Your conscious mind is limited. It can only think of a few things at a time. That is usually not a problem, but can be when it comes to making quick decisions under pressure or mindless distraction. When hungry we may overeat and forget about our health goals. Because a good deal seems to only be available for the next few minutes, we may spend money on that and not have enough money to spend on a more important priority. We may not use our time to best advantage because of relatively unimportant distractions and so do not accomplish the key tasks needed to achieve our priority goals and win the trophy of the life we want.

 

trophy

 

A Few Starting Methods to Keep Your Priorities Present

  1. Write your priorities so you can see and review them often. Be as descriptive as possible and make sure you review them before making important decisions. Make it a habit to take a few extra minutes to review your priorities even under a time pressure.
  2. Visit your default future. If you continue on your current course, what will your future be like? Visit it as vividly as you can. For example, if you have diabetes and are not managing it correctly, it can have devastating results. Visit a diabetic clinic and see what the results have been for other people and could be in store for you. You smoke. Look at pictures of people with lung cancer. If you are not following a successful financial plan to secure your future, visit older people who have reached retirement age and are living on very limited incomes.
  3. Visit your desired future. Go where people are already enjoying the future you hope to achieve. Experience what it will feel like. Post pictures around your house and on your desk that represent what you want. Talk about what you want and your willingness to pay the price in effort and resources to achieve it.
  4. Make it a game and keep track of your score. You want to lose weight? Set a target score and monitor your progress. You win each day you keep within a certain calorie count or each pound you lose. Practice the plays (methods) that will make you a success, like having scheduled snacks instead of impulse ones.

 

Determine your critical moments and vital behaviors to deal successfully with those moments.

It is interesting that the word tennis has its origin in the word temptation. The player hitting the ball would yell tennis to indicate the ball is fast coming into your court and you have no choice other than dealing with it.

 

tennis

 

In tennis, as in life, there are critical moments (when the ball is fast coming into your court) and you must determine and use the best vital behaviors to respond successfully to it.

Identify Your Crucial Moments and Vital Behaviors

Even the best plans or program designs need to be adjusted and de-bugged before they are completely successful. New software programs always have to be de-bugged to really work right. With people and their personal plans for success, it might be better to use the term de-butted. Few plans are successful right away. They need to be continually adjusted and modified until they work perfectly for you. That is where but comes in. It is a wonderful device if used correctly. It should not be used as an excuse, nor used to blame someone else. It should only be used to adjust your plans. For example, if success means losing weight, your plans probably include eating no more than a certain number of calories a day. If successful, great! If not successful, you might say you intended to eat fewer calories, but … The information that comes after but can help you determine critical moments that can make or break your plan. For example, your critical moments when you are tempted to overeat might include when dining at a restaurant, eating while watching television, or having someone bring in a box of doughnuts. How are you going to deal with these tennis moments? That is where vital behaviors come in. Your vital behavior at a restaurant might be to ask for a take-home carton and place any extra food in it before you start eating. You might make it a rule in your home to not eat while watching television. You might have any box of dangerous doughnuts placed where you cannot see them and, of course, out of reach. It might also be a good time to visit your desired future.

the key is not

Go to changinganything.com. Watch one or more introductory videos showing how children and adults can be influenced to either disregard their priorities or stick to them.

 

Go to http://www.learningsuccess.com for FREE games & activities to develop personal and family success.

Copyright 2016 Brent Evans – Learning Success

 

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