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Self-Mastery is the Ultimate Goal. So what’s standing in the way of you reaching the level of success you desire, enjoying a great relationship? Is the problem that you don’t know enough? No. Is there too much competition? Not even close. The only obstacle is a lack of mastery over yourself. Don’t believe it? You will.
Are you in great shape? Do you only eat healthy foods? Why not? Is it because you’re confused about which foods are healthy and which are not? Are you confused about whether it’s better to exercise by running down the block or by sitting on the couch? Hardly.
You know enough to make significant changes in your life. Knowledge isn’t the challenge. The challenge is managing yourself and your behaviors.
Are you able to say the things that need to be said? Are you able to be silent when you know you should? Can you make yourself go to the gym or eat an apple instead of a piece of apple pie?
"The only obstacle is a lack of mastery over yourself." - Vince Morales
Mastering yourself is the only goal you need to achieve. From that, you can achieve all your other goals! Use these strategies to become the master of yourself:
1. Make a list of the things you should do each day, but aren’t. This list might include things like exercising, playing the piano for 20 minutes, drinking eight glasses of water, paying your bills, flossing, and making social connections.
2. Make a list of the things you do each day, but shouldn’t. Maybe you stay up too late, watch too much TV, waste time playing video games, smoke, and show up late to work. Think about all the things you do that sacrifice your health, career, finances, social life, and happiness.
3. Begin by addressing one item from each list. Slowly eliminate one of the negative items and add one of the positive items. Habits are challenging to change, but you’ve developed habits without even trying. Imagine what you can accomplish intentionally.
4. Have a long-term focus. Negative behaviors have short-term rewards. Eating ice cream or watching TV are rewarding immediately. They can be harmful in the long-term, but they pay off right now.
Adopt a long-term focus and consider the long-term implications of your behavior before you indulge in it. What will it cost you down the road if you don’t change?
"Mastering yourself is the only goal you need to achieve. From that, you can achieve all your other goals!" - Vince Morales
5. Realize that your body is the enemy. Why does a person eat a bag of potato chips instead of an orange? He imagines himself eating chips. Then he imagines eating an orange. Then he chooses the one that feels better. But your body is deceiving you. It’s only concerned with safety and reproduction.
It cares little for your longevity or your long-term prospects. Humans seek pleasure, just like any other animal. The advantage humans have over animals is the ability to make decisions and not follow instinct. The disadvantage humans have is the ability to create pleasurable foods and activities that are detrimental to long-term success and survival.
Self-mastery is the key. If you can master yourself, everything else becomes easy. It’s
easy to get ahead at work. It’s easy to be healthy. It’s easy to save money and maintain relationships. Can you master yourself? Key your attention on the long-term impact of behaviors and avoid short-term pleasures that lead to long-term challenges.
So here is a checklist to help you gain self-mastery for 2020
Top 10 Habits to Master:
1. Meditation/ Reflection
2. Reading / Learning
3. Learn from your mistakes
4. Maintain a vision of the future
5. Eat a healthy diet and engage in regular exercise
6. Control impulses
7. Listen
8. Create a to-do list
9. Be a finisher
10. Get up early
3 Components of Every Habit:
1. The Cue
2. The Habit Itself
3. The Reward
Steps to Create and Sustain a Habit:
1. Make a list of the habits you’d most like to create
2. Limit yourself to one habit at a time
3. Find a cue that will work for you
4. Start small
5. Build your habit
6. Reward yourself
7. Be persistent
Steps to Break a Bad Habit:
1. Limit yourself to one habit at a time
2. Be happy with progress
3. Understand your triggers
4. Interrupt or avoid the cues that trigger your habit
5. When you feel yourself triggered, stop - interrupt the pattern
6. Determine what reward you get from the habit
7. Adopt a new behavior in place of the habit
8. Punish yourself when you indulge in the habit
9. Take care of yourself
10. Be persistent
Contact us at info@empowr.today for information regarding our new 20/20 for 2020 Coaching program, a customizable coaching program for regaining personal or professional clarity for 2020.