Proactive Change: "To Change Or Not To Change ... "

By Randy Gilbert (c)2002

After spending weeks developing a good habit, such as eating healthier, why do we want to change back to your old habits? Yet we do!? After years of smoking and knowing cancer or emphysema are coming, we want to quit this heartache habit? Yet we don't!?? And the list goes on. One of the keys to success is, "knowing what to change and what not to change."

The ball is in your court. The cards have been dealt. The bell has rung and clock is ticking in the game of life. You get to choose which habits to change, because it is your habits that will determine whether you live in happiness and abundance or, in sorrow and poverty.

One of today's greatest success philosophers, Jim Rohn says, "We create our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today." Whether you realize it or not, you are constantly choosing which path to follow and scenery changes with each one.

You have the ability and responsibility for making proactive choices rather than reactive ones. You can be in control of your choices rather than letting them control you. Here are three tips that can help us know what to change and give us some insight as to how.

You don't need more time. In fact, let's be honest here. You won't get more time even if you wanted it, because everyone gets the same amount every day.

You don't need more answers. The world is full of people with negative opinions, bad advice, and money grabbing schemes. Yet, how can they provide the answers when they never take the time to find out what the questions are?

What you need is the truth about the universe and yourself. Just like a jury in a court of law needs "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Without the truth you make errors in judgment that lead you down the wrong path.

Begin the success habit right now of asking for the truth in every situation. When you know the truth, you will be able to stop sentencing the good habits to a life in prison and setting the bad habits free. The truth will make itself known if you seek it.

Love and care for yourself as a top priority. This is not selfish. Taking the time to eat right, sleep well, learn, and exercise is the only way you will have what it takes to care for others.

We must first value ourselves, then we can value others. Start by forgiving yourself for every mistake you make and use it as a learning experience. You did the best you could considering what you knew then. You are learning, so you will do better in the future.

Love yourself so that you can love others. By forgiving others you are loving yourself, because it's been scientifically proven that forgiveness brings happiness. Acknowledge that others have done their best with what they knew at the time and that they are learning more and will be better in the future.

Begin the success habit of admitting you make mistakes, noting what you've learned from them, and deciding to be better in the future. Use this habit to eliminate the mistakes in your eating, sleeping, learning, and exercising habits.

Getting rid of the clutter in your life and learning how to concentrate your energy will empower you to make good choices. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short, in all of human affairs."

Even though I know my major purpose in life, too much clutter often destroys my focus. My ability to concentrate and make good choices is severely limited when my desk, calendar, and mind are filled with extraneous things.

You can take better control of your life by beginning the success habit of deciding what should be on your desk and what shouldn't take up space. Decide what should be on your calendar and what should not take up your time. Decide what you need to remember and what things are trivia.

It always comes down to the basics that make the difference. The basics in this instance are the choices we make. The three success habits of seeking the truth, loving yourself, and eliminating the clutter will help you to make the choices for changing the rest of your habits. Choose these 3 habits today and you will choose the good life.

Randy Gilbert is the best-selling author of "Success Bound:Breaking Free of Mediocrity" http://www.Success-Bound.com Co-host of "The Inside Success Show" the fastest growing success talk show. http://www.TheInsideSucessShow.com Creator of "Proactive Success: The Amazing NEW Science Of Personal Achievement" http://DrProactive.com Get his free newsletter: ProactiveSucess@postmaster-email.com

Copyright 2002 Randy Gilbert. All rights reserved. Feel free to pass the above in its entirety to anyone you wish.

To read previous articles from Proactive Success Ezine, or to see a listing of recommended proactive books, audios, etc. go to:http://DrProactive.com