Doctor Kem's Success Blog: TIPS TO HELP YOU FINISH STRONG IN 2013!

FINISH STRONG IN 2013!

Ok so we're about to enter the 'ember months now. 4 months to the end of 2013.

However you have performed up til now, you can still finish strong this year. Here are some tips to help you do this

Now, 80-95% of those reading this won’t do a thing with the information on here.

Why?

Not cos it doesn’t work - it does work, as the numerous clients I and others have worked with can testify.

Not cos it’s hard or difficult. On the contrary it’s very easy to do this stuff.

But they won’t do it because it’s so easy NOT to do.

Then they will sit around, criticize and complain about the diligent and successful 5-10% who make the effort to do the easy little things that make ALL the difference.

Choice is yours.
Choose to finish strong, dear reader - you CAN do this! And if it's to be, it's up to you.

If you desire to TAKE ACTION and FINISH STRONG this year, as I do, here’s what to do:

First, go to a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted, get a notebook and GAP (Grab A Pen)!

You’re about to do a lot of writing because
a) Writing forces you to FOCUS on what you are writing about and

b) Writing gives you a certain CLARITY about issues.
c) Writing with pen and paper has a certain POWER about it that is not quite the same as typing on a computer… but typing it out is ok too so because of (a) and (b) above.

Then:

Get clear on your values.

Your values are the things that are most important to you, and form the foundation of everything else you do: you feel frustrated and guilty when something you're doing violates your values so get clear of what those values are, then line up your goals and actions so that they are congruent with them.

Violating your values is for instance, why you feel guilty when you’ve eaten junk food if health is one of your values. If you didn’t give two hoots about health you’d happily indulge in habits that damage your health, with no feeling of guilt. Or if you neglect to phone someone you love because you’ve got a visitor in the house at the time you were meant to call em, you feel guilty and frustrated because you’ve violated the value of quality time with your loved one. If you’re not clear on what your values are though you won’t know why you feel frustrated and stressed all the time.

In addition when you know your values and their order of priority, you find it easy to make decisions and to say no when you mean to say no.

So get clear on your values and write them down now. Write them down in order of priority so that you know which ones it’s ok to swap around if the occasion arises: for instance one of the ladies in the Health Coaching group I run on FB had to choose between spending time with her little one, and going for a workout - both health and family time are important to her but getting clear on which was more important helped her make the decision of which one to do at the moment, without feeling guilty. It also gave her the flexibility to ensure she fitted in the other activity at some point in her week.

Re-write/update your goals list.

What main goals do you desire to achieve by December 31, 2013? Write them down NOW.

These goals must line up with your stated values. Otherwise you will sabotage yourself along the way. But be clear and specific when writing your goals and be sure to include the 31st of December as your intended date of achievement - that way your mind has something to aim for.

Then get into the habit of rewriting this updated list DAILY (daily goal setting) first thing in the morning. This is a powerful way to start you off focused at the start of the day. Easy to do, easy not to do. Your choice.

Star In Your Own (Mental) Movie:
Write & Act Out Your Screenplay

What sort of person do you need to be, to have achieved your written goals by the 31st of

December?

Describe this sort of person clearly - in writing. This here is you writing the screenplay for the rest of your life- least for the next 4 months.

Create a mental image, a mental movie even, of you in the role of this person. Yep write this down too: What do you look like, what behaviours and habits do you have, what do you smell like, how do you feel, in that role?

Watch this movie any spare moment you get - this is called "directed daydreaming."

Get Organised & Take Action!

What ACTIONS do you need to take weekly or daily, to make your goals happen? Write them down. Like the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. So write out your winning strategy now. At the start of each week, write out your week’s targets/goals and actions.

At the end of each day, write down your TO DO list for the following day. Leave nothing to chance, but be flexible enough to accomodate things that come up in the course of life.

ACTION is where the rubber meets the road. You can think positive until you are blue in the face and you get brain cramps, but if you do not take ACTION, NOTHING happens!

So write down your ACTION PLAN for the next 4 months.

Break this down into Weekly Action Plan then your Daily Action Plan list.

Prioritise your list and do the most important items first. Never start a less important task without completing an important one. (See time management below)

Then start ACTING on what you’ve written as soon as you possibly can.

Break Free From Limiting Beliefs

Weed out limiting beliefs and disempowering "can't do" thoughts - then blast em into smithereens by creatively bombarding your mind with empowering "can-do" thoughts.

Limiting beliefs are those thoughts that lead you to think less of yourself than you are. They are so called because they limit your effectiveness and productivity by creating in your mind, an image of yourself that's less capable than you really are. It's important to overcome them because your beliefs determine your self image, which determines your actions, which determine your results.

So if the result you desire is to finish strong this year, then you've gotta start now to replace your limiting beliefs with strong, empowering, "can-do" beliefs about yourself.

How To Do This:
1) First you've gotta become aware of what these beliefs are. So get an A4 sheet of paper, and draw a line down the middle of it.

On one side, write down a list of negative thoughts you have about yourself such as ‘I’m not clever’ or ‘I’m not good enough’ or whatever thoughts are holding you back. As they occur to you, or at times when you notice yourself feeling low, write down the thoughts in your head at the time.

Then on the other side of the sheet, write down the corresponding opposite (positive) statement/thought to the negative one.
So for instance to correspond with the examples above you’d write: ‘I am clever’ , ‘I am good enough’ etc.

Flood your mind with images and words/thoughts of success, positivity, power, love, health, all good things. I find the Scriptures (aka ‘old testament’) a powerful repository of words with the qualities described above.

ii) Engage audio sense. If you’ve got a ‘voice memo’ or its equivalent on your phone, record yourself reading out the description you wrote above of the sort of person you are when you’ve achieved your goal, plus the positive thoughts you wrote down on your list above. Play your recording many times each day but at least twice a day.

Repetition got you where you are in terms of your current beliefs - repetition will get you out so long as you’re repeating the right thoughts.

iii) The famous 'rubber band' technique: put on a rubber band around your wrist. Each time you catch yourself saying something bad about yourself or putting yourself down, snap that rubber band and IMMEDIATELY say the opposite to yourself either silently or out loud. Literally snaps you out of that funk of destructive thinking.

iv) Dream Board - start collecting images that match your desired end result - use your sense of vision to flood your mind with empowering images and you will remain focused on the right track, and cultivate a healthy esteem of yourself.
Believe!

Believe without a shadow of doubt that you can and will achieve your goals.

Even if you’ve never achieved any goal to date, remember that your past DOES NOT EQUAL your future. The fact you messed up does not mean you are bound to mess up again. So quit living in the past. Believe for a better future.

Pick up lessons from the past but do like Yah says in Isaiah 43 and “forget the former things, do not dwell on the past, see, I’m doing a NEW thing”. Look ahead and focus on the new thing that's happening.

Dwelling on the past while moving forward is like driving while focusing on your rear view mirror - you’ll soon crash.

Keep your focus on your intended destination and believe you can and will get there.

Then line up your words and your actions with your belief.

7. Plug Into A Support System

Any life change becomes lasting when you are in an environment that's supportive. Stay away from haters and nay sayers - you need to focus and tune out the noise around you. Surround yourself with forward thinking proactive people, not lazy people whose most active muscle is their tongue.

The right support system will help you stay on track, get back on track when you derail, keep you accountable and give you the chance to give support also.

So choose your friends wisely and stay away from toxic people.

8. Use Your Time Well

Time is a gift that is only here once. Once this moment is gone it's gone forever. So use yours wisely.

With your being clear on your goals and values, you'll find it easy to use your time well because you'll be careful to spend it doing things that bring you closer to your goals.

Be brutal about protecting your time - don't let others dictate how your time is spent - it's YOUR life you're working on, remember.

Refuse to eat the bread of idleness: be diligent in your use of time. Make it worth it.

Prioritise your to do list on a daily basis, and be sure to complete the most important ones first.

Items in quadrant II in the diagram above should form the bulk of your activities (they've included some examples to give you an idea what should go in there)

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

(if you are on track, that is - you don't want to be repeating the wrong actions and expecting the right results!)