Staying On Track

Years ago I had a client who was an alcoholic. He was active in Alcoholics Anonymous, he kept a positive attitude and was doing well. But in one particular session he was clearly discouraged, because something very disappointing had taken place: his sponsor, who had been sober for ten years, started drinking again. Ten years! Thankfully, most of us aren’t addicts and won’t suffer this kind of setback.

But imagine that you have another kind of problem – a problem that’s making life difficult. You’re miserable, and something needs to change. The thing is, you don’t want to change. You think other people should change. But … eventually you admit you are part of the problem, and – while it hurts to face the truth – for some reason, you’re strongly motivated. So you go for it. And you succeed.

You’re proud of yourself. Others are proud of you. You’re doing great. Days go by. Weeks go by. Maybe even years go by. And then … one day … wham! You’re back in the problem.

I recently met with someone desiring to lose weight. This person had succeeded in the past, but also knew that when the stress piled up, the overeating or cravings would start up again, and as you can guess … relapse.

If you watch or play sports, you know that not all championship individuals or teams can stay on top year after year. Athletes often say about their sport, that it’s a mental thing. One of football’s greatest coaches always insisted that football is a game of emotion. Even boxers will tell you it’s mostly a mental sport.

That is why I emphasize this very important idea: improving your life is not just about making changes – that’s hard enough, sometimes – it’s about staying on track. And staying on track is a mental challenge. A challenge of focus, concentration and determination.

Now, people fall down for all sorts of reasons. Here are just a few:
Procrastination – lack of focus – fear of change – lack of self-discipline – low motivation – inability to see the reward up ahead – peer pressure – self-doubt … the reasons are practically endless and you could spend the rest of your life trying to understand “why” you don’t stay on track. You might think, ‘if I just knew why I don’t persevere, I could do so much better.’

But, not so fast. Here’s a challenge for you. You may never really understand why you do certain things. What’s more, understanding the reasons for the failure to stay on track is practically useless … unless that understanding moves you into doing something about it. What’s really critical is that you make a plan of action to stay on track even before you start that new diet or train for a marathon.

If you’re not sure how to get started, please call 219-309-3928 for a free consultation.