Maintaining Your Course of Self Improvement

Stay the Course

There will be times that you may feel you’re not making the progress you should be making towards achieving your goals. We all have times where we feel less motivated to do what we know we should be doing. Apathy
and negative feelings may start to creep in. It’s often difficult to continue forward, despite momentary setbacks, but you must. Here are some tips that may help you out of a rut.

Stay Positive
Mental attitude is paramount to sticking with your program.
Remind yourself continually, that you have chosen this course for a reason: In order to achieve something you really want. Remind yourself how good it will feel when you get to where you’re going.
Picture yourself as you would be after you’ve achieved what you want. Picture yourself and how you’ll feel about your success.
Many of us have negative thoughts we’re barely aware of, that are hindering us. Try speaking out loud to yourself and give yourself
positive, affirmative things to say such as: I know I can do this.
I may be tired right now, but I can still carry on. Pretend someone else is by you, telling you to continue. Play music or take a walk in nature to lift your spirits. Be like Tommy the Train who said “I think I can …I think I can…I think I can” all the way to the station. You CAN.

Push Versus Pull

You can’t push ahead with positive things if you haven’t eliminated the negative. You really can’t “push” anything or anyone to do what you want because you only control yourself. Keep bringing the positive in and pushing the negative out. Be aware of both the positive and negative vibes you are receiving and gravitate to the things that make you feel good.
The more you practice this, the more positive things you’ll attract towards you.

Persistence Pays Off

You recall the story of the Tortoise and the Hare, don’t you?
The rabbit was so much faster than the little turtle he believed there was no way the turtle could beat him. What happened? The rabbit got side tracked while the turtle kept plugging along. Who won the race? That persistent little turtle did.
When you look around at all the rabbits out there, remind yourself of
this story. Persistence always pays off. The rabbits may be fast or even look like they’re having a great time, but don’t be fooled.
They eventually trip themselves up and most of them wish they had endurance. Make endurance your goal. Self improvement is a gradual process.
A gardener who plants a seed does not expect his apple tree to grow overnight. He waters it, feeds it and treats it gently as it grows.
Be gentle with yourself. Treat yourself with the special care you deserve. Know today is a process that will result in victory in the future. Patience is a virtue, the old wise man said, but remember to be patient with yourself most of all. The day will come when you are standing at the top of the mountain you’re looking up at, right this moment. So treat yourself kindly and positively and be patient.
There is a time for everything and the time will come to reap your rewards and imagine how good that will feel.

Have a Buddy

Perhaps there’s someone going on this journey with you. That’s great if you have. Even if you’re doing this alone, it helps to have a buddy: Someone to encourage you and build you up when you need it.
Our own vision of ourselves may be distorted when we become negative or discouraged. It helps to have someone around who see’s
the good in you and is not afraid to tell you. We are own worst enemy at times. We are harder on ourselves than we would be with anyone else. Remember, you may not be as good as you want to be, but that doesn’t mean you’re the worst person in the world, either.
Let your friends know of your undertaking and let them cheer you on.
It’s ok to do it alone, but it may move you along faster if you have a support buddy.

No one said that the road to self improvement would be an easy one.
Use as much patience, persistence and courage you have to move forward. It’s the secret of success.