Just a quickie. My good friend (of many years), Dr. Jeanette Cates has an Online Success Incubator program in which she’ll take you from square 1 (or even square 0) and hold your hand to get your online business going. She has been the force behind my online success and I owe her so much more than I can even talk about here. Just hop over to her site and see what’s there.
Terrie
I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been busy preparing for and holding the first class in Define & Conquer 2013 and once again, the Law of Attraction has brought me the greatest group of people! What a class we have. They are going to Shake Things Up in 2013!
That’s kind of pertinent to the title of this post – overcoming obstacles. One of the steps in planning your success achievement is to determine/define potential (or past) roadblocks/obstacles. “Why is this important?” you might ask. “Isn’t this focusing on negative things?” – to both these questions I would say “great questions”. Because it shows that you’re recognizing that the Law of Attraction brings you what you focus on. But as Abraham says is that to get the Law of Attraction to work for you in the way you want you really have to focus on the solutions not the problems. But often we don’t even recognize that there is a solution until we identify the problem. It’s similar also to Abraham talking about how when you know what you do NOT want, it’s very easy to know what you do want.
But that is not really where my focus was during those 7 days of running. Which, by the way extended so that I was able to do 2 marathons and 7 half-marathons in two weeks! That’s a really good accomplishment for me. When I was younger (alot younger) I once did 3 marathons in 14 days which I thought was pretty cool then but didn’t do all those half-marathons during the same time period). Even though I really wasn’t conscious of it, I was continually focusing on the solution – which was extremely simple at that moment in time – just keep moving forward – forward progress was what it was all about.
So, what obstacles did I run into? It was rather funny (even at the time) because I could recognize the Universe being very bored and playing a little game with me. Here’s what the dialogue between me and the Universe was like:
Terrie: “This isn’t so bad. I’ve made it through one day without problems.”
Universe: “Ok you – see how this feels”
Terrie: “Nuts (it really was another word but this is a family program) my upper back is hurting and it’s only 5 miles into the half-marathon”
Universe: “So you’re willing to put up with that huh – let’s see how you handle running without anything coming into your ears except the sound of your breathing and other people running by (ha ha – this will get her)”
Terrie: “I can’t believe it! My MP3 player fell in the portapotty. No way am I going to have to retrieve that. And I have 7 miles to go…arghh.. I’ve never run for that long without something in my ear – music or class or something. What am I going to do now?”
Universe: [After it’s done laughing its butt off about the portapotty event] “Well, I see Terrie is more resilient than I thought.. I was sure that losing the MP3 player would stop her. Hmmm…let’s see what else I can come up with.”
Terrie: “OW! What the heck – my ankle is hurting when I step on it and I don’t know why. I didn’t twist it or anything. And I have so many miles to go”
Universe: “This is getting frustrating – I thought that the ankle pain would definitely get her to stop but it didn’t. What’s next I wonder……”
Terrie: “It’s so blasted cold, wind and wet. I’m soaked and my fingers hurt from being cold. Thsi is no fun anymore.”
Universe: “Darn, she didn’t like the weather issues but kept on going anyway. What is it with her? I’m just going to keep piling on and see if she has a breaking point”
Terrie: “I can hardly walk now that I’ve finished the marathon. I don’t know what I’ll be like tomorrow – not sure I can run again.”
Universe: “Shucks, I was sure when she was so sore after the marathon that she’d stop this foolishness and give in to me. But no, she’s back out there again today. Crap…oops”
Terrie: “My knee is really really hurting me. I may have to walk for some miles. But I’m not going to give up now. I’m almost done and all these folks (especially Parvaneh and Chris) have been so supportive of me. I can do this.”
And on and on it went. But you know what?
My focus and desire to complete these events overcame everything. And although my only solution at that time was to just “keep going” which is so simple, I was only able to “just keep going” because of what I really really wanted – which was to complete these events. When you have a burning desire (even if it’s something small like this that, although small, took alot of effort), your focus is on getting to the other side no matter what it takes. So no matter what mountain or stream or valley is in your way, you will get across to the other side because that is what you are meant to do – AND you are focused on achieving something, not avoiding something. Meaning – my focus was on achieving running these events for 7 days in a row (and as an aside completing a marathon before the year was up). My focus was NOT on the pain, the soreness, the absence of sound in my ears – those were all things I didn’t want and so they helped me hone in more on the thing I did want – to get to the end. I did NOT focus on lack or the Problem, I focused on the Solution – getting to the other side and constantly asked this question “what will it take to get to the other side?” In this case it was simply “forward motion/forward progress”.
Develop a plan for meeting obstacles with a different perspective now. Always keep your goal in mind and in sight and say “how can I get to my goal.” Remember, too, though that it’s always acceptable to revise and refine your goal if you think that perhaps you weren’t realistic about it when you developed it. For example, I realized that I was not realistic in thinking that I could run back to back marathons this past weekend given my stage of development. But I took it as far as I could before making that decision. I got up and went out there and tried. And at the half-marathon point I looked at the potential outcomes – both the good and the bad of my pushing further and decided that the cons of continuing to run outweighed the pros at that point and that although I wasn’t going to achieve that goal that day, it did NOT mean I would NEVER achieve it. It was just an unrealistic time frame and I needed to refine that time frame.
Enjoy your weekend and I hope you’re as successful in your Achievement Plans for 2013 as the folks in Define & Conquer 2013 are going to be!
Terrie (who has a new MP3 player by the way…LOL)
I expect great things of God and God has given me great things to accomplish. I accomplish them easily and quickly and reap glorious rewards.
As I started my attempt at running a second marathon in 7 days yesterday, I wondered what the next 7-8 hours would bring. My first steps let me know it wasn’t going to be a great day at all – my shins were burning making me stop frequently (just like the old days). They eventually loosened up so I kept plodding along. I wondered how I could feel so cruddy after only 4 days off and why it was taking me so much energy to just think I could even finish the half-marathon to say nothing of actually doing the full marathon. I was amazed at the downward spiral my mind was taking. I was filled again with self-doubt and self-judgment/criticism – the bane of our existence. It was as if that special week in time was a figment of my imagination, a dream, even a fantasy…..How could I possibly have done 7 days in a row and done a full marathon after 5 halfs and now with this 4 days off I can’t seem to do anything? What was going on?
But then I realized it was about momentum!
I was able to do the other events because I had the momentum and just “kept going”. As I was running (a combination actually of running/walking yesterday) I drew the parallel between this sequence of events with my realization and life and pursuit of any dream/goal. It’s interesting how we can continue moving forth once we get started and even the uphills don’t seem so bad because we are already moving. But if we stop for a bit and then try to get started again, going uphill in life consumes a phenomenal amount of energy and it seems so much easier to just turn around and go backwards down the hill or just stay where you are, never venturing further up the hill. I remember the one thing I never wanted to do was get off my bike on a hill because for me it was virtually impossible to produce the amount of energy it took to just get started when you’re already on the hill. To keep on going no matter how slow while the wheels are spinning takes energy for sure but not as much as starting from scratch.
Maybe this is why so many people have trouble when they are “dieting” (it applies to the pursuit of any goal however). You do really well and then for some reason, something happens and you aren’t as “perfect” as you think you should be. At this point, it’s like stopping on a hill (the way most people look at diets or weight loss) and it’s probably a hill you didn’t want to be on to begin with anyway. Starting up the hill again (resuming your rigid control of your food intake) takes so much energy and seems like an insurmountable obstacle. Rather like me yesterday thinking “how on earth did I do all that last week – or did I really do it? How am I going to be able to run even 13 miles today?”. Looking at the accomplishment – the final result – was the insurmountable obstacle. I had to readjust my vision and focus (remember we talked about that in part 3) to concentrate only on the next step, the next mile, the next lap etc. That was the only way I was going to regain any momentum because the 4 days that my life returned to ‘normal’ had disrupted that amazing momentum that I’d had and relished in.
So what did I learn from that? You have to keep the momentum going no matter what it takes. The danger zone lies in stopping. We can’t ever stop moving – preferably moving forward in some way, shape or form, but at least moving in some manner. When you work toward your dreams, your goals, those things you want to pursue, examine your feelings and use your feelings to generate the passion that will produce the momentum for you. Take small steps, look only at the small chunks (my new favorite phrase is “chunk it down”) for they seem much less insurmountable than the big picture. Just keep going in some way shape or form.
And even more importantly you just HAVE to have a support team and a coach. Even if the “coach” is not an official coach, create one. Find someone you can work with or even just look up to. I keep reiterating that without Parvaneh (the most wonderful race director in the world) I would not have even thought I could accomplish any of this. And yesterday was no exception, she and the other folks continuously cheered me on.
In case you’re wondering, I did complete the full marathon and I’m pretty darn proud of it. The last 4-6 miles were very tough for me but then Parvaneh, Angela and Dagmar dragged me with them for the last mile and I made it.
Just keep moving forward!
Terrie
Yes, even after going back to work yesterday and not getting much sleep for the last 2 nights, I’m still riding high in a euphoric dream of what I accomplished and how my life changed i just 7 days.
My vision became so much clearer and I became focused on what I want and trying to live by the mantra – “Do what you love and Love what you do.” I found myself loving EVERY single minute of the past week, no matter what was happening and you can’t ask for anything better than that. I am so grateful I had this experience on so many different planes. I certainly became much more clear about what my primary dream/desire/goal is for 2013. And I’ll probably be sharing this dream and the process I go through in achieving it with my Define & Conquer 2013 group that starts on the 8th.
Kay (my EFT practitioner) and I talked last night and she said that I would now be more likely to focus on what I want to achieve in 2013. As I thought about it, I said that I was focused already because my goal had to do with two things primarily (one of which is – yep, you guessed it – running) but as I sit here and write, I realize that I have not really been focused on these two things. Focus is an intense direction of energy – this is not a dictionary definition and for once I’m not even going to go look it up, I’m simply going to use what I define as focus here. So I’m asking myself “when have I been focused before” because we always operate best from a frame of reference.
The answer(s):
– When I decided I wanted to be a doctor. From the age of 4 until I graduated from medical school I was focused completely on that one goal. Although that was a long time ago, I still remember what it felt like through all those years.
– In 2010-2012 while working with a team to create this software application that we use at work now. I was almost singularly focused on that for several months at a time – NOTHING else got in the way. That’s all I thought about and all I did.
– Training for the 2012 New York City Marathon. Especially from June through October 2012. All my efforts and actions were directed toward that goal.
Yes we do other things while focused but always with that primary goal in mind – we ask ourselves things like “how will doing x, y, z affect, impact or interfere with my training (to use that example)”. Any further action or effort put into x, y, z is all dependent on the answer to this question. Even if x, y, or z is completely unrelated to running (or to creating the computer application for instance), doing it or putting time and energy into x, y or z impacts my primary goal in some way. Often it’s not a significant impact nor is there any or much interference. So, it’s almost a ‘no-brainer’ but achievement of my primary goal is always factored into any decision I make.
How much you focus on your goal can tell you alot about that goal – and especially if it really is YOURS – that is, in my opinion, the number one factor in whether or not you succeed at achieving a goal or dream – is it really YOUR dream. I remember (believe it or not) when I was 4 years old and all of a sudden (literally) I decided I was going to be a doctor. From that moment on I told anyone who asked what I wanted to be – “a doctor” – well, back in that day girls didn’t become doctors, they became nurses. So I would emphatically correct those well meaning folks who tried to inform me as to what I really meant – “oh, you mean you want to be a nurse”. This shy, chubby little red-head would stand there and defiantly state – “NO, I’m going to be doctor!”. This was truly my goal. No one else was going to change that no matter how hard they tried. And I stuck to it and stuck to it – I was rejected at medical school for two or three years before I got in – thank God! (Believe me, my life is a perfect picture of how everything happens a) for a reason and b) when it’s supposed to but I don’t want to digress any further). No one and nothing was going to deter me. That is true focus.
As I said above, there really have only been a few of these true desires that have been the object of my intense focus.
Just as with the overall goal selection process, however, focus applies to multiple stages in the process. My overall dream/goal was to become a doctor. But I didn’t just decide that when I was 4 and then at 4 1/2 became one. No, I had to continually achieve “sub-goals” or mini-goals along the way – graduating from elementary school, high school, get into college, take the required courses, apply and then get into medical school, etc etc…
I didn’t decide last fall that I was going to run in the New York City Marathon and then the next day go do it. I couldn’t even run a quarter of a mile at that point. But my focus became running a short distance without stopping, then another distance, etc etc…I set a plan for developing my abilities – that’s so important because otherwise you get discouraged. If I had decided I was going to be able to run a marathon one day and then the next day tried it and failed, where would that have led me?
Same with this smaller progression of events last week. I didn’t even think about doing the marathon on day 1 or day 2 of the half-marathons. But the thought started to creep into my head on day 3 (in fact, I hadn’t even planned on doing the 7 half-marathons in a row). As it kept popping into my brain, I refocused and re-evaluated my level of skill (endurance) at that time. Each day I thought about my inner workings (will, endurance, motivation, desire etc) and my external environment (environment is so important and we have to optimize that) which I was learning about – new people, new situation, new expectations etc…as I processed these inner and outer workings I came to believe I could do another day. As I kept on moving one foot in front of the other I maintained focus. As I finished one day my focus shifted to recovering that day and then returning the next “if I could”.
Side note: It’s funny but it’s taken me several days to complete this post and I even lost part of it in the middle for technological reasons (or else I didn’t hit the right button…LOL…”technological reasons” sounds so much better). So I’m hoping you all have gotten the point about the importance of focus and I’m going to end this part now and continue with another section.
Terrie