The Power of Focus and Feelings.

Welcome to my new years post. It is ingrained in our culture that New Years is a time for “resolutions”. I’m going to break the news for you. The vast majority of people who set New Years Resolutions have quit them by the second week. They are missing a key ingredient to be success. First, if you are one of the people who have set a NewYears Resolution, I am behind you completely I wish you the best. I hope you find some resources on this blog that help you follow through.

We as Americans have been trained to think that we are all perfect snowflakes that never need to change. I have some news for you, the percentage of us getting cancer (41%, some cases are genetic), the number of us over weight (66%), the percentage of us who go about our daily lives hating our jobs(debatable, 80% is a common estimate) have been on the rise for decades.

As you are reading this, it means that you want more than a resolution. You want REAL RESULTS. This could be in any form. Imagine the person you want to be, by this I don’t mean think of your favorite celebrity. Maybe that person has traits that you would like to see in yourself, more importantly this is a self-reflection. Imagine the best version of yourself, ask yourself what is one thing that person has that right now. As it is something you really want to achieve, it is worth working for. Many of you know my most recent personal challenge. I want to have what I have entitled, A Killer Beach Volleyball Body. This involves a six-pack, and larger, more toned muscles. For the record, I have been a skinny lanky guy my entire life. I have never had even the inkling of a six-pack, EVER. I have recently completed the first of this six month goal. And all the hard work has paid off; even through the holidays I have noticed an amazing difference. But again, it has been a fair amount of work. I can promise you, that how I framed it in my mind it was not hard. At the beginning of every work out, every meal, I focus on the image I have in my head of the person I want to be. I repeated the mantra, “this time is for me, this time is only for achieving my desired outcome”. I have now done this so many times that it is a reality to me. And with every workout and every meal I have had, my will power to achieve my goal of having that “Killer Beach Volleyball Body” is even closer. (I highly recommend you check this workout program out)

The power of focus and visualization can be learned. This is not a gift anyone is born with. You can learn this trick too, and gain from the immense success that it offers. I learned it from Grandmaster in Tae Kwon Do Nam Kwon Hyong. Working to achieve my black belt, I had to break two concrete slabs with my hand. I weighed 160 lbs and was six foot two. There is no way looking at me that you could have imagined me breaking concrete. Every night for two months I visualized myself breaking those bricks over and over until it became a reality. By the time I stepped in front of the real concrete slabs, my unconscious mind was the quietest it had ever been. I had trained it so well that there was only one possible result that swinging my arm would produce. It had become so simple. Of course I had to practice the technique, but the hardest thing is the belief that you can be successful. (I know that my sister is reading this week, and I do have to send her a shout out. She helped me stay accountable for my practice. Thanks Liz, BEST SISTER EVER!)

Now, back to the task at hand. Remember last week’s thought process of…

POSITIVE THOUGHTS lead to POSITIVE EMOTIONS lead to POSITIVEACTIONS lead to POSITIVE RESULTS.

Here is where we will put it into practice. Take the one thing that you would like to transform yourself into.

Step One: Identify the one thing you would like to achieve. Be specific; make sure it is a RESULT. Identify a date you will have it achieved by. If you are new to this, I would recommend no more than three months. And break it down to clear benchmarks by month.

For example, you want to loose weight. First, don’t make weight loss; frame it this way, it will be about weight. In the best-case scenario, you will loose the weight and once you reach your goal, you will start gaining it back. Take your focus off the weight. Lets focus on the positive. I want to live a healthier life style. Break that down into the key outcomes. I consume those foods that will nourish my mind and body. I am able to run/walk one mile in under a specific time. My joints are the healthiest they have ever been. Once you figure the outcomes, focus on why you want these.

Step Two: What is your purpose? Healthy eating is important because, I will be more attractive to the opposite sex, it will make me feel positive, I will prove that I can control my life, I will have more energy after I eat. Do the same thing for each of your outcomes. It was this strategy that allowed me to turn myself around.

(How many of us can say that after we are done eating we want to run a mile, or challenge something new. For the vast majority of my life, I was in at least two comas a day, one food coma at lunch and one after dinner. It was all induced from fatty foods or a crash after I ate plenty of sugar. )

When you focus on the result, allow yourself to get excited about it. Going after what you want is exciting, and when you continue to focus on your desired outcome you will keep getting excited.

Step Three: Identify your actions, what is it you need to do to accomplish your result. Some you will know, some you may not. This is why god invented the Internet. For me I have tried a variety of workout programs, none worked the way I wanted them to; mostly because I didn’t follow through the first two steps. (Right now I am using SixPackShortcuts, it is a viable workout program for many body types, both men and women. In this program you are assigned a certified personal trainer/coach and they help modify the program to fit your specific needs.) Seek out experts; there are plenty of blogs, and expert sites that provide guidance and suggestions. Seek out a friend, or pose a question in the comments section of this blog. If you ask for help, you will often be impressed with the amount of people who are willing to assist you on your journey.

Step Four: Make an actionable plan. Have a plan for when you will do each action, each day and week for a month. Once that plan is complete, follow through. If you are going to the gym, and you had to work late, go for whatever amount of time you can spare, even if it is only fifteen minutes. You will get something out of it. More importantly you will feel better having done it, both physically and mentally.

Now is finally the time for you to identify your Positive Result. Tackle it and let me know how it goes.

Fill your mind with positive thoughts. Next week, is the Positive Challenge, get ready I will be working on it this week and will report my results on the next posting!

Make this week the best week of your life. Take that next POSITIVEACTION to the person you want to be!



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Before you look to next year, take stock in all that you have accomplished this year.

To learn more about the shortcut to six pack abs. Check it out.