Tuesday, June 26, 2012

3 Active Ways Charting Can Help You Live Sanely - Starting Today

Charts are visual explanations that sometimes surprise people with the truth. For centuries, navigators have maintained nautical charts for aircraft or ships, educators have used charts to measure academic success and soft drink manufacturers Coca Cola and Pepsi have charted comparisons to boast the most popular beverage.

But how can charting help you live sanely?

1. Charting is seeing. Having the visualization of accurate data can be surprising. A simplistic dashboard can help you see that you may actually be doing or seeing something in a more positive way than you realize.

One down moment may shatter overall accomplishments.

"Rome wasn't built in a day." There was a lot of mistakes made and much rebuilding that took place, but the end result kept the workers forging ahead through the architects vision.

You can do the same. Give yourself an overall picture of what your striving for or seeking to stay away from.

Check out the chart below for healthy options chosen by an individual during one month. There are a lot of positive +s shown in actions, but the negative -s could skew a person's view. Seeing the chart is inspiring.

Chart the progressions you make toward your goals, and see the reality. It may be better than you think.


2. Charting is an opportunity to be challenged. Once you've seen the stats, you can analyze the data. You can take a look at what may be keeping you from hitting the mark, reworking actions to get different results.

Success comes from examining failure and learning from the experience. Olympic athletes, inventors and even infants transitioning to toddlers fail many times before they succeed.

Dare to live above and beyond the past. Chart toward the future and set goals that stretch your limits.

3. Charting is a way to stay focused. It's a built-in accountability, if you stay at it. Actors, singers and athletes all practice over and over and over until what they are doing becomes second nature. It takes commitment.

And no, you don't have to go it alone. In fact, charting is best done with others to celebrate successes and encourage one another through failures. Call, text, email or go see a friend or family member today. Engage in a rewarding mission together.

So, what are you waiting for?

Get started, and drop me a line to let me know how it's going. Here's a link to a free online goal tracker you can share on MySpace or your own blog. http://www.joesgoals.com/

Your shared experiences can help others live sanely.





Saturday, June 2, 2012

Reliving Memories: 3 Ways to Make a Breakthrough

Do you have a memory that seems to control you? Well, if you are pulled down by something you have no control over, you can move on and put it behind you. Here's how:

1. Review the memory. Write down exactly what the memory is and how it makes you feel. Sad, angry, lost, confused... Example: Mary's husband died suddenly in a car accident. Mary feels alone.

2. Deal with the feeling. In the example above, Mary feels alone. Mary should ask herself "Who do I blame for feeling alone?" If it's God, Mary needs to come to terms and realize that God does not simply allow people to die to punish others. To do this, Mary can read and research the Bible. When she does, she can see that God rains on the just and the unjust. He has a bigger picture in mind, a plan and purpose, and it's not necessarily about punishment, and even if it was, there is still a purpose. Instead of punishing herself, Mary can be at peace that God is a forgiving, loving and compassionate being that wants to use the death as an opportunity to help her and others through healing. Keeping the hurt inside only magnifies the pain and makes Mary's life miserable and the purpose of her husband's death is hindered by her lack of healing.

If Mary feels her husband is to blame (maybe he did not take necessary safety precautions), she needs to look at true factors. Her husband did not have control over the accident taking place. No one takes their life, only God decides when it will happen, even if they have intentions to do so.

If Mary feels another driver is to blame, there are questions that can help her realize otherwise. Did that other driver get up that day and decide they were going to pull out in front of her husband or intentionally run into his vehicle? If the other driver was drinking and driving, did they do so intentionally thinking of killing her husband? What good would it do to blame the driver anyway? Who is that blame hurting?

3. Resolve. If Mary can zero in on the feeling and rationally look at why that feeling is wrong, she can retrain her brain. As a Christian, I believe she can do this with God's help. Regardless, Mary must take action. She must remove that "stink'in think'in" and replace it with positive truth and act on that truth with belief. She may need to seek a trusted counselor's help or a trusted friend that can hold her accountable.

The key to breaking through is ACTION.

Do you need to relive a memory and deal with the feeling that is pulling you down?



Love is a gift - Here's a video that may bless you