Sabotaging success

Here a few scenarios I would like you to read, then ask yourself if you are guilty of committing any of them.

-Are you trying to lose weight but when you feel stressed you enjoy your favorite comfort foods to bring on pleasure?

-Do you have an early morning workout, but because you love watching late night TV your to tired to train in the morning?

-Do you have a full day ahead of you that requires all your focus but you stay out all night with friends only to wake up with a fuzzy head and an upset stomach?

Are you a sad depressed person with the goal of happiness, yet when you feel down you shut the world out?

These are some common things that sabotage success.  Instead of feeling a little uncomfortable getting closer towards your goal, you choose the easy pleasures to escape the uneasy feeling that comes with what you are striving for.
Deep down you know you know these behaviors hurt your progress because you always regret doing them shortly after.  The reason we all do this is we love pleasure, and we want it NOW!  When you really think about it why would you ever want to hold out on pleasure.

A behavior that brings on instant pleasure is fine if it happens once or twice a month, it becomes more of a problem when it happens 1-2 times a week. Think about if your on a weight loss program and 2-3 times a week you eat sweets because you had a rough day at work, unfortunately this will not match up with your weight loss goal.

So what do we do about it?
Step number one is know exactly what behaviors are keeping you from success.  Sit down and write out anything you kick yourself in the butt for doing more than you would like to do.
Refuse to get to angry with yourself, just know it's become a habit and that you must stop doing it to achieve success.

How do we stop doing a habit? 
We replace it with a healthier habit, something that will preoccupy our mind and be more constructive such as:
Exercise
New hobbies
Reading
Find positive people to discuss your goals with (like minded people)
etc...

New constructive activities will turn into habits that will become pleasurable when done often.  Like your bad habits they are learned behaviors, you will learn to do them often when you stay consistent.

Write down what stressful things in your life lead you to do bad things. 
When you understand what triggers your destructive behaviors, it will become much easier to to understand why you seek instant pleasures that hold you back.

The road to success is not easy, it's a long road.  The rewards and pleasures you will enjoy once your big goals are achieved are what you have been dreaming of.  Keep up a positive attitude, knowing you can do anything you put your mind towards.  Obstacles are meant to be overcome, they are not there to stop you.

Stay motivated
Shane C.