"A day will never be anymore than what you make of it. Practice being a "doer"!
The other day, my friends and I were talking about a variety of different things, when we realized a common theme in each of our stories. Before I jump into that, here's a glimpse of what we were saying.
Friend 1: I really wanted a bagel today because I was so hungry after class! I got on line at Dunkin Donuts to get one, and while moving up in the line, was just thinking. I thought about my goals for eating healthy, and realized that this was going against my resolution. After a minute, I walked away and didn't get a bagel. Instead, I ate something healthy.
Friend 2: I really didn't want to do research for one of my papers because I wanted to catch up on a TV show. I went to open up the link, but realized that I really had a lot of work to catch up on. Although the obvious thing to do was my paper, I really just couldn't my mind to it. Just as I was about to start watching the show, I forced myself to stop and really attempt to do some research. It wasn't the most productive research session, but it was obviously better than watching TV.
Me: My resolution, as I shared earlier, is to write two posts a week just to make it a habit and continue writing down my thoughts, regardless of who reads this or doesn't. Many Saturday nights I just want to quit and say "it doesn't matter, no one else cares, so why should I?" but then I don't let myself sleep until I finish writing both. I hate myself for it at times, but when I look back at my post, I realize it was worth it.
What did we realize through all of this? We each have goals, dreams, needs and plans for ourselves. To fulfill everything we want, we have a plan-of-action that we have to follow, whether we explicitly state it or not. For Friend 1, the goal is to eat healthy; one action step is to avoid eating unhealthy foods one day at a time. For Friend 2, the goal is to stay on task with school; one action step is to watch less TV. For me, the goal is to write more; one action step is to not wait until Saturday night to write. If our action steps are very basic and easy to follow, why is our dream or goal so difficult to achieve?
Simple: it's because we let ourselves forget our ultimate goals. We literally find ways to go around our "plan-of-action" and make life more fun. After we lose sight of our goal, we are "happy" but only temporarily because we eventually realize that we still want what our original goal was. Does that make sense?
So, when you need to stop eating unhealthy food, just force yourself to stop. Just don't eat it. It's quite simple. When you need to do some research before watching TV, just do it. You're online anyway, it won't take a lot of you. And if you need to sit down and write, JUST DO IT. Stop stopping yourself!
BUT the reason I wrote this is because of a really cool thing we discussed. At times, you are REALLY going to want to eat something unhealthy, watch another episode of your show or procrastinate a little longer when it comes to doing something. If at that time, you really force yourself to take a step towards your goal, meaning NOT eat that food, NOT watch another episode, and NOT procrastinate, then you are really building your character. Think about it, it's easy to avoid unhealthy food when your home is filled with fruits and vegetables. But what if it was filled with chocolate and pizza? If you are able to stop yourself from eating it at that time, then you are strengthening your willpower. What more could you want? You are becoming a better person, developing your qualities and reaching your goals all at once! How awesome! Good luck with whatever your goals are!
So long. <3
The other day, my friends and I were talking about a variety of different things, when we realized a common theme in each of our stories. Before I jump into that, here's a glimpse of what we were saying.
Friend 1: I really wanted a bagel today because I was so hungry after class! I got on line at Dunkin Donuts to get one, and while moving up in the line, was just thinking. I thought about my goals for eating healthy, and realized that this was going against my resolution. After a minute, I walked away and didn't get a bagel. Instead, I ate something healthy.
Friend 2: I really didn't want to do research for one of my papers because I wanted to catch up on a TV show. I went to open up the link, but realized that I really had a lot of work to catch up on. Although the obvious thing to do was my paper, I really just couldn't my mind to it. Just as I was about to start watching the show, I forced myself to stop and really attempt to do some research. It wasn't the most productive research session, but it was obviously better than watching TV.
Me: My resolution, as I shared earlier, is to write two posts a week just to make it a habit and continue writing down my thoughts, regardless of who reads this or doesn't. Many Saturday nights I just want to quit and say "it doesn't matter, no one else cares, so why should I?" but then I don't let myself sleep until I finish writing both. I hate myself for it at times, but when I look back at my post, I realize it was worth it.
What did we realize through all of this? We each have goals, dreams, needs and plans for ourselves. To fulfill everything we want, we have a plan-of-action that we have to follow, whether we explicitly state it or not. For Friend 1, the goal is to eat healthy; one action step is to avoid eating unhealthy foods one day at a time. For Friend 2, the goal is to stay on task with school; one action step is to watch less TV. For me, the goal is to write more; one action step is to not wait until Saturday night to write. If our action steps are very basic and easy to follow, why is our dream or goal so difficult to achieve?
Simple: it's because we let ourselves forget our ultimate goals. We literally find ways to go around our "plan-of-action" and make life more fun. After we lose sight of our goal, we are "happy" but only temporarily because we eventually realize that we still want what our original goal was. Does that make sense?
So, when you need to stop eating unhealthy food, just force yourself to stop. Just don't eat it. It's quite simple. When you need to do some research before watching TV, just do it. You're online anyway, it won't take a lot of you. And if you need to sit down and write, JUST DO IT. Stop stopping yourself!
BUT the reason I wrote this is because of a really cool thing we discussed. At times, you are REALLY going to want to eat something unhealthy, watch another episode of your show or procrastinate a little longer when it comes to doing something. If at that time, you really force yourself to take a step towards your goal, meaning NOT eat that food, NOT watch another episode, and NOT procrastinate, then you are really building your character. Think about it, it's easy to avoid unhealthy food when your home is filled with fruits and vegetables. But what if it was filled with chocolate and pizza? If you are able to stop yourself from eating it at that time, then you are strengthening your willpower. What more could you want? You are becoming a better person, developing your qualities and reaching your goals all at once! How awesome! Good luck with whatever your goals are!
So long. <3
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