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Techniques For Keeping Your New Year Resolutions: Part Three

Part one and two of the series were about techniques and rules I used to stay motivated and focused. But what happened when nothing is going your way, your brain rebels and does not want to follow any techniques or rules? What happens when you hit the wall and feel like you need to give your brain an electroshock to put it back on track? I have been in that situation so many times that I had to find a way to pull myself out of that hole. I have developed two sets of images I access each time I am in that situation. It is like getting a second wind when you hit that mental wall; this helps me deal with those challenging moments and pushes my limits.

This approach is based on the simple following principal. Our behavior is driven by mainly two factors, pleasure and pain; we either act to get pleasure or to avoid pain. So I have two sets of images. One is comprised of pictures charged with negative emotions and pain and I visualize that if I don’t push myself all these negative emotions and pain are going to take place. I see myself failing and hear people tell me, “You are such a loser!” That gets my attention.

Then I access the second set of pictures, those charged with positive emotions and pleasure, everything I ever wanted to experiment. I visualize all these situations and believe that all those good things will take place if I get through this mental blockage.

The combination of visualizing powerful, negative images and then positive ones usually does get my brain back on track, but if it doesn’t, then I go back and repeat the process to more negative and then positive images until I am out of the hole.

The key is to have all those negative and positive images already stored in your mind and ready to be accessed when you hit the mental wall. During critical moments you don’t want to spend time building them. You will have to practice to determine which pictures and situations work best for you. Enjoy your electroshock and keep on going!