Tag: be committed

Procrastination Stops Here

Posted on by Athena Thomas in Feature
Procrastination Slows You Down
Procrastination Slows You Down

There really is no reason why I have not written since January. I have attempted to write several times only to end up with nothing. Procrastination, hmm what a sneaky thing that creeps up in your path. It keeps you from moving when your mind is saying GO. It makes you say I will do it tomorrow then tomorrow you say I will do it tomorrow. It creates a never ending cycle of tomorrow that never seem to come to an end.

I am not professing to be perfect as I know I never will but I am professing to do a lot less procrastinating. I have been working on it since the beginning of this year. As I looked at my blog again today. I started to say that I would post something tomorrow. Instead I started typing. I am a writer by nature, if there is any such thing. So why don’t I write? I have been journaling more lately, which is very good because I had been blocked with that for so long. But now it seems much is pouring out of me. I have a new book idea and actually started writing it. At first I thought it would be an article but it really is much more than an article. I may decide to blog it first then turn it into a book.

I have not reached out to you all in a while but I wanted you to know that I am still here and love you all dearly. I cannot promise to post everyday, but I am committing to posting something at least once per week. I would love to here from you to know how you like my blog. I opened up comments without registration. So feel free to connect and let’s start a conversation.

I have many exciting things coming up and want you all to be a part of it, so keep visiting.

Celebrate Love

Posted on by Athena Thomas in Feature, The Healthy Spirit
Love is on the Horizon
Love is on the Horizon

I watched a show tonight about Manuel Uribe, the world’s heaviest man, getting married. It was sad to watch him struggle with his condition but I was inspired by his zest for life. He was so excited about getting married. During the show another morbidly obese man in his town died. He is working very hard to lose the weight and regain his mobility.

It stirred something in me as I watched show. I imagine that it is probably the love he shares with his wife that fuels him and keeps him motivated. He has lost over 400 pounds and while he has much more to go he is optimistic. Love is so powerful and can give you the strength of ten people just knowing that someone loves you enough to stand by you when you are weak. To see the best in you even when you can’t or anyone else for that matter.

“Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealously as cruel as the grave;
Its flames are flames of fire,
A most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house,
it would be utterly despised.”
Song of Solomon 8:6-7

I absolutely love this scripture because it speaks to the true essence of heartfelt and passionate love. As long as the beloved knows that she is secure in his heart she can feel secure. Isn’t that what we all are seeking? That true unconditional love that is 100% committed and gives you the confidence to do anything.

 It exists and better yet it is something God can give us and he has preordained for us to have with another person. Don’t count out love yet. If you have not found the one that you want to set you, as a seal upon their heart, don’t worry they are out there.

Day 35 – Learning is a Key to Success

Posted on by Athena Thomas in Life Coaching, The Healthy Mind

I love to learn new things. The problem is that sometimes I jump around to many things. I am a naturally curious person and love to know how things work. A friend called me today to ask me to do her taxes. As I thought about it I realized that I have taken so many courses in so many fields.

To date I have been trained to do taxes by H&R Block, to become a Realtor (just did not take the license exam), hold an Accounting certificate, HTML certificate, Life Coaching Certificate, and Business Writing Certificate. Yes I have learned many things over the years.

Although I did not stay in the career paths for some of those professions, the knowledge has proven to be an asset. Little did I know then that all of these courses would end up becoming a foundation for me as I started and operated my own business.

Constant learning keeps your skills sharp and ensures that you stay in the loop with the latest trends in your field. You can never learn too much. You may not have to take courses all the time; you can also increase your learning through reading, trade associations, conferences and workshops.

Constant learning is a key to success. Never stop seeking knowledge.

Day Seventeen – Doing Your Best is a Key to Success

Posted on by Athena Thomas in Life Coaching, The Healthy Mind

I strive for perfection in all that I do. It has benefited me in several ways especially in business because my clients know that they will receive a quality product. However there are times when it has not been my friend because I am not okay with performing less than perfect. Although I clearly know that I am not perfect. This leads to stress and anxiety.

This journey has been a challenge for me because I want so much to finish what I started and to stay on the schedule. But it is okay if I miss a day right? I need to allow myself the flexibility of being able to do a job and not feel pressured to do it perfectly. That does not mean that I will ever sacrifice quality to get a job done. It means that I will do the best I can and be okay even if it is not perfect.

I am learning to allow myself additional time to get things done so that I minimize my stress level and things remain balanced. Having balance is important as it keeps me from exhausting myself. I have also learned about re-framing my thoughts. I take those negative, overly critical thoughts and turn them into self-inspiring, motivating thoughts. Instead of kicking myself for missing a day in my journey, I congratulate myself for not quitting and completing 16 days. I did my best.

I was very disheartened when I learned that my best efforts on my previous job were not appreciated nor acknowledged. It began to make me doubt my ability as a manager and made me want to quit. But I chose not to quit and stuck in there. I did a self-evaluation of my performance, remembered that I was a good manager and knew my job. I set out on a path to do my best and to work on the areas where I needed some improvement. After about three months I began to regain my confidence and saw some progress. Upper management would not acknowledge my progress but this time I did not allow it to make me feel bad about myself, because I knew that I had done my best.

Doing your best is all you can do because none of us will ever achieve perfection. The next time you are ready to beat yourself up over not doing something perfectly or someone else does it to you remind yourself that you did your best and therefore are still successful.

I would like to share the following poem with you and hope it helps remind you to do your best.

Do the Best You Can

by Rhoda-Katie Hannan

This I pray for you, my friend

That you strive to be all that you can be,

Yet never become a copy of another

That you realize your own unique qualities,

And all that makes you special

That you open your eyes to the beauty in each day

That you reach out to others less fortunate than you

That, by giving, you learn the joy of receiving

That you let go of the sadness of the past,

Yet always remember the good moments

That you learn to accept life as it is,

Even with its problems and disappointments

For life is meant to be enjoyed and, at all times, endured, but never taken for granted

And I pray that you will be aware at all times that you are one special person,

Among all special persons

And do the best you can.

Day Sixteen – Catalyst for Change

Posted on by Athena Thomas in Life Coaching, The Healthy Spirit

I put in a full eight hours today. I had lost two days of production earlier this week and I was determined today that I was not going to lose another one. I have a few minor touches to put on my project tomorrow and it will be complete.

I shut out all distractions today and set out to reach my goal. One thing I have learned is that when someone is determined to make something happen they do it without hesitation. When people make excuses, they are not determined. I have a friend who complains a lot about their current life situation, which they have been in for more than a year. I have stated to them several times that they were not desperate or determined to change the situation because they have not taken any action.

Your Challenging Place

We all have experienced being in a challenging place in our life. Some of which can place you in a state of desperation, because you become so tired and weary of that thing until all you can focus on is changing it or getting out of it. I have experienced that many times in my life.

God will allow you to be in a challenging place to push you towards change. The challenging place will become your catalyst for change. When you are at a moment where you get off track, all you have to do is recall that catalyst, which stares you in the face daily, and you will quickly reassess things and keep going.

But be careful to make sure that you are moving in the right direction and that you don’t jump too soon. Use the challenging place to your advantage to achieve your goals and make the necessary changes permanent. Don’t be scared of being out of your comfort zone because it is a great catalyst for positive change. In the event the change is not successful, you have not lost anything but gained infinite wisdom that can’t be erased. So embrace your catalyst for change and keep going.

Day Twelve – Commitment is an Important Key to Success

Posted on by Athena Thomas in Life Coaching, The Healthy Mind

I love Fridays because I can reflect on my week and can finally rest. I had a good week. I get so excited about my business. I learn something new everyday. I love being a coach and helping people succeed.

This week I met all of my goals except one. I am stuck in one area and that is not good. But I will get back on track. I have to reset the goal for myself and assign a new completion date. I may need to have someone hold me accountable this time. It is harder with this one thing because it is not something I really want to do but need to do. So my discipline is low with it. I don’t need anyone to hold me accountable for finding new products for my business because I am passionate about that and can do that in my sleep.

But this goal is not like that it is a practical one that needs to be done and does not illicit the same passion. But I will get it done because I committed to doing it. Commitment is a big deal, if you cannot commit to anything you will not achieve the level of success you deserve. You may continuously start things but rarely finish.

I used to be that way; I always liked the excitement of starting new things but would quit when I lost interest or when it got hard. But I realized that I had missed so many good things in my life due to lack of commitment. Therefore I had to make some changes. Today my commitment record is much better. I have seen my way through some difficult situations that I really wanted to back away from. But I saw it through to completion and learned from the experience.

Thanks for taking this journey with me. I have learned so much in the first 12 days.