| Do you stand immobile at a fork in your career road? | | | | are the road signs of every decision you make. What |
| Do you feel ambiguous about your job, relationship or | | | | you do is a part of the whole and can affect many |
| purpose? Here are some helpful tips to find the right | | | | other lives. Make sure the voice in your head is your |
| path to solid psychological ground. | | | | own and that your decisions are not just what you |
| 1. Commit to Yourself First. | | | | were "told" by someone else. List your personal goals |
| Commitment to yourself means that you work | | | | and values and really think them through. Your health, |
| hardest for your dreams and goals, not everyone | | | | your family's health, your children as a priority, your |
| else's. Do you feel powerless? You are powerful. The | | | | job as a priority, love, peace of mind, safety, clean |
| power to change is already in you. Your | | | | world, food, and water, honesty, integrity, sacrificing |
| accomplishments reflect your commitment because | | | | now for the a peaceful, secure future, God, and |
| even with some bad luck along the way, committed | | | | country-all are possible directions and values to |
| people can become president or famous or happy. | | | | incorporate in your plan. Think of each of these |
| You can rarely attain big goals without commitment | | | | virtues in the big picture, from a global perspective |
| as a top value. Commitment means that if you | | | | right down to your own neighborhood and your life. |
| decide to lose five pounds or fifty, you do not take | | | | What relationship do you want our world leaders to |
| a few walks then give up. Instead, you work up to a | | | | have with each other-a healthy assertive balanced |
| walk of an hour or two each day until you succeed. | | | | relationship or an abusive aggressive hate-creating |
| Commitment means that your finish the projects. | | | | one? |
| Commitment means you show up. Whatever it | | | | 6. Stand Up |
| takes, you are committed. Commitment starts in the | | | | If you just lie there like a doormat, everyone will |
| morning and runs until you fall asleep. A nasty | | | | walk all over you. That is your fault for lying down on |
| failure-voice that says you deserve a break or a | | | | the floor and letting them. The stronger, more |
| treat is not your friend. Commitment bears the pain | | | | aggressive person will trudge right over you to get |
| and deserves the win of growth. | | | | what they want. Until the weaker person becomes |
| 2. This is Your Doing | | | | stronger, to the point of balance and equity, his or |
| Where you are today is a result of your patterns | | | | her business and personal relationships are horribly |
| and past choices. Repeat often, "I gladly take | | | | unbalanced and eventually fail. Will the strong-willed |
| responsibility for changing my life." If you blame | | | | partner notice the inequity of the relationship and |
| someone else, the world, your partner or God | | | | help the weaker one? No. Whatever is different |
| because you are not happy, then you will remain | | | | about your beliefs, you can voice your opinion and |
| absolutely glued to your excuses and blaming. To get | | | | have a "say." Because each time you do, the prison |
| control of your own life means you stop whining and | | | | door opens a little more for oppressed people |
| blaming others. If you want things to be different, | | | | everywhere. |
| then you make the choice to be the one to do it. | | | | 7. Take the Hurts |
| Other people are busy with their own lives. They will | | | | Take your hits like a winner, admit that you blew it, |
| walk right over you and not even notice that you | | | | make the best of a situation or leave it, then |
| were waiting for someone to make you happy, to | | | | continue to whistle while you work. No one wants to |
| fix your pain or to balance your checkbook. What is | | | | come near a big baby, much less take the time to |
| the point of a lame attitude that is mostly concerned | | | | assist you in achieving your personal goals if you just |
| with looking innocent? "I didn't do it." Would you want | | | | sit there complaining. Choose to take responsibility for |
| those words to be a synopsis of an entire | | | | you, stand up, move forward and clean up any mess |
| irresponsible life? After today, eagerly say, "I did it!" | | | | yourself. |
| regarding your life decisions. | | | | 8. There is Room at the Top |
| 3. Who Do You Want to Be? | | | | Greed spawns much abuse around the world. You |
| Sometimes societal pressures push you into | | | | can be someone better than that. Helping others |
| desperately settling for any job or relationship just to | | | | succeed will build your success and is far more |
| fulfill the role. Loss of self-esteem is just one of the | | | | rewarding than trampling people on your way to the |
| severe consequences resulting from succumbing to | | | | top. Take your posse with you and share the wealth |
| predetermined societal roles or familial roles. What do | | | | and credit. Ask yourself if your plans impinge on |
| you value about your life? List your goals and values | | | | anyone else in a way that he or she can no longer |
| in a hierarchy of what is the most important. When | | | | be free. You cannot predict how or when your small |
| you become rock solid with your values then | | | | act of kindness, compassion or courage might change |
| pervasive change happens. Did you include your | | | | the world or land you a promotion. |
| health near the top? Without your health, you will not | | | | 9. Keep it Real |
| have much time to work on your other values and | | | | Without integrity in both public and private actions, |
| goals. As you take baby-steps in the direction of | | | | the direction you take will have little to do with a |
| your "self," expect a backlash of resistance from | | | | positive outcome. Can you raise your self-esteem |
| family and friends who may try to keep you neatly | | | | and stand for more by selecting different values? |
| placed as the "old you." That is because they are | | | | When you incorporate good values that are your |
| afraid of change. | | | | preferences, you will be proud of yourself, and so will |
| 4. Feel the Force | | | | your associates and family. Right now, you could |
| You are more than just an individual; you have | | | | begin to stand for something great. Real life soap |
| history! Your DNA goes back to the first people on | | | | operas have taught us many powerful and important |
| earth. You have a connection with all the people who | | | | lessons on the absurdity of life, proving the maxim: |
| have ever lived and strived from the beginning of | | | | "You always get caught," and and that the first rule |
| human history. You can add self-esteem by the ton | | | | of happiness is to: Stop Lying. |
| to whatever you have accomplished in your own life | | | | 10. Commit for the Duration |
| if you think of yourself as a link in a wonderful chain. | | | | No pain, no gain. The last stretch of your journey |
| Remember the people who have died to win us our | | | | may require some reaching. Maybe you do not have |
| freedom from old enemies that we now call our | | | | complete assurance that you will succeed, but you |
| friends, from prejudice, chauvinism, religious | | | | get out there anyway and pound away at your goal. |
| intolerance, serfdom, slavery- and the list goes on | | | | Eventually, one day, you are there. Significant change |
| back through history. You come from a long line of | | | | in your life is only possible with this kind of |
| people who made good enough decisions to survive | | | | commitment. Do you admire people who commit to |
| and reproduce. Pretend the heroes and heroines of | | | | their goals? If so, then choose to commit to what |
| yesterday are watching. Just imagine if all history is | | | | you want now and if it is not what you want later, |
| watching. A good decision gene is in you somewhere. | | | | you can change direction again. Feel confident, let go |
| 5. Personal Goals and Values | | | | of all the wavering, questioning and vacillating of |
| Do you only "follow directions" or do you "think for | | | | indecision and simply move forward on your path! |
| yourself?" The personal goals and values you choose | | | | |