Celebrate the Little Victories Along the Way

Typically we wait until a large job is done before we acknowledge our progress and congratulate our efforts.

I am proposing that instead we recognize the little victories on the road to the goal!

Nowhere has this approach to pause-and-reflect been more helpful than during my med school application process. It has been quite the mountain so far, and I am not yet on the other side.

The beginning of my journey would have been making the decision to take the MCAT and then getting materials in order to study. During that time I made yet another decision to take a preparation course in order to help me better understand the new MCAT format, as I did not take the previous version.

I am deep into the applications process as we speak, and thinking about how I will feel when they are all done and I am then awaiting the calls. But I can't jump to the end of the process yet, or the next few weeks will seem overwhelming. I am going to think of each successive completed application as a mini-victory and cheer myself to the finish line of "ALL DONE!"

You can do the same in your life whether your end-goal is a clean house, a fitter you or a new career. Every step counts and you must remember to celebrate your successes along the way to ensure you maintain positivity to reach your goal!

Conquer on!

Other topics you may be interested in:




7 Steps to Get You Motivated

Motivation for Self-Reflection and Self-Improvement

Visualization - The Tool That Can Make or Break Your Motivation!

Visualization - The tool that can make or break your motivation!

 Do me a favour right now. Close your eyes and vividly imagine all the obstacles and problems you might face on your path to your desired goal. Feel the frustration and sense of failure. You might even get to the point of feeling defeated.

Now, try closing your eyes and imagining encountering those same obstacles and facing them with strength and resilience, overcoming them and finding your way to your goal. Embrace the feeling of success and accomplishment. You might even start smiling.

Now tell me:

Which visualization renewed your motivation to continue on your path?

Which of the two exercises likely gave you the boost of confidence needed to power through the down times on the long road to your goals?

Visualization is an important tool for successfully tackling ambitions and goals in life. Athletes do it the night before (and sometimes right before) big races or games. A runner will feel their muscles tense as they see themselves sprinting towards the finish line, feel the tape taught across their midsection break free as they place first. They feel the joy of winning the race before they’ve even step foot onto the track.

The same applies for any goal or ambition you set to achieve. Want to finish your degree? The best motivation won’t come from imagining all the tired nights writing pages and pages of essays, it will come from imagining your pride at crossing the stage, or the job you are hoping to get once you've completed your studies. Imagining the other side can really help to pull you through the tough middle. The goal doesn’t have to be athletic or academic, it can be anything. If you want to buy a car, your motivation to work hard will come from imagining all the things you want to do with your car: go camping, have easier access to shopping or cities, see your friends more. Whatever your reasons, if you visualize them, they will help you over the hard parts.

If you’re on the long road, look back to see where you’ve come from, but don’t stress the middle, look to the end to find the motivation to pull you through the rough patches, and take one day at a time.

And keep Conquering!

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 Other topics you might be interested in: 

Anxiety Conquerors Unite!

The Nervous System

 Setting Goals

What motivates you?

Overwhelmed? Carve a staircase out of a wall!

One Day at a Time - 5 Things to Remember on Your Journey Through Change!

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol.

The most important changes we need to make often arise from our most difficult decisions. The path that brings us to the clearing of choice in the forest of life is often rocky and rough. When we get to this daunting open space, branching off to different options in our life, we get scared. Change is scary. It is an active decision rather than a passive existence. We most likely will have to push against the inertia of old habits (either our own or our social group) and thoughts. Change is an uphill battle in most situations. But it doesn't have to be unpleasant.


Here are 5 things that will help us on your journeys through change, whatever your changes may be!

1) Commitment: By understanding that changes require a commitment to ourselves, and readying ourselves for any obstacles that may come our way, or for any opposition by others to our decisions, we will place ourselves in a good position to follow-through on our plans for change. When we don't commit to change, we are only letting ourselves down. Remember this, and be accountable to you!

2) Perseverance: If you hold this tool in your emotional arsenal, you will never be without a defense. Perseverance is key to ensuring the changes you want to make in your life will materialize. Perseverance is most valuable when we struggle with maintaining our new habits or way of living. Visualizing your end-goal, and what you really want your life to be like is what fuels perseverance. On average it takes a smoker 7 attempts until they finally quit*. That's on average! This means there are some people for whom the number may be closer to 10, and some for whom it may be much less than 7. Knowing yourself, and staying true to your goals is what will help push you through difficult periods during change!

3) Visualization: I mentioned it in a previous point, but it bears repeating. If you can't keep the carrot-on-the-stick in sight, you will lose motivation. Since most changes are not tangible (quitting smoking, learning a new skill, moving out for the first time, leaving a toxic relationship), we need to visualize our new selves, and our new lives that our changes will bring us. Visualize yourself finally being free of the patterns and habits you've practiced over the years, and embracing healthier ones. If your goal is to lose weight and practice healthy eating, visualize and really feel what it will be like to be the healthier you. Whatever your goal and your reason for change, visualize the outcome.  

Visualize your success and take it.

4) Breathe! Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Take some time to be mindful, breathe properly and center yourself before burning out. An often-used and well-known cliché term, "Rome wasn't built in a day" also applies to personal change; it won't happen overnight. On average, it takes roughly 66 days to form a new habit.* Depending on the magnitude and type of change you aim to be making, adjust this to anywhere between a few weeks and a few months (even upwards of 8 months!).
Now, if your goal is to increase the amount of water you're drinking per day, or throwing in a bit of exercise everyday, the amount of time to automate this as part of your routine will be less than changing lifelong habits (such as the types, amounts and timing of the food you eat, for example).
With all change, however, the point is to remember: it takes time, and be patient with yourself! You will get there if you want it bad enough!

5) Seek support: Friends and family are automatic go-tos when we need support, so why not lean on them when you need some help during your period of change? Chances are they will be encouraging, and may even want to enact some change in their own lives! You might serve as inspiration for them! Being able to support each other will go along way to ensuring each of you meet your goals. If friends and family as a support-network are not options, consider joining a group in your community. If you are aiming for weight-loss, for example, join or start a walking or running group, or join classes at the local gym. Whatever works for you is best! If you are planning relationship/personal-changes, meet with a counselor specific to your interests and go from there. Also, career-fairs and informational sessions are very helpful when planning a change in your career. A certified career-counselor will also be able to assist you on your journey.

 If you enjoyed this post, like CTC on Facebook! and subscribe to Conquer The Clouds

Other topics you may be interested in: 

 Setting Goals

 What motivates you?

Engine for Change - Motivation for self-relection and self-improvement. 

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step

Overwhelmed? Carve a staircase out of a wall!

* Information from HealthBC
*  Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W. and Wardle, J. (2010), How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. Eur. J. Soc. Psychol., 40: 998–1009. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.674

Architect of Your Own Fortune

 (PHOTO: Me on part of the Drakensburg Mountains in South Africa)

   

Everyone is the architect of their own fortune. 

This quote (adapted to fit today's language styles) has been credited to various people, but Appius Claudius Caecus (340 BC – 273 BC) said it first in a speech addressed to Cineas, declaring that Rome would never surrender.

 How does that apply to you, here in the 21st century? There is deep wisdom in the phrase. It implies that everyone has the power to direct their own lives; create the fortune that makes them happiest. 

 You hold the key to unlocking your ultimate life. 

           You also hold the key to beating depression, anxiety or whatever you may be fighting. It's not easy to have your ultimate life, or reach your full potential. It's difficult. Really difficult. Most things worth anything are very hard to get, or achieve. That is part of what makes them so alluring, and in the end, so rewarding. Would you feel as proud if you achieved something without even trying? No (well maybe you would, but I'm guessing no), you'd feel bored. Part of achieving your goals and reaching your pinnacle is the road along the way. The obstacles you overcome help you grow and gain strength (mentally, physically and spiritually). 

           Though the path you desire to carve through life may seem daunting, and reaching your goals impossible, it doesn't have to be so. Especially when you remember that you have the power in yourself, and you can control your choices. Control is generally an illusion. We can't control the weather, or nature. But we can control our reactions to events and our choices in life. 

            In following our paths we will come across obstacles, they are an inevitable part of life. We will fall down. Nothing is perfect. Life is not perfect. Life is not fair. There is only one way past these obstacles: "adapt and overcome"; to borrow a phrase used so often by Bear Grylls (survivalist, writer and producer). 

            Though his shows are generally over-the-top, somewhat set-up and usually involve an inordinate amount of creature-killing, his expression is exactly what so many of us need to hear. And it's not just applicable to surviving nights out in the flat tundra of the arctic. 

           To adapt and overcome applies to so many facets of life. Overcoming any obstacle or challenge naturally involves accepting the situation and gradually re-adjusting our route. We can choose to get stuck behind the obstacle and sit there, waiting. But the obstacle will go nowhere and neither will we. Only when we choose to be the Architect of Our Own Fortune and press forward, adapting to our situations and overcoming them gradually with the help of friends, family and other social networks will we move forward on our journeys to health, happiness and success.

Please take a few moments to listen to this very motivating song by a progressive metal band from Sweden:
Circus Maximus - Architect of Fortune

 If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to Conquer The Clouds

Other topics you may be interested in: 

 What motivates you?

Engine for Change - Motivation for self-relection and self-improvement. 

Staying Motivated when Discouraged

An engine for change... motivation for self-reflection and self-improvement

Welcome all to Conquer the Clouds.

I started this blog half a year ago with the intention of sharing ideas and coping strategies, information and other things regarding anxiety and depression, motivation and goal-setting and achievement.

I also began this blog with the intention of helping others along their paths of self-improvement and development. I have long since been interested in the psychology of thought and action, as well as the psychology of mental illness. I never really gave an introductory post for Conquer the Clouds because I was still trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to do with it. It is a learning hub, and an engine for change.

I would like to share some of my background and history with you, in order for you to understand CTC's birth a little better.

I remember when I was 8 years old, reading my mom's psychology textbook (she was taking a course at the time, if I recall correctly). I remember being fascinated by everything in it. In highschool, biology became my passion (I am sure if we had highschool level psychology courses, I would have been right onto it). And then in college and university I pursued biology with ferocity - only adding psychology into my life as electives and hobby-reading.

Coming up on a couple years after having graduated, I feel as though I have learned so many things about living, working and being human in our time and society...
My passions have evolved, some have shifted, some have become almost obsolete...

I realize though, that throughout all my experiences, I am not a collection of segmented memories. I am a fluid, ever-experiencing, ever-evolving, and growing person. Every new challenge, and every new failure changes me for the next.

I would like to work with you on your journeys as I take on my own, to find a place in ourselves where, while the world turns, we can remain strong and knowledgeable.

Learning is the ultimate strength. Knowledge is the tool to move us forward.

Take this challenge, to become the strongest you.

Conquer on!

Weekly Challenge 6 - Week of February 5 - February 11, 2012

Hey everyone, hope you had a good Saturday night and have started your day right!

I have missed a couple Weekly Challenges for you guys over the past month, but today I have one in store that I hope many of you will enjoy.

Lately I have been thinking about the things that define me in my life: people, relationships, jobs, hobbies and thinking processes, etc. I have been considering much about how the way we interact with people reflects how we interact with ourselves and how we perceive our environments and experiences.  

My challenge for you to undertake this week is to come up with 5 things you dislike about your traits or behaviours (negative behaviours) and craft a 3-6 month plan of how to conquer at least one of them.

For example, you may not like that you don't spend enough time with your family, or you are not adventurous (don't like starting new hobbies or doing new activities).  Of course I am not suggesting to rip yourself apart and change everything about you, because you are who you are. But if there are traits that *you* don't like in yourself or can see them negatively affecting others and wish to change them, then these are the ones to consider.

In your journal you can write down one of your 5 undesirable traits or behaviours, and underneath it write the goal trait or behaviour (they do not have to be extreme opposites; you might just want to modify an existing trait to be less extreme, for example):

Undersirable trait:         Too conservative/uptight
Desirable trait:              Adventurous and laid-back (This is an extreme change; a more moderate one would be 'flexible' or 'willing to try new things')

3 or 6 months:                3 months

What are actions that promote this trait:
____________________________________________________________________________________

How can I incorporate one or some of these actions into my week:
____________________________________________________________________________________

What are the some obstacles I might face when trying to change my behaviour:
____________________________________________________________________________________

How can I approach these and handle them with grace?
____________________________________________________________________________________

How will I know when I have reached my goal?
____________________________________________________________________________________

Who can I talk to to help me along this journey? Are they supportive? If not, can I find someone who is?
_____________________________________________________________________________________



By writing these out, you are forcing yourself to commit to your new behaviour. This is the first step in actualizing a plan for change. By anticipating challenges (obstacles) and writing them down and how you will approach them you will not be blindsided and overwhelmed when they do arise. This allows you to recover from set-backs quicker and helps keep you on track. By reaching out to others you are creating a supportive network that will be essential for you to press onward during rough times and to celebrate with you when you have hit a milestone!

Be careful to set a realistic and attainable goal, however, as something too lofty will only create disappointment.
If you are currently housebound and seeking counseling, planning a 3 month goal of traveling to the other end of the continent by yourself may not be realistic. Discover your personal boundaries, and seek to slowly expand the circle until your goal has come into view. Once you have reached it, re-assess your position, and seek to expand your comfort circle once more.

The idea on the path to wellness is to create a dynamic, flexible and content personality while not compromising on your beliefs and values.

Enjoy this challenge my friends!

Conquer on!

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