Have you finally decided that enough is enough? Are you planning on joining the countless number of people who are trying to lose weight. Tired of feeling run down and having to buy the next size up in clothes you are determined to lose the weight, this time for sure. Never mind the fact that you have tried ten times before, this time it’s going to be different, this time you are going to do it! Well, the fact is some will lose that weight but the sad truth is that most won’t! Why? It comes down to belief or should I say lack of belief.
I ask this simple question “Do you believe in yourself?” Do you believe you have what it takes to become the person you want to be? Why is it that most people can’t see their own God-given potential, their own special talent, that unique gift that separates them from the crowd? We have this insecurity or self-doubt whispering in our ear that we are not good enough or that we can’t or won’t succeed.
I believe this lack of faith in our ability to accomplish goals we set is probably the number one reason we don’t attain our goals. We are our own worst critics and we succumb to our unrealistic expectations of ourselves to be this super human being who is perfect in every way and doesn’t make mistakes. This January the majority of us has set some kind of goal, which is a great thing to do. Now what’s even better than setting a goal or goals is reaching them!
The first, and most important step in achieving our goals, is to truly believe that we can in fact reach them. Now, I don’t think we consciously set goals we don’t think we can reach, however, the words we speak will indicate our actual belief. The words we choose will be a clear reflection of whether or not we believe the goal we have set.
Please pay attention to the words you say, because they declare your beliefs. When I am training someone and if I hear words: “can’t”, “never”, “won’t”, or statements like “I don’t have time”, “I can never stick on a diet”, I will bring it to their attention. Many people don’t even realize they are declaring they don’t believe they can achieve their goal! Guess what? They won’t! It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
That is why I believe in saying positive statements–it reinforces your belief system. Now please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t want you to think all you have to do is say positive statements and all your goals will be accomplished. I just want you to be aware of how powerful your words can be.
Now, all the words in the world can’t help you without you taking action! Your action steps will also determine if you really have belief in your goal. I have read in many self-help books that action is the most important step in getting things done. True, that without action nothing gets accomplished; however, in my years as a personal trainer, action alone does not determine success. I can’t even guess how many people took action and joined a gym and started to workout but for whatever reason, didn’t stick with it. So it is sustained action that is required.
Please, let me tell you a story about a man, who wishes to be anonymous, that wanted to win the NPC National Bodybuilding Championships. In the summer of 1996 at the age of 32, he wrote down this goal. Never mind the fact that he loved to party, was a heavy drinker (alcoholic), and loved to indulge in recreational drugs. On January of 1997 he gave up drinking and drugs. In the summer of 1998 he entered his first contest and came in second in the Novice division. (Only 2 people in the class). In early 1999, he suffered a major lower back injury. His chiropractor told him that he would never be able to squat again. Not believing his doctor, he returned to upper body training as soon as he could, it was about 6 weeks. He believed that the injury was a blessing in disguise, he started to concentrate on stretching and lifting with impeccable form. In about 12 months he was squatting again. In 2002 while training for a National qualifying show he tore his hamstring muscle doing sprints, four weeks later he qualified for the NPC Nationals and in 2003 he entered the contest and came in 14th place. Since then he has entered the show three more times coming in 12th as his best finish ever. That was the year his son was killed. This past year in 2008 he won the NPC Jr. USA in his weight class. I tell you this story because even though this man has not yet reached his goal, he continues to reach for it. The adversity he has gone through would have stopped most people but it didn’t stop him. Why? Because he believes.
Once you believe that you can reach your goal, nothing will stop you from pursuing it! It is this writer’s opinion that if you can live your life always reaching, striving, to become all that you were meant to be, you will have lived a life worth living for.
