Saturday, June 23, 2012

POSITIVE LANGUAGE PROMOTES PERSISTENCE

One of the ways we can sustain persistence is by using positive language, both when speaking and when thinking. Negatives tend to wear us down and erode our persistence; whereas, positive language keeps us in a healthy state of mind—something necessary for pursing goals until they are realized.

Become aware of negative language. Whether you are listening to negative comments or speaking/thinking them yourself, tune them out or mentally replace negatives with positives. It may seem like an insignificant step, but it is one with a huge impact.

When the going gets tough, don’t tell yourself the path is too difficult. Tell yourself you can overcome difficulties and setbacks. Believe you can. You may have to adjust your goals and the steps you take to reach them, but positive thoughts and speech can help you make those revisions and persist in reaching the goals.

Become committed to all things positive. Instead of saying, “I give up,” say, “I’ll do it another way." Instead of “I might try…” say, “I will.” Instead of saying, “Probably…”, say, “Yes,” or “Definitely.”

A little tweak of your language may make a big difference in your ability to stick with something until you have accomplished your goals and dreams.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Time to Review Those Goals

Half the year is over. Do you know where you are in reaching your goals? Now might be a good time to evaluate and then re-evaluate the goals you set at the beginning of the year to find out what worked, what is still working, and what you can eliminate. Ask yourself the following questions in your quest to complete, revise, and set goals.
  • Have you made the progress you intended to make when you set your personal and professional goals?
  • If not, why not?
  • Are you doing something everyday to move yourself closer to your goals?
  • Is there anything else you can do to move yourself closer to your goals?
  • Did you make a list of steps you can take to reach your goals?
  • Do you need to revise these steps to increase their effectiveness?
  • Do you have goals on your list that you should now remove or revise?
  • If you have met most of your goals, can you think of new ones to set?
As the year moves forward, make your goals move toward completion.