Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Breaking Free - Staying Focused on Your Goals

Staying Focused on Your Goals

Did you watch the Olympics last month? I typically watch off and on but am truthfully more interested in the stories about the athletes than I am about the outcome of the events.

Those athletes are very gifted and very dedicated to their sports. They have stayed focused on their goals for many, many years. Yet, here it is March and many folks who made New Years resolutions or set new goals for 2010 have already given up. Are you one of those people that have given up on a goal that you just set a couple months ago? You are not alone.

Losing Focus

What has caused you to lose focus on your dreams? As you may know, in my coaching practice, I help folks analyze their thinking and valuing habits. Many times your most out-of-balance thoughts get in the way of you achieving your success.

Those out-of-balance thoughts are valuing habits that filter out some of the information that you need to make good decisions. For instance, let's say that you were going to workout three times a week in order to lose weight and be healthier. But, you've gotten a little off track. What does your mind tell you?

  • If your Practical Judgment is out-of-balance, you may hear thoughts like "It's not that important." or "I don't have the time for that today."
  • If your Systems Thinking is out-of-balance, you may hear "I don't feel like it." or "This will never work."
  • If it's your Self Esteem that's out-of-balance, you may hear thoughts like "I knew I couldn't do it." or "This just isn't worth it for me." or "I can't spend that time on me; that would be selfish."
  • If it's your Self Direction that's getting in the way, you may hear thoughts like "If I can't be perfect, it's not worth it." or "My dream is so far away I can't see how this is going to help me get there."

When you focus on the thoughts from these (out-of-balance) perspectives, you will lose focus on who you want to become and what you want to achieve. You may want to read the previous months' newsletters again to remind yourself of a better way to set and achieve your goals. If you used the goal setting process that we outlined in January and February newsletters you will be focused on WHO you want to become, not just WHAT you want to or have to do.

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