Is there something you really want to do, and even though you take steps to get it done, no progress ever really seems to be made?  Are you setting yourself up to fail, putting roadblocks in your own way?

Let me start with the example of losing weight and getting in shape, to really explain what I am talking about.  Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine who said she really wanted to get into shape, and that she was going to join a gym.  Now gyms are a great place, but not always for starting out.  My question to my friend was do you have the time commitment it is going to take to go to the gym? Because, belonging to a gym, and actually having the time to get in your car, drive to the gym, change your cloths, work out, shower, dress, and drive home are two different things.  Was she setting herself up to fail?

When you are starting out, and looking to set goals for yourself, you have to make sure that you are not putting up your own roadblocks along the way.  My suggestion, instead of joining a gym, isn’t there something much easier for you to do, right around your house?  For me, I live at the bottom of a great hiking area, for others, it could be a nice walking district, a running track close by, something that doesn’t take any effort to get to.  Once you get started, if you think you need the gym, then by all means join, but remember, the easier it is to do, the more likely you are going to stick with it!

When having a similar conversation with another friend of mine I heard, “I’m going to start working out an hour a day, every morning.”  This is just another way to set your self up to fail.  An hour is a long time, start slowly.  I suggest never plan to do anything that takes more than 30 minutes; after all, we can do anything, if it’s only half an hour!!  If you are worried about not getting enough exercise, then do another 30 minutes at another time of the day.  And as an added bonus, they say your body responds better by breaking up a work out this way.

Society as a whole is not very supportive of any one individual.  Don’t we owe it to ourselves to support ourselves?  Why not try and set up achievable goals.  You will be amazed at how much better you feel about yourself when you say, “I said I was going to do it, and I did.”  And suddenly things you never thought were possible are not only a reality but better!  How do I know? You may be asking yourself, well I have been applying everything in this post for the past year and a half  in many aspects of my life, including getting into shape, and here are my before and after pictures, see for yourself.  And so until next time, remember, NEVER BLAST ALONE!!

This was me in June 2008, 1 month before I gave birth to my twin girls

This is me now!!