Plan of Action Exercise
Any time you want to make changes in your life, you want to create a Plan of Action to keep you on track and ensure your success. Most people do not change with grace because it takes time for them to adjust to the unfamiliar thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that comes with change. A good way to effectively change is to create a Plan of Action to help you adjust to the transition from the old to the new.
At the same time, we change often in our lives without even realizing it. The more we are conscious of our changes the easier it gets to adopt new habits and thoughts that will provide us with a lifestyle we want. It's just a matter of becoming aware of the process of change and using it consciously in our daily habits.
With personal development, the formula most coaches use is a variation of the following three steps:
With these basic questions identified and answered, the next step would be to create a set of small goals that will slowly lead you to your goal.
For example:
If you would like to lose 50 lbs. you would set it up like this:
This sounds really basic, however each of these steps can be much more in-depth for people once they actually start taking action. Sometimes there are additional problems to address such as unsupportive family members or troubles at work that create emotional obstacles to overcome.
Also, losing 50 lbs is a big goal and can be overwhelming in and of itself if you have trouble losing weight. This can end up causing additional stress and emotional eating.
Step three requires developing the motivation to move from the mind frame of being ill to the mind frame of becoming healthy again, which can take tremendous amounts of courage, strength and determination depending on your personality and behavior.
Spending time with this process and truly evaluating yourself by delving into the Plan can prepare you for the rutts you may fall into in the process of losing that 50 lbs. The recommended time to lose that amount of weight in a healthy way is eating and exercising to lose 1-2 pounds a week. This means you will be working on your goal for 6 months to a year if you follow those recommendations. You will need to see this as a long term goal to better living and therefore a plan will help you to achieve that goal even when life throws emotional curve balls at you.
Even still, as you proceed with your plan you'll find yourself switching and tweaking things that work better for your lifestyle. For example, if the exercises you chose aren't fun or the diet you chose ends up making you miserable you might decide to change those. The mental and spiritual preparation you put into your goals will create a solid foundation within so that you can stick with it even when you lose motivation or "fall off the wagon" at times.
You have the ability to do this on your own. Just stick with it no matter how many times you feel like you are failing. You are not actually failing, but learning how to create a healthier life for yourself. The benefits are a future with your family and friends where you feel vibrant and alive and truly happy.
The Mind
Seeing the whole picture of whatever goal you're trying to achieve gives you leverage. People trying to lose weight can get stuck in the immediate gratification of food. Focusing on instant rewards may make you feel better now, but months down the road it leads to hardship and more complicated illnesses. Seeing yourself in the future with health, vibrancy and a fit body will constantly keep you on track even if you feel like you aren't.
Vision boards, positive affirmations, and hypnotherapy audios are a few great ways to leverage your mind past obstacles because they get into your subconscious mind and rewire the way you believe about your body, food and exercise. It is common for people to lose weight or heal themselves only to become overweight and sick again after a depressing life event happens. You can avoid this by reconditioning your mind and anchoring in your goals.
An additional angle you can use is creating a vision board of you participating in fun activities, pictures of slim bodies and foods that are part of your new diet that will also keep your mind focused for success. Don't worry if it doesn't happen over night or even in a few months. Some changes are harder to make, especially if you learned negative thought patterns early in your childhood, which many of us have.
The Soul
To work on the emotional aspects you'll want to evaluate your the beliefs you learned as a child about food, health and self-love. Learning to love yourself has been scientifically proven to heal people and create happiness in their lives as they learn to focus less on the superficial aspects of the body and focus more on the spiritual aspects of what it is to truly love yourself as you are.
Once you begin to truly love yourself, you will find greater motivation to eat better and take care of yourself. This is when diet and exercise start to become fun and easier because you have a new zest for life! You will feel as though it is just a natural thing to be healthy. What you believe is also a major difference between people that are sick and overweight and live shorter lives vs. people that are healthy, fit and live long lives.
Most of the work you do when changing is in your spirit and mind. You can continue to fight old patterns and make it extremely tough to achieve your goals, or you can open yourself up to more peace and love and watch things happen effortlessly.
Getting Support
If you find you are struggling and need additional help, consider joining a like-minded weight-loss group, hiring a coach such as myself, or joining other types of groups that enjoy the same activities as you. Depending on your financial situation there are many ways you can go about getting the support you need.
If you tend to be more introverted or shy about your challenges, online support groups and coaching can also be a great help in keeping you on track.
With anything you wish to change in your life, there are endless ways to make it happen. You no longer have to feel like there is no hope. There is always hope and help. As the old cliché states, "Where there's a will, there's a way!" So start by making a decision today to change your life. That one decision is powerful and you'll eventually see the results you are so longing for!
You may not be trying to lose weight but face other challenges in your life. Simple start with the three basics steps I outlined previously and then literally Google your results. Instead of focusing on why you are where you are at, start focusing on How you're going to move from where you are at now to where you want to be.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or need a little nudge in the right direction. For a limited time I am working with people on a donation or pay-what-you-can basis. There are no more excuses left! Let's get to it. :)
If you would like to download a free copy of this exercise, please click on the link below.
At the same time, we change often in our lives without even realizing it. The more we are conscious of our changes the easier it gets to adopt new habits and thoughts that will provide us with a lifestyle we want. It's just a matter of becoming aware of the process of change and using it consciously in our daily habits.
With personal development, the formula most coaches use is a variation of the following three steps:
- Identify the problem you wish to change.
- Identify what or how you wish the problem to be different, which is your ideal goal.
- Ask yourself what solutions are going to resolve this and research if necessary.
With these basic questions identified and answered, the next step would be to create a set of small goals that will slowly lead you to your goal.
For example:
If you would like to lose 50 lbs. you would set it up like this:
- Problem - Illness caused 50 pound weight gain, depression, and lack of exercise.
- Goal - Lose 50 lbs by eating better, dealing with emotional issues and exercising more.
- Possible methods to use - Eat a low calorie diet, join a support group, find a low impact exercise program such as Yoga, walking, or swimming, which will allow you to slowly build up to more effective workouts.
This sounds really basic, however each of these steps can be much more in-depth for people once they actually start taking action. Sometimes there are additional problems to address such as unsupportive family members or troubles at work that create emotional obstacles to overcome.
Also, losing 50 lbs is a big goal and can be overwhelming in and of itself if you have trouble losing weight. This can end up causing additional stress and emotional eating.
Step three requires developing the motivation to move from the mind frame of being ill to the mind frame of becoming healthy again, which can take tremendous amounts of courage, strength and determination depending on your personality and behavior.
Spending time with this process and truly evaluating yourself by delving into the Plan can prepare you for the rutts you may fall into in the process of losing that 50 lbs. The recommended time to lose that amount of weight in a healthy way is eating and exercising to lose 1-2 pounds a week. This means you will be working on your goal for 6 months to a year if you follow those recommendations. You will need to see this as a long term goal to better living and therefore a plan will help you to achieve that goal even when life throws emotional curve balls at you.
Even still, as you proceed with your plan you'll find yourself switching and tweaking things that work better for your lifestyle. For example, if the exercises you chose aren't fun or the diet you chose ends up making you miserable you might decide to change those. The mental and spiritual preparation you put into your goals will create a solid foundation within so that you can stick with it even when you lose motivation or "fall off the wagon" at times.
You have the ability to do this on your own. Just stick with it no matter how many times you feel like you are failing. You are not actually failing, but learning how to create a healthier life for yourself. The benefits are a future with your family and friends where you feel vibrant and alive and truly happy.
The Mind
Seeing the whole picture of whatever goal you're trying to achieve gives you leverage. People trying to lose weight can get stuck in the immediate gratification of food. Focusing on instant rewards may make you feel better now, but months down the road it leads to hardship and more complicated illnesses. Seeing yourself in the future with health, vibrancy and a fit body will constantly keep you on track even if you feel like you aren't.
Vision boards, positive affirmations, and hypnotherapy audios are a few great ways to leverage your mind past obstacles because they get into your subconscious mind and rewire the way you believe about your body, food and exercise. It is common for people to lose weight or heal themselves only to become overweight and sick again after a depressing life event happens. You can avoid this by reconditioning your mind and anchoring in your goals.
An additional angle you can use is creating a vision board of you participating in fun activities, pictures of slim bodies and foods that are part of your new diet that will also keep your mind focused for success. Don't worry if it doesn't happen over night or even in a few months. Some changes are harder to make, especially if you learned negative thought patterns early in your childhood, which many of us have.
The Soul
To work on the emotional aspects you'll want to evaluate your the beliefs you learned as a child about food, health and self-love. Learning to love yourself has been scientifically proven to heal people and create happiness in their lives as they learn to focus less on the superficial aspects of the body and focus more on the spiritual aspects of what it is to truly love yourself as you are.
Once you begin to truly love yourself, you will find greater motivation to eat better and take care of yourself. This is when diet and exercise start to become fun and easier because you have a new zest for life! You will feel as though it is just a natural thing to be healthy. What you believe is also a major difference between people that are sick and overweight and live shorter lives vs. people that are healthy, fit and live long lives.
Most of the work you do when changing is in your spirit and mind. You can continue to fight old patterns and make it extremely tough to achieve your goals, or you can open yourself up to more peace and love and watch things happen effortlessly.
Getting Support
If you find you are struggling and need additional help, consider joining a like-minded weight-loss group, hiring a coach such as myself, or joining other types of groups that enjoy the same activities as you. Depending on your financial situation there are many ways you can go about getting the support you need.
If you tend to be more introverted or shy about your challenges, online support groups and coaching can also be a great help in keeping you on track.
With anything you wish to change in your life, there are endless ways to make it happen. You no longer have to feel like there is no hope. There is always hope and help. As the old cliché states, "Where there's a will, there's a way!" So start by making a decision today to change your life. That one decision is powerful and you'll eventually see the results you are so longing for!
You may not be trying to lose weight but face other challenges in your life. Simple start with the three basics steps I outlined previously and then literally Google your results. Instead of focusing on why you are where you are at, start focusing on How you're going to move from where you are at now to where you want to be.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or need a little nudge in the right direction. For a limited time I am working with people on a donation or pay-what-you-can basis. There are no more excuses left! Let's get to it. :)
If you would like to download a free copy of this exercise, please click on the link below.
| plan_of_action_exercise.doc |
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