Achieving Your Goals

1. Don’t make excuses.

Take ownership of your thoughts and actions, and the consequences of your actions. Sure, there may be times when circumstances effect the outcome. That’s life, and hopefully we can learn from those circumstances so that we can make better decisions in the future.

When we continually look at external factors, we fall into the habit of removing personal responsibility by making rationalizations.

2. Don’t think too much about what others think.

We should be open to constructive criticism and open-minded enough to consider what other people say, because we’re not perfect, and sometimes we need the insight from another person’s perspective. But when we stress over what other people think, we rob ourselves of the confidence to make healthy decisions. The truth is, we can’t please everyone all the time, and, no matter how nice and polite you are, you can’t get everyone in the world to like you. And some people simply aren’t worth listening to. Remember that we all have our shortcomings, and everyone makes mistakes.

Accept yourself, the good and the bad, and use your mistakes as an opportunity to learn. Remember: don’t make excuses. And keep in mind that those who speak the most usually have the least to say.

3. Don’t judge people.

This has two applications: judging someone negatively (the usual understanding), and judging someone in comparison (I can never be like so-and-so). Every person is on a journey through life: living a unique story, such that making comparisons is pointless and silly. Likewise, being overly critical of others fails to take into account this unique story. We don’t know all the details of a person’s life. We haven’t been in their shoes or on their journey.This doesn’t mean we never make evaluations of right and wrong thinking or behavior. It means we shouldn’t spend too much time or energy in negativity towards others. Way too much drama in the world is self-inflicted drama.

4. Don’t quit because of small setbacks.

Life will throw obstacles in our way and roadblocks in our path. Success comes only after a number of setbacks and failures.

Think of these setbacks, obstacles, and failures as learning opportunities.

An anagram for “total failure” is “a tutorial elf.” Think of each failure and shortcoming as a magical little elf who can guide you to greater knowledge and wisdom.

5. Don’t set dates, and don’t procrastinate.

The right time to do the right thing is always right now. Need to start doing something positive? Need to stop doing something bad? Don’t wait till the first of the month, or for the new year to make a resolution that you probably won’t keep.

If you feel the motivation and the urge to make a change, do it today.

6. Actively seek after the positive.

Our minds are prone to see the negatives first, and to hold on to negative thoughts longer than positive thoughts. That’s why we must make a focused effort to find the positive in life, and to think positively.

Remember: way too much of the drama and problems in life are self-inflicted. There are plenty of real problems in the world without our adding our own to the list.