By: Jennifer Hefner
HH Mindset: Becoming Action Oriented
Successful people develop a sense of urgency
and actually take actions, rather than talking continually about
what they are going to do.
~Brian Tracy~
I’m just going to get to it today! Are you an ACTION ORIENTED individual? Do you take action in life or do you let life happen to you? Do you feel like everything happens to you? Are you the “woe is me” type? Maybe you are or maybe you know someone like this. I truly believe there are times we need to be silent, sit back, let life happen. Let things play out. Let things evolve. Then I truly believe there are times we as individuals need to TAKE ACTION! We need to quit feeling sorry for ourselves, for our situations, quit making excuses and playing the blame game, take the reigns and get busy!
I think some people are naturally “action oriented” people. I am sure you know someone like this. They exhume confidence, they are “busy” doing life, they don’t let hiccups get in the way. So how does someone become “action oriented”? Is it possible to become action oriented if you aren’t natural at it? Well, like anything else in life I would say YES! Anything is possible! It may take a little work, but we can do it!
Since we are working towards becoming healthier versions of ourselves, we will apply the concept of becoming action oriented to our health journey for reference here. As I was researching for this blog, it dawned on me that a lot of the concepts for being “action oriented” coincide with many topics we have been covering throughout the mindset process. You may see these as duplications, but obviously they are all intertwined for improved mindset. I found some great points from thestrive.com and strengthscape.com that will be a great reminder as we push forward in our journeys. So, let’s take a look at some of the ways we can launch ourselves into becoming “action oriented”.
Time Management! We’ve heard this before. Really pay attention to how you are spending your time. If we are spending more time surfing social media, sitting on the coach, or comparing ourselves to others, we are missing out on time! Time we can be exercising, visiting with a friend or family member, cooking healthy meals. HUNT FOR TIME. A lot of us are wasting time instead of utilizing it.
Take Action Quickly! This speaks for itself. The quicker we act, the more likely we will be to continue. Think about it, the longer we think instead of acting, we talk ourselves out of whatever it is we could be doing. It becomes easier and easier to just not do it. Then we fall right back into our old habits.
Know Your Goal! We have talked about this a lot. Define your goal. Whether this is a goal you will be working on for an extended period of time or a goal for the day, know what your goal is and stick to it. As stated by strengthscape.com, if you are confused about your goal, you will get distracted. So make sure you have a clearly defined goal. Lay out the plan and stick to it!
Be Organized! Yep, another one we have heard. But I am hear to tell you, that if you aren’t organized you are definitely going to struggle. I am applying this to the areas of our health journey. If you don’t meal plan and prep at least the night before, your healthy eating is going to become difficult whether you work at home or outside your home. Believe me, I live this! I know many of you can relate. Time can become an issue if you are running late for work in the morning, therefore you are at the mercy of what you have leftover in your fridge if you are working from home. If you work outside the home, you are going to be left with the restaurants where you work. And speaking for myself, this never ends well. Time constraints, lack of healthy options, excuse, excuse, excuse and all of a sudden healthier eating has gone out the window for the day and guilt creeps in. So- get organized and plan ahead!
Reward Yourself! What is meeting goals if you don’t reward yourself? And when we talk about rewards, let’s keep in mind what our goals are. So we are not talking about rewarding ourselves with binge eating an entire pizza or tub of ice cream. But maybe you have a small “treat” day on Saturday that fits into your calories. Maybe you reward yourself with a new pair of shoes or workout pants. Or maybe your reward is watching a movie. But giving yourself a little pat on the back will keep you working hard!
Be Curious and Inquisitive! What is life if we don’t learn something new or ask questions? Have you ever heard of an exercise class that you had no idea what it entailed? Maybe you would love it! I am always learning of new programs or equipment. I would probably still be wearing the same old running shoes if I didn’t talk to people about their shoes. And I would probably still be trying to do the same old lifting program I had from college if I didn’t try new programs. And boy oh boy, that doesn’t bring back good memories! I would be thinking about my college coach yelling at me and probably doing more damage to my already ripped up shoulder, lol! Thank goodness there are new ways to get strong! And nutrition! That is a whole other story! So stay curious and keep learning!
Picture Yourself to be the Person YOU want to Be! We talk about this a lot! Picture yourself as the person you want to be and TAKE ACTION!
As you work on TAKING ACTION, be FEARLESS! You will build up your confidence in the process. Remember to focus on your strengths, focus on the things you like to do, but change things up a bit to keep yourself interested. And in the end you will become that ACTION ORIENTED person that can conquer it all!
~Jennifer Hefner, HH Mindset Coach