Today’s topic is the importance of setting solid goals and sticking to your plan in spite of obstacles that rear their ugly head.
Goals
One thing I’ve read about goals recently is that you can set two types of goals.
For example, a goal like, “I want to lose weight because I want to live longer,” will be more successful than “I hate the way I look.” A goal-based on positive outcomes will be more successful than one based on negatives.
A plan
I find that the best strategy is the simplest and easiest. I don’t know of a better plan than Calories In < Calories Out = Weight Loss!
Here’s where it gets tricky, though. You have to hold yourself accountable by weighing yourself on a regular schedule — either weekly or daily.
What frosted my birthday cake yesterday was the second day of a weight gain. I finally broke two hundred pounds. Then, yesterday I went back over it.
If you looked at the weight chart from yesterday, there was no weight loss for seven days. I started at 200.2, and I ended up at 200.2. For the last seven days, I lost weight for three days and gained weight for four days. That is frustrating for me.
If you look at the chart for the last month, though, a different picture emerges.
Whoa! Six pounds lost in a month – that’s a little over a pound a week which is my goal. It’s clear that weight fluctuates. Knowing that makes the momentary spikes in weight gain bearable.
What’s your point?
You have to trust in the plan and follow it relentlessly. You will have ups and downs, but in the long run, you will succeed.
You cannot cheat — and you won’t — if you set your goal from a positive point of view. You cannot quit — even when it looks like you’re failing. Here is the chart since I began the program in July.
Setting your art goals
If you follow these two simple principles, you will become a great artist — and I mean a great artist. Set your plan and follow it. We can help with our self-study or mentored art courses. Our Advanced Class students are creating remarkable paintings — you can too. At Alexander, you can paint, we promise!
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