Altering Up

I believe we can alter the course of our life at any moment. Every day holds thousands of moments that influence us to make choices, which produce outcomes, incomes, conundrums or even hum-drums. Over the last few weeks I have been exposed to a variety of moments, instances, visions, dreams, and examples of some choices that people made to change their state of being. Each one subtly charged an impetus within me to want to change things up in my own life.

I don’t necessarily subscribe to the “new year, new you” philosophy, but I do encourage it if it helps act as a catalyst for people to do an annual personal life evaluation. You can adopt this any time throughout the year if you feel stuck in areas of your life and know you need to make a change. It just so happened that my time to self-evaluate (powered by similar moments) came near the end of the year. Recently, over the course of a couple of weeks I felt a power emanating from several observations. They evoked a trigger within me that made me want to build on my own strengths and elevate areas I wanted to improve in.

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”

Some of the moments included:

• Watching the movie of the story of the Williams sisters—tennis champions. The daily dedication to always do their best, and not just in one area, was very humbling and inspiring. They studied hard, got good grades, were smart, respectful and determined to be the best at what they did.

• Another was a random video I saw of a young teenager who was skinny but was determined to build his muscles and transform his body. It took him two years to see significant changes. It was his personal determination to do this for himself that struck a chord. Incredible change.

• There was another young lady who sculpted her body over the last year and you could see the confidence she exuded because of her personal triumph.

• Another couple of friends finished books they had been working on for two years each. They took their thoughts and formulated them into a finished product that they could share with others. Leaving an impression in this life, with persistence and desire.

None of these examples happened overnight. The decision to head in a specific direction was made in a moment, but the fulfillment and outcome were incremental, accomplished over time. I also love and appreciate the stories that are told. We would scarcely be inspired to aim higher if it weren’t for the motivating forces of what others have done. Examples can be powerful. So, do the things. Follow your plan. Write it down, blog it, video it. Share it. There is a lot of content in the world these days, but you never know what you will see that will change your direction or what you do that someone else will witness that will change theirs.

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.” — John F. Kennedy

So, how can you alter your life upward? Start by paying attention to who you are. Some tricks to help you identify your strengths and areas you could improve or change (notice I’m not saying weaknesses) are:

• Ask friends or associates to describe you. Ask them to be brutally honest.

• How would you write your own eulogy or press release for your personal bests?

• Identify what you’d like to have more of or less of.

• Do you like what you hear when you get the feedback? What would you like to hear said differently?

• What would you like to tell your 10-year-younger self? Then, visualize yourself 5 or 10 years from now talking to your present self. What recommendations will you make?

I’ve always liked doing 90-day challenges. I’ve been able to stick to them every time I’ve committed. They’ve usually been giving something up for the duration of the challenge as an act of discipline. This time I have decided to give myself one full year to dedicating my energy and efforts to healthier habits with consistency. I’d like to see what that kind of dedication can do to improve my “form.” I have identified specific physical goals to target. Other personal goals include:

• Improving my posture

• Not hitting the snooze button when the alarm goes off

• Not allowing food to go bad

• Reading something non-work-related for a minimum of 45 minutes a day

• Daily exercise/activity two times each day for at least 20 minutes each

Remember, no one else can do it for you. Be known as the person you wish to be. Set the example and raise the bar. I believe you can do it!

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” — Rumi