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You are here: Home / Archives for Excuses

Questioning Your Way to Success

July 22, 2020 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

 

Being a professional in the goal-setting field, I find it fascinating to witness some of the machinations we will go through to achieve our objectives.

There are countless apps designed to help one achieve goals, ranging from diet and exercise to being more organized, to simply uplifting one’s mood. For those less inclined to make change via an app, I’ve heard of some who journal, use to-do lists, or even pray and meditate on the desired outcomes. Of course, hiring a coach helps too. (Hint, hint…)

I am not judging any technique. If you’re dedicated to your goals and willing to do the work, however, you choose it, more power to you – especially in this ever-stressful world in which we find ourselves. That said, if you personally felt stuck and would like to make some changes; whether health-related, financial, or emotional, this four-question process is ridiculously easy to use and amazingly effective.

Question #1: Suppose I was successful; how would I know?

It seems silly to start here, but the reality is oft-times we fall short of our objectives because we’ve never defined the outcome clearly. We say “I want to feel better,” or “I want to get more fit.” Whereby those are lofty intentions, they’re not concrete enough to drive us to an endpoint. Sure, they might get us started, but we’ll often stall because we don’t know when we’ve arrived and the journey feels daunting and without end.

It’s more effective to state a goal such as “I will walk 30 minutes three times a week;” or “I will take time each day to write down five things for which I’m grateful.’

Being able to identify a clear change in behavior is essential to achieving goals.

Question #2: What has to happen for that objective to occur?

Obviously, if we were doing what we needed to do, we’d already be where we want to be. Since we’re not yet “there,” something must adjust. To that end, we have basically four options: start a new behavior; stop an existing behavior; do more of an already-existing behavior; or do less of an existing behavior.

Behavioral changes therefore might be, “put a 30-minute activity appointment in my calendar on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday;” or “reserve 10 minutes each morning to record those things for which I’m grateful.”

The trick here is not to line out an entire series of changes, but to define one simple, effective adjustment you can make to move forward.

Question #3: Can I do that?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Excuses, goals, Motivation, Newspaper Column, planning Tagged With: achieving your goals, asking questions, attaining your goals, goals, making change, realistic goals, setting goals, specific and measurable goals

You’re Only One Step From Getting Back on Track

April 20, 2015 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

You’re always only one step from getting back on track.

As the expression goes, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”

So, when we slip up, we – with great intention – say, “I can start again tomorrow.” Yet, how often does that pattern repeat, leaving us over and over and over again, “starting tomorrow.”

That’s why it’s important to remember that you’re always only one step away from getting back on track.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Diet, Excuses, goals, Happiness, Inspiration, Motivation, Motivational Monday, Overcoming Obstacles, Overcoming Perfectionsim, Think 1st Tagged With: getting more done, slip ups, staying on track, tracking

Shrinking Time for More Success

February 23, 2015 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Shrink your time frame and you’ll get better results.

Do you want a quick method to be feel more successful without changing a thing?

Of course you do; we all do.

Make your “window of success” smaller.

Let me explain.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Change, Diet, Excuses, Failure, goals, Motivational Monday, Overcoming Obstacles, Overcoming Perfectionsim, Success Tagged With: habit change, making change, one day at a time, road to success, small steps, take time

The Writer

December 19, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus

“I lost a whole lot of weight,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

Depressed Overweight Woman

No eye contact was made; instead she seemly excessively absorbed in staring at her shoes. “But now, not only have I put it back on, but I’ve added 20 more pounds. I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been. I can’t stand to look in a mirror. I don’t know what to do.” The sadness she felt practically dripped from her pores.

“That’s got to be frustrating,” I replied.

“…and frightening too!” she added. “When’s it going to stop?”

“Good question,” I answered, “What seems to be the cause?”

“Well, I’m obviously eating too much.” She tried to make it sound like an “ain’t-it-obvious” joke but the pain was louder than her laugh.

“That’s what’s so embarrassing,” she continued. “I just don’t know. It seems like I start out every day with great intentions. The problem is I work near a little mom-and-pop bakery. They make the best cakes and pies. So, on my break, I’ll find myself buying just one small slice, saying I’ll control myself. The next thing I know, I’m like a machine that’s eats everything! Then my inner voice says, ‘Well as long as you blew it, you might as well really blow it. You can always start tomorrow’ and I really go crazy! Every day is just like the previous one; same broken promises, same result.”

She paused; the gold hoop earrings she wore swung slightly under her brown shoulder length hair as she collected her thoughts. Picking up her gaze, she asked, “What do you think I should do?”

I always find that a difficult question.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Asking for help, Diet, Excuses, Gratitude, Happiness, Newspaper Column, Overcoming Obstacles, Weight Loss, willpower Tagged With: changing habits, frustration, handling temptation, making change, sadness

Start Small and Go Big

November 17, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Start small. Do more or add more if you want to.

man-looking-at-small-portionIt’s always easier to add more and it’s much more empowering than it is to feel bad about taking on too much.

This applies on many levels.

For example, if you’re trying to lose weight, take less than you want. (You can always go back from more but can’t give back what you eat.)

If you’re starting an exercise program, commit to a smaller realistic amount rather than an unwieldy longer time. (You can always add more.)

If you’re cleaning your house, promise yourself you’ll do one room really well instead of the whole house and get overwhelmed. (You can always do more if you want.)

 

Filed Under: Change, Diet, Excuses, Failure, Motivational Monday, Overcoming Perfectionsim, Success, Think 1st Tagged With: handling change, making change, realistic goals, small steps, Think 1st

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