Mentally prepare yourself

Scott Schwab:

I am going on my 4th day of doing the master cleanse. I  have not eaten food since Sunday. You may think, this guy is crazy! There is some truth to that, however what I have found with this cleanse and also looking at any performance towards a result, I have found that we do things mentally before we do them physically. When we set goals we need to think ourselves through performing the goal itself.

As we encounter this 8 week challenge or any goal, let us break down the psychology behind being successful with the goals that we set.

#1 Realistic goals- For us to have obtainable goals we need to set realistic goals. Realistic goals are measurable based on crystallizing our results. If we want specific results we need to break it down to the performance and the actual step by step process. 

#2 Record your goals- There is no way that we will hold ourselves accountable unless we write it down and can visualize it. The best way to get results is putting the pen to paper and then figuring out the best way to achieve that goal in a given time. Once we have recorded it, we need to give ourselves reminders. One thing recording does is giving us a chance to remember it and giving our subconscious the thought that it is important.

#3 Announce your goals- Not only is it important to announce our goals to ourselves, but it is often times more helpful to have other people hold us accountable. Announcing our goals makes our goals real. Vocalizing is a way for us to put into our thought process the things that are most important. There is no secret as to why people generally become what they are told and what they think about themselves. If you want to change, send a different message to your brain and work towards the performance and not just the result.

#4 Prepare by planning- Part of the process of goal setting is planning what we want to achieve. If we smoke, we may not have success if we keep cigarettes around the house, hang out where people smoke, and place ourselves in situations where smokers are going to be. For weight loss, we need to plan to eliminate the foods that are not healthy. If we fail to plan... we plan to fail. Having meals pre made so we don't have to go out or planning time to be at the gym is part of the planning process of goals.

#5 Sacrifice- I can promise one thing. If a person does not like something, they will not fight very hard to keep doing that thing. If we hate exercise we will not keep going to the gym. If we don't like feeling sore, we will not do the activities that will make us sore. We need to realize that to get results we will face resistance. The very thing we do not like to experience is often times the thing that needs to be done so we can get results. Like a  muscle that is never used, it cannot grow without resistance. Sacrifice the comfort and realize we will encounter discomfort.

Make meaningful goals and make it happen. Achievement ultimately starts and ends with us. Live an accountable life and restore the ability to hold ourselves responsible for what we set out to do. Also never give up! When we give up we not only prohibit ourselves from obtaining that goal, but from a psychological stand point, we actually damage our ability to make goals in the future because we tell ourselves in our inner most thoughts that we really wont perform or we will not follow through. We are not dumb and our minds are the greatest computer in the world. When we set a consistency of not following through it becomes a habit. Our habits eventually end up defining our characters.

Be different and be strong. Start small and  progressively set harder goals for obtainment. This will build our confidence personally and increase the likelihood that our performance will lead to results.