.
Start small. Begin with modest changes. Each victory will boost your confidence and abilities.

Gathering Resources

There are many simple and free things you can do to take care of yourself. On the other hand, you may have some goals that will require time, money, and other resources. Learn how to build your capacity.

Set priorities. Trying to change too many things at once can be overwhelming. Pick one or two top concerns and focus your efforts there.
Get organized. You can accomplish more when you have a system. Clear away mental and physical clutter. Invent routines that will save you time and money.
Revise your budget. Look for ways to cut spending and increase your income. Bring your lunch to work instead of eating at sandwich shops. Turn your hobby into a side income.
Seek information. Maybe you need additional knowledge and skills to make the changes you have in mind. Sign up for training at work or take a course online.
Ask for support. Having a strong network makes you more resilient. Ask your family and friends for the assistance you need.

Transforming Habits

Habits are powerful. Unless you examine your actions, you may wind up reacting to situations automatically instead of choosing the options that will make you happier and more productive.

Identify triggers. Maybe you’re trying to quit smoking, but you reach for a cigarette as soon as you pour your morning coffee. Figure out the triggers that distract you from your positive intentions.
Develop substitutions. Once you know the situations where you’re likely to lapse, you can craft alternative responses. Keep your hands busy with needlework or a video game instead of smoking a cigarette.
Practice mindfulness. Research shows that it often takes a couple of months for new habits to solidify. Plus, being consistent during the first few days of starting a new practice will increase your chances of success. Remind yourself that being patient and vigilant now will benefit you.

It’s important to embrace change if you want to grow. Once you understand what’s holding you back, you can come up with strategies that will help you reach your personal and professional goals.

Sometimes making daily affirmations can really help you to accomplish what you are going after. In order to help you to make changes, you can download an Affirmation PDF: “I Have the Power to Change” here.

If you want to learn even more about being successful, making changes that last and developing confidence in yourself, you can join the Facebook Group Developing Confidence in Yourself or You Are success Life Coach

To your success

Michael

Michael G. Wilkovesky

Feature Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

How to Easily Expand Your Comfort Zone

2020-11-12 ~ adminlife

What if I told you I’d give you $1,000 to make an important public speech? Would you take the offer? Like most of us, you probably recoiled immediately at the idea, even though it could be lucrative for you! Why didn’t this idea appeal to you?

When the very thought of certain activities evokes fear or anxiety within you, it’s because they’re outside your comfort zone. Public speaking, for example, is outside most people’s comfort zone.

Your comfort zone is the sphere of activities that you feel comfortable with and that you can accomplish without negative emotions. It also includes people, places, and things that cause only positive thoughts within you.

How Important is Your Comfort Zone?

Your comfort zone can limit your capabilities and cause you to forsake your dreams and goals, or it can spur you on to great things. In fact, your comfort zone can determine both your personality and your potential for success.

Many successful people achieve their goals because they have the ability to expand their comfort zone in order to get what they want.

If you wish to expand your comfort zone, you can mentally condition yourself to be comfortable in new situations so you can overcome your anxiety, achieve your goals, and fulfill your dreams.

Here are some tips you can use to expand your comfort zone and help fight your anxiety about certain situations:

Understand your mindset. Mental conditioning plays a large role in developing your comfort zone. This means that how we form our comfort zones begins in our own mind.

Each of us already has preconceived notions of what may be comfortable and what may not be, and we designate mental guidelines to keep us within our comfort zone.

You have chosen your own comfort zone boundaries! Knowing your boundaries is the first step to being able to expand them.

Disobey some of your self-imposed rules. If you want to expand your comfort zone, you must let yourself loose from the guidelines you impose on yourself. Breaking some of these rules will allow you to seek new experiences that can bring you greater success!
Consider the true risk of a situation. It’s important to know what the true risks are, as opposed to what you feel (or fear) may occur. Knowing the difference can enable you to overcome your limitations.
Challenge yourself to step outside your comfort level. Many times, we are our own worst enemy when it comes to boundaries and limitations. There are times when you’ll have to push yourself to get where you want to be. In these instances, you must meet the challenge to leave your comfort zone.

When stepping outside your comfort zone brings you success, you’ll find that the benefits are well worth the effort!

Whenever you try something for the first time, you’re bound to be a little uncomfortable. We’re all conditioned to fight change and stay in our comfort zones. You may have to remind yourself that only you can push yourself to step outside the box.

Be patient, be aware of your self-imposed limitations, and try things in small steps at a time. This way your comfort zone will expand at a gradual, comfortable pace, and your fears and anxieties will subside as you gain positive experiences.

Keep your dreams in sight! Expanding your comfort zone may be all it takes to achieve your goals and live the life you dream of.

One of the first things you must do is know what your goals are and what they will mean to you once you achieve them. You can start doing this by requesting the PDF “Moving Out of My Comfort Zone Goals”. This downloaded and fillable PDF contains questions that can help you set S.M.A.R.T. Goals that move you out of your comfort zone and get you on the path to a better life.

You can download two PDFs, one that you can print and fill-in and a second that can be filed-in on-line. To request the 2 PDFs just fill in you name and email address below.

If you want even more help in setting goals and moving towards your best life ever, you can contact me at michael@youaresuccesslifecoach.com and we can set up a 30-minute strategy call to discuss your situation and how we can work together to move you into a new phase of your life.

Remember that nothing happens until you take action. So fill in the information above or call me and take that first step towards a better, more fulfilling life.

To your success

Michael W

P.S. The cost of doing nothing is more of the same in your life with frustration and a feeling of not knowing if your life could be better. You can start the process of change by requesting the PDFs or contacting me now.

P.P.S. If you think that your fears are holding you back, then this book may help:

“Overcome Your Fear and Become More Successful”

People who succeed in life are people who take risks. Many rich people often lose large fortunes on the chances that they take, but they keep going because the next risk may pay off. If you continually listen to your amygdala or “lizard brain” you cannot be successful because you will also give in to your fear.

Instinct tells us to run and flee from risk. We are programmed to fight change and run away from challenges.

These reactions are so deep in our programming that they are not going to change overnight, but they can be changed. It also won’t be easy but it can be done.

You reprogram the amygdala a little bit every time you conquer your fear. You don’t want it to go away completely, we still need it for those times when we really are in danger. But we need to listen to it only when needed, when we face real danger.

Feature photo usage: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

2020-06-052020-06-05 ~ adminlife

Examine Your Daily Routine:
Take a look at the types of day-to-day activities you are engaged with. See if there are ways to do them differently than you’ve been doing them. This can give you a renewed sense of value in those activities. You may also learn something in the process.
Examine Your Career
What are you currently doing in your career? Is it something you still want to do or do you daydream about doing something completely different? If you are constantly thinking about how great your life would be if you were doing something different, it may be time to explore that. If so, be proactive and start learning as much as you can about the new path. Talk to people that are involved with it and even offer to volunteer to get some experience.
Learn, Learn, Learn:
When people get too comfortable at anything, this is usually the time that something will happen to disrupt that comfort zone. Therefore, try never to stay comfortable. This will require you to stay on top of your game and continue to learn. Learning should never be looked at as something you stop after school is over. Too many people make this mistake and find their skills become obsolete over time.
Anticipate & Accept Change:
The one thing that you can depend on in life is change. It will happen all throughout your life. Some changes will be great while others will be difficult to accept. People that you know will move away, and others will die. You will be faced with life decisions that overwhelm you. When you are more accepting of changes and try to account for them, you can prepare yourself better when they happen. You can never be truly prepared, but any preparation can lighten their severity.
Try Not to Change Too Much Too Fast:
While it is good to accept change, if you try to take on too many changes, you will find it difficult to manage them. There will be situations where this can’t be helped. But, if you have control of several of the changes, take them slowly. Get used to small changes and then take on others once that happens. Allow yourself to get used to one change at a time.
Help Others Manage Change:
Even though change is something you can depend on, this doesn’t make it easy for many people to handle. If you make yourself more willing to accept changes, you will be able to help others do the same. For instance, if your company is relocating to a new area, help those who may struggle with this. Try to get them to see the benefits of the change, rather than letting them focus solely on the negative aspects. Not everyone will be receptive, but if you help out even a few people, you have done something good. Be sensitive to the fact that everyone deals with change in their own way.

ACTIONABLE STEPS

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Do something that would shock your friends. Maybe you swore in the past, that you would never go skydiving. So, go skydiving. Focus on doing something that is highly uncharacteristic of you.	Walk up to a total stranger and introduce yourself. Try to get a conversation going to the point where you both would like to meet again.	Start up a hobby that you have put off because you thought it was too hard to do. Often, the act of just getting started with something can show that what you are trying to accomplish is not as difficult as you first thought. You set up mental barriers that are broken once you begin.

You may also find the following books very useful:

If you would like a PDF copy of this report, you can request a copy here >> Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

How I Conquered Fear And You Can Too!

2020-02-182020-02-18 ~ adminlife

Getting out of your comfort zone for most is challenging, to say the least. It’s been my experience that the missing element is psychological. Too many times I’ve said to myself, ‘I don’t know HOW to do this’ and self sabotaged my brain into believing I could not do it. What I’ve come to know is this; it’s not the ‘how’ that is so important but rather the ‘why’ behind it! Get a big enough WHY and the HOW will follow!

It’s the old 80/20 rule – 80% is psychology and the remaining 20% is the mechanics. We all tend to get what we HAVE to have. It boils down to what YOU believe YOU MUST do and chose to not settle for anything less!! Turning your ‘should’s’ into ‘must’s’ and making the decision to move forward in spite of the fear.

Feel the fear and do it anyway! If you truly want to get the edge, you will need to get over your fear. Fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of whatever – it’s okay to make a mistake, just make sure you learn from it and avoid the same pit falls next time around.

Choose to live life on your own terms. The quality of life is the quality of your emotions on a daily basis. Control your emotions and take control of your destiny! Consider this, it’s not how long I live but rather, how I live! It’s not about your ability; it’s about why you must succeed!!

Two things to help you control your emotions, deal with your BODY and what you FOCUS on at any given moment.

1 – Body, the psychology that we are ‘in’ is driven by the physiology that we are ‘in’. Specifically, when we change our MOTION we change our EMOTION and therefore experience a change of ‘state’. It’s these ‘states’ (or emotions), that will determine our action towards any given target.

2 – Focus, what you focus on and moreover, ‘how’ you focus, plays a vital roll in your achievements (or lack thereof). We must remember, what’s wrong is always available to us but so is, what’s right! Understand that ‘problems’ are a sign of life. Want to see someone who doesn’t have any more problems? Drop by your nearest cemetery, they’re done! No more problems – and no more life!! Direct your focus, whatever you focus on you moves you towards that object or experience. There isn’t a ‘try’ – only do or not do!

I’ve noticed several things about myself that I can’t help but believe others must share in similar experiences or situations. The difference for me now, is how I choose to ‘control’ or ‘focus’ myself as situations arise. This is a broad range of things from attending a party and ‘experiencing’ my emotions, to simply taking a shower and getting ready for the day. It’s truly how I manage my ‘state’ during the situation that defines my experience!

To be more clear, it’s what I choose to focus on while showering or while at the party. If while showering I’m having thoughts of – oh no, it’s Monday again, I hate the first day of each workweek! I hate Monday’s!! I wish I could just stay home and sleep in. I have to fight the stinking traffic everyday. I wish I had another car, a bigger more fancy car.

On and on it goes and before you finish your morning shower – presto, you’re in a bad mood and ready to bite your partners head off! You’re having emotions of agitation and experiencing anxiety about going to work, all before you even get dressed to go.

I suggest and submit to you it all begins with your THOUGHTS. It’s these thoughts that begin to effect our emotions (or states) and once we LEARN how to control them, we then have a much more powerful position that will determine our actions.

Use MOTION to create EMOTION and control your results. Back to the shower scene – sing, shout, clap your hands, pretend the soap bottle (or bar) is your microphone, move briskly, breath deeply and think about good things. (Remember, you get to choose what you think about – it’s your personal power)! Wouldn’t you rather get dressed feeling good about the day ahead of you, as opposed to dreading the very next moment? Sure you would, and you get to pick your experience. It may take some practice or ‘conditioning’ on your part but it will become a ‘habit’ once you focus on training your brain and body to do so.

You can control your fear and use it as leverage to compel you towards your goals. It the courage behind the fear that builds the faith within us that makes us stronger. Esteem comes from forcing yourself to do difficult things. Therefore, causing us to broaden our comfort zones while strengthening our faith.

Can you see faith? I submit to you, we are able to see the evidence of faith. No one has ever seen the wind but it evidence is everywhere to be seen. Faith unused wanes!

The Success Brain Course

As we are all trying to be more successful in our lives, both personal and business, we need to have a success mindset. It is hard to be successful when your own self-talk is against you and your mind is not aligned with your goals.

If you want to be more successful and live the life you deserve, then you need to have a Success Brain.

While this may sound easy, unless you know what you need to accomplish, you could end up wasting your time and energy.

This course “The Success Brain” can help you to understand those areas of your own mind that are holding you back while helping you to develop a truly success brain and mindset that will guide you in your life to really become more successful.

Steps you Need to Take Before Taking Massive Action

2019-02-242019-02-24 ~ adminlife

Many people get an idea and then immediately start taking action. The problem is, a lot of these folks never finish what they start. They have a great many unfinished projects, but not the staying power to make their goals happen in the real world. To ensure you don’t end up as one of these people, there are certain things you should do before you start taking massive action. While taking these steps won’t guarantee that you will make your dream a reality, they certainly give you a much better chance of success!

Make a commitment

No goal will ever be reached without a firm commitment. Know going in that there will be tough times, setbacks and sacrifices you need to make to reach your goal through massive action steps. Decide if it’s worth the hard work it will take before you get started.

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Do your research

Many things you want to tackle are going to need some research before you can determine a plan or strategy. Stay focused as you do the research necessary, but do allow a few tangents if you feel they would be valuable in helping you determine how to best go about taking massive action to meet your goal. You may need to have a time frame in mind of how long you will research, however. It can feel safe to stay in this phase instead of stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking action. Many people never get past this stage, so keep that firmly in mind as you begin.

Make a plan

Once you’ve done your homework, it’s time to create a plan of attack. What should you do first? What’s a reasonable timeline for completing your goal? Will going about it this way or that be better for you. Definitely take the advice of others who have come before you, but remember that just because you do it differently than they did doesn’t mean you are doing it wrong. Use your instinct to plan out your strategy since only you can decide what’s best for your life.

Write down your goals and objectives

It’s fine to think about your goals and objectives–I mean, you have to start somewhere. But don’t stop there. Write down your goals and objectives in as much detail as possible and keep the paper handy. You will need to refer to it before making decisions about future actions or when you get off track and need to remind yourself of why you started the project to begin with.

To your success

Michael W

P.S. If you are looking for a confidence program that can help you with your self development. Send me an email at michael@youaresuccesslifecoach.com to request a copy of my “Maximum Confidence Transformation Package”. Afterwards we can arrange a discovery telephone call to discuss the package and how you can benefit further from developing your confidence level.

Feature photo used under CCO and available at Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels