Is Someone Holding You Back?

When it comes to pursing goals and dreams, we first have to believe in ourselves. We must believe in our ability to accomplish the vision we have for ourselves.

Next we need support. This support can come from family, friends, a romantic partner, or even coworkers. It is important to be able to differentiate between actual help and support and nay saying.

Sometimes people who love us think they have our best interest at heart when they tell us, not to move forward.

"Don't leave that job. I know you hate it, but the economy is bad. You won't find another more fulfilling job any time soon."

"Do you really think you should try and be your own boss? Someone I know tried it and failed miserably. They had to file for bankruptcy."

"Why do you need to stick to your diet? You did good all week, it's okay to splurge on the weekend. Go ahead and have that cake and ice cream."

"Why would you want to move to that new city, you don't even know anyone there? You might not find work and end up homeless, get murdered, catch a fatal disease, or be so lonely you will come running back. You might as well just stay put."

Statements like these, while laced with concern, are often just barriers to your success.

As people on a mission, we have to know when to cut the nay sayers, and fake supporters off.

I came across this article about a woman who was obese, and realized she had to break up with her fiance in order to lose weight. Her fiance didn't want her to improve her lifestyle even if it was killing her. So she had to let him go. Check out the article to see how she looks now!

The next time someone offers support that tears you down rather than builds you up, cut them loose. If you can't cut them loose, think about why succeeding at  your goals is so important to you. Stay focused and continue to move forward.

Change

"The only thing that is constant is change." Heraclitus

In life things change. Seasons change, we age, we marry or divorce, have children, children grow up, we start a new job, or leave a job. Every day we are presented with some form of change.

Some people fight against change, opting instead to stay in their comfort zones. I myself have been guilty of this. I've stayed in situations because I was used to them, even if they made me unhappy.

I've often remained in comfort zones so long, despite all of the evidence that I should leave, that the universe had no choice but to force me out of the situation.

The main changes I have avoided, turned out to be good for me. Even when I was forced out of a situation, I looked back and was grateful for the push.

Recently I have experienced a lot of change. This change has caused me to demand that I make decisions and move forward in my life, rather than stay stuck in stagnation.

Have you avoided making decisions or moves in your life because you feared change?

Today I came across "11 Calming Reminders That Change is a Good Thing" in the Huffington Post. It reminded me that change is imminent, and should be embraced.

What changes have you been avoiding or dreading? How can you look at that change differently?

Get Healthy, Get Fit

I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I've lost weight and gained weight more times than I can count.

So here I am on my weight loss journey again. This time, however, instead of just being concerned about fitting into a cute pair of skinny jeans, I'm more concerned about my health.

When doctors tell me everything that is wrong with me, and how many pills they are going to want me to take, I realize how much I've taken my health for granted.

In my effort to get well, I began searching for ways that foods can help me to not only lose weight, but heal my body.

I watched great documentaries like "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead"  and "Vegucated" which show the power of fruits and vegetables.

There is a ton of health information everywhere you look. I try to just stick with what is simple and natural.

Here are some of the other things I have come across this week:

• Eight Foods You Should Eat Everyday  
• Because you can't accomplish any positive change with a negative mind, "How to Turn Your Negative Mind Into a Positive One"
• If you're just starting to workout, you may not realize that you are doing some moves the wrong way. "8 Exercises You're Probably Doing Wrong"
• Because all work and no fun makes for a boring life, "10 Cocktails With 150 Calories or Less."
• 55 Healthy Snacks Under 200 Calories
• Giving me something to aspire to, here are some fitness festivals happening next year.
• Yoga anyone? "Fat Melting Yoga Moves You Can Do at Home"

The Moment

In life we give up on our dreams for any number of reasons. Perhaps money issues, not being able to find a job in the field you desire, or the responsibilities of raising a family led to you letting go of your ultimate dream.

On the new show The Moment which airs on the USA network select people are given a second chance to live their dreams.

The Huffington Post highlighted the story of Derek James who always dreamed of being a chef at the White House. In his episode of The Moment, Derek got to work beside the White House executive chefs and apply for a job. He got the job!

Click here to watch full episodes of The Moment, and to remember that it's never too late.

These outcomes of old dreams realized aren't just for television. How can you take  your moment and make set aside dreams a reality now?

Change is Possible

I am always on the look out for success stories, and motivational articles. I came across this success story on the Huffington Post website.

Joseph D. Airdo once weighed over 400 pounds and wore a 7XL shirt. Today he is 285 pounds lighter and says that he lost the weight solely from diet and exercise alone.

These are my favorite success stories, because they don't involve any gimmicks or expensive surgeries, just hard work. Joseph says of his success:

People are desperate for that magic bullet or pill, but there isn't any. People ask all the time about how I did it and how I eat now. I feel that it is harder to keep the weight off than it was to lose it. But they don't want to hear what I have to say about keeping it off. I am looked at and perceived by others in a completely different light since I have lost the weight. I get respect now instead of ridicule and laughter.

Continue reading Joseph's story here.

Accepting Yourself As You Are

A week or so ago I saw a picture posted on Facebook of a person wearing a turban and some jokes underneath it. I scrolled past the picture because I really don't like it when people take pictures of others without permission for the sole purpose of posting it online and making fun of that person.

A day or two later I saw an article written about the person who was in the picture. I learned that her name is Balpreet Kaur.  Kaur, is a student at Ohio State University. The picture that was plastered online was taken by another student and intended to be a nasty joke. Kaur learned about her picture being online and people in the comments section making fun of her looks.

Rather than cry or hide, as if ashamed of her looks, she spoke out! Not only did Kaur comment to the person who posted her picture and the people who made mean comments, but she did so with love.  She explained her Sikh faith and inspired other people to see themselves differently in the process.

Now in her post on the Huffington Post she writes about, "Turning Ugliness Into Beauty Through Interfaith Leadership".

Kaur has been an inspiration because she accepts herself as she is.  I hope that we all can do the same.

Tools to Overcome Fear

Recently I wrote a blog post about being scared to succeed. I came across this article from Fabienne Fredrickson, founder of Clientattraction.com. She wrote an article for Forbes in which she gives advice on, "Four Ways to Break Through Your Fear and Self Doubt".

Also there was an article in the  Huffington Post which talks about the fear of success, and gives tools for overcoming that fear.
Terri Cole, who wrote the article, suggests journaling as one of the tools for overcoming fear.
I am a huge fan of journaling, and know that it can help a person to overcome many different obstacles and emotions. Through journaling you can discover what exactly you are afraid of, and even come up with ways to move past the fear.


If you have struggled with the fear of failure or success, check out this article, as well as Fabienne's article for tips to overcome it.