I had an awesome conversation with some friends of mine the other day which brought up some really cool ideas I wanted to share on how to achieve success more easily.

KEEP OUT:  Negativity and limits
"Don't say I can't, say I presently struggle with" is a quote from Tony Horton in the beginning of one of his popular P90X workouts.  Keep negativity and limits out of everything you say and the world will truly open up for you.  I find whether you want to achieve something or not, it's always best to keep negativity and limits out of your vocabulary.

There's another great quote that says, "It doesn't matter if you think you can or if you think you can't, either way you're right."  Your mind is a sponge, keep garbage out of it and it won't give you garbage.  This isn't always an easy rule to follow, but I promise you it will pay off, and you'll literally see life in an entirely different light.

The 5 minute rule
Have you ever wanted to do something that is counterproductive to your goals?   Of course you have, everyone has!  Try this next time.  Let's say your goal is to lose some weight.  The next time you have that beautiful piece of chocolaty desert sitting in front of you I want you to wait 5 minutes.  At the end of 5 minutes if you still want the cake eat it, if not then don't.  It's that simple.

This rule works in reverse too.  Want to lose weight but don't feel like working out that day.  We've all been there.  Do this, start working out but only commit to 5 minutes.  If at the end of 5 minutes you still don't feel like completing your workout don't, if you do, keep on going!  It doesn't matter what it is just take 5 minutes in the direction of your long term goals and if at the end of that 5 minutes you still feel like going the other way, do it.

This is a great rule for achieving anything in your life and realizing that life isn't made up of snap decisions like all marketing would want us to believe.  Take your time, weigh the pros and cons and only then make a decision.  Sometimes you'll still make a decision that isn't quite inline with your goals but a majority of them will be, and that's the idea.  Goals aren't reached by never failing, they're reached by continually doing better over time.

Would you rather?
Similar to the 5 minute rule but without the time limit.  Instead of setting a time, take the time to think to yourself would I rather.  Would I rather keep losing weight or would I rather eat the desert.  Would I rather keep sleeping in or would I rather get more work done and finish up earlier today.  Compare your actions with your goals and take just a few seconds to think about it.  I don't promise this will be easy but it will be worth it.

After some time you'll  most likely find yourself keeping away from activities which put you in a situation that you even need to ask the question to yourself.  It's much easier to say no to a beer after work if you're not already at the bar surrounded by friends!  :)

Conclusion
Incorporate all or just some of these mental 'games' into your daily decisions and you won't believe how much faster your goals will come.  After sometime you'll begin to notice other people who could also use this advice, please share this with them!

If you have any questions or want to continue the conversation contact me now.