completely until you realize that you're not better than anyone else, but you're not worse than anyone else either - that at your central core is the very same Spirit of all that's good and powerful and possible, the same Spirit that exists within God and all of His creation. When you can accept yourself as part of the Creative Source of all that's good, there's room for positive growth. When you can't accept this fact or refuse to, I doubt very much you'll ever reach your full potential until you do. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that out of Body, Mind & Spirit, two of those areas are internal. What you are to become, the light you are to manifest, the successes you are to achieve ALL are dependent upon a balancing act of which 2/3's is gonna come from an internal strength source. Therefore, it is vital for your transformation and growth that you expand your self-image and self-concept of yourself right now, by accepting yourself who you are, and telling yourself you're good because God initially created you good and deep, deep, deep inside you still are good! I don't care what method you use as long as right now you believe you're on equal footing with the rest of mankind, and that you're no better or worse. Now identify and declare what you know about yourself and determine your initial, transformation starting point.
Starting Body-for-LIFE requires "looking deep within yourself" AND "focusing upon your future vision" THEN CHANGING or TRANSFORMING PATTERNS OF ACTION. And the "key" to what to focus on is "ALL THE POSSIBILITIES" NOT "WHAT ARE ALL THE LIMITATIONS!" I cannot emphasize this enough. The world (and ourselves) have seen enough of the effect of the narrow-minded views of ya can't do this, ya can't do that, or ya have ta be this, or ya have ta be that! What are the possibilities? What are the things we can do? What unites, not divides? Can we see beyond our own limitations? Surprise! There are no absolutes other than change itself!
"Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest." - Beatrix Potter
Did deep, find out who you are, find out that you're OK being you, that God loves you even if humans don't, that you can begin to love yourself and cut through all the crap that everyone's done to you or said about you, find out that yes - there's room for improvement (in some cases like mine - a mild understatement), that yes - you've been given some things that are of value, values that you can use for yourself and eventually for others, that you can apply in new ways - even if it goes against the grain of other limited minds and hearts. This first step of evaluation is vital. Take a good inventory of yourself and where you've been and how you've been affected by others. Then focus on the good stuff! That's just as vital. There's no sense dwelling on the negatives! Look beyond, find a way through or around the adversity! Set the goal of phenomenal inner growth and reaching beyond limitations as one of your spiritual goals. Even beyond the limitations of your own mind! You don't need any more negatives at this very crucial point of transformation and change. From anyone. From even yourself! Come out of your evaluation in a very positive light! Can you see the future? It looks fantastic - doesn't it?!!! If not, go back and start over until you see the future looking absolutely wonderful!!!!
"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else." - Winston Churchill
I decided that the Body-for-LIFE program "was for me" and it was going to improve my life in all areas inner and outer. My starting point was one-step back from death. I knew the 2 fights I had been in to stay alive on this side of the grave. I knew I had to do something positive in my life. I knew I had to conquer my inner self. I knew health and fitness was somehow a priority that had to be internalized for inner strength. I knew I was weak inside physically, emotionally an mentally.
I also decided that I was going to take the Body-for-LIFE Challenge 2001 to re-establish my mental and physical strength. I knew I needed an intense sense of purpose and mission, that I needed to refocus my priorities. I knew my destiny was about to be strengthened and changed. And, I knew I could count on the Body-for-LIFE program (I'd done a part of it before and the nutritional and exercising part of it had worked)! These are the things I knew about myself and that determined my starting point.
I decided that I had to look at my attitude, my career, my family, my finances, my recreational activities, my mental state, my physical state, my social state and my spiritual state. I had to decide what was good and what was bad in each of those areas. I had to decide where I was weak and where I was strong. To me this was very important as it begins to determine the vision of health and well being you're going to have for yourself. So, I'm going to ask you again, "Have you identified the starting point in your life for transformation?"
"Do you believe that deep inside you're a good person?"
"Have you decided what to do about making changes?"
Next, start focusing on all your hopes and dreams and what could be, what you'd like to become or see or experience in every area of your life. Hit all the areas. Totally overwhelm yourself with all the possibilities! Write them all down. Shoot for the moon. If ya miss, you'll end up among the stars! Categorize your goals into 8 areas if that method helps you. I wrote stuff down under Career, Family, Financial, Spiritual, Social, Physical, Mental, and Recreational. Somewhere in all this, you can begin to discover what's in store for you, what you can accomplish if you put your heart and soul and mind and spirit into it, who it is you can become in all these areas. Open yourself up to existentialize your future vision to all the possibilities of what could be. This is vital and goes beyond every negative thought or feeling you could imagine. It's so easy for us to dwell with negatives. Why is that? Old, dying habits still try to drag us down. Old habits die hard. Get rid of them. With every negative energy source there also exists the positive. Look for the positive. Dwell and grow with it in all areas you are presently involved in, and those you'd like to be. But, keep your focus on those goals that are going to change some aspect of yourself in some positive way over the next 12-weeks. Never mind the goals of others at this point. It is vitally important that you start with just yourself for the next 12-weeks. Even if you're doing the couple thing, together you are one, and your goals are combined. Write them all down. |
