By Xenia S. Estrella
When the prince in the original Sleeping Beauty story lost his sight as he fell into the giant thorn bush that the evil queen magically made to appear, he had two choices: To either wallow in self pity and just stay there to die, or, as he chose, to find it within himself to get out of that mess and still find his lady love despite all obstacles. The story ended happily, with the prince and Sleeping Beauty finding their way back to each other’s arms.
Hmm… I love it when fairy tales not only fluff up stories with songs, but also show strength in its characters within the storyline. The part I recalled in Sleeping Beauty, obviously, doesn’t have to be sung, but everyone needs to understand that there is an important message in there that has so much to do with real life and so seriously needs to be taken in. Let me break down my insights for you.
If you are somebody who’s been through difficulties in life (and unless you’re a toddler, I think I’m talking to everyone reading this post), who may think you’re so, “over”, being a victim of circumstance now (good for you!) and that you’re ready for a change; if you have some issues that need to be resolved, maybe now you’re set about wanting to make your dreams come true; this article is for you..
Making your dreams come true… what does that actually entail? Definitely, determination and hard work. As I’ve been immersing myself in coaching these past few years, I have noticed that I’ve become more sensitive to people’s habits and reactions. A lot of my clients, including myself (still) and people I know and love, tend to be aware of some changes that need to happen from within. Sticking to action steps in order to get to those changes is hard to do, though; much like fulfilling a new year’s resolution.
Being set and actually working hard everyday to conquer each and every step you need to take on in order to achieve success, are two completely different things. The prince we were just talking about, knew that he was in for a lot of hardships. Still, love gave him the power of determination and persistence.
COMMIT TO THE PROCESS. This is the only way to get whatever you want. Knowing that you need to do particular things doesn’t mean much unless you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and actually advance to meet challenges head-on — consistently.
1. Exercise
- If you have a physical weakness, this is a must-do. Muscles won’t get strengthened if you don’t.
- If you feel too sad to do anything, push yourself to get up. You don’t need to go out. Climb up and down your steps at home for 10 minutes everyday; walk or jog around your dining table to get your blood circulating. That’ll get your happy hormones working, therefore you’re bound to feel better.
- Build up your self-esteem with meditation and affirmations. A positive mindset, with action, is needed to be able to conquer the world.
2. Calendar your schedules and consistently follow your daily to-do list.
- If you’re aiming to start a business or aiming to finish a project, you must stick to your schedule, no matter how boring, simple or tedious the necessary action steps you’ll need to take can be. Remember, progress comes with discomfort. You won’t reach your goals if you just “do it tomorrow”, or “sleep on it”, because today sucks. This being said, understand that you can still move your schedules around if you need to. Just stay true to your commitment to your plans to work.
There are more ways to move in order to live your best life. Starting may very well be the most difficult step to change. Just do it! Let’s all seriously work on beating the odds, whatever this may mean for each one of us