Action Thursday - 4 Action Steps to Overcome the Habit of Quitting and Develop Persistence

To overcome any habit, a new habit needs to replace the old. And so it is with the habit of quitting. In order for you to overcome it and develop the habit of persistence, you need to practice the new habit until it becomes natural to you.

So here are 4 action steps you can use to empower you from within to overcome the habit of quitting and develop the habit of persistence.

Action Step #1 - Reignite the flame of enthusiasm

Think of the project(s), tasks, courses etc. that you started and then quit because you thought of it as being difficult to complete. Ask yourself if this is something that you'd really love to finish in spite of the challenges. If so, begin to see yourself at the finish line with the project, task or course completed. How does that make you feel? Allow the joy of completion to reignite the flame of your enthusiasm once again.

Action Step #2 - Create a plan for success

You can always 'shift gears' if you need to, but you need to create a plan for success on your project and modify it as you go along. It is better to have a clearly written organized plan of action than to just float around from one part of your project to another. In this way, your mind will be relaxed and organized instead of the stress that comes with being scattered.

Action Step #3 - Create small manageable action steps

Take your plan and break it down into small manageable action steps. Here's the trick: make it big enough so you feel a sense of accomplishment and you're making progress, but small enough so you're not overwhelmed or frustrated. That way you lessen the temptation of giving up.

Action Step #4 - Praise or reward yourself

After you've completed your first small manageable action step, praise yourself or give yourself a reward for a job well done. However you choose to do this is up to you. But the point is to take the time to feel good about what you've accomplished - bask in that feeling for a minute or so. Do the same with each segment you've completed. The energy of praise will give you the boost you need to press forward until you reach your goal.

Bonus question #1 - What happens if you face a difficult situation and you're not sure what to do to fix it, do you still give up?

No. Instead of fuelling the energy of quitting by focusing on it or by becoming frustrated, remove yourself from the project for a minute if you can or just take a few minutes to breathe and release the tension, get quiet, look within and ask for help. Expect the answer to show up as you use the power of concentration to help you.

Bonus question #2 - What happens if you tried but didn't fully complete the small manageable action step?

Beating up on yourself sure isn't going to solve the problem. It's like crying over spilt milk. It's already done. Shake off any guilt and depression and set yourself to try again, and again, and again and did I say, "Again?" if you have to until you succeed. Herein s the habit of persistence until you reach your goal.

Empowered from Within - Take it One Step at a Time to Overcome the Habit of Quitting

Often times when we quit it's because we've become overwhelmed by the difficulty of the task before us and as a result we lose confidence that we could actually complete it, then we lose interest and finally give up altogether. 

So let's look at 4 keys to taking it one step at a time to overcome the habit of quitting. 

Key #1 - Break it down

Whether your task is to complete a project, finish a course or clean your house, breaking things down into manageable size can help you achieve a whole lot more with less stress and in the least amount of time. 

A few years ago, as I was taking my insurance courses, I found myself feeling quite overwhelmed by the one and an half-inch size text books full of insurance terminologies and concepts. I had to quickly find a way to break the information down in manageable portions in order to prepare me for being successful at my exams.

Key #2 - Pace yourself

Instead of trying to do everything or at least a whole lot of stuff all at once, pace yourself. 

Each week I took one chapter and paced out my reading as well as the reviewing of that chapter within the 7 day period - working on a portion of the chapter each day. I did the same thing when coming closer to taking the exams - pacing myself out as I reviewed important concepts in each chapter over a few weeks just before the exam. 

Before I came up with my system for studying though, I wondered how in world I would ever learn all of the material and even more so how was I going to pass the exam if I felt so overwhelmed. I made a focused determined decision that I would pass my exam and I'd find a way to do so. 

Key #3 - Simplify the process

So as you're working towards your goal, look for ways in which you can simplify the process.  Organize your material or project into smaller goals to be completed each day. As you finish each goal, you'll find a strong sense of accomplishment. If you have a deadline for the completion of your project, give yourself enough time to complete it so you can avoid the pressure as much as possible. It feels really good going into an exam room feeling prepared and not having to cram to get that last piece of information into your head a few minutes before the exam begins. 

Key #4 - Relax and let your creativity flow

Let go of your frustration so your creative juices can flow, inspire you and make this fun. 

As I learned to relax and ask the Spirit for help to get through my studies, I found creative ways to memorizing many of the insurance concepts. I'm a very visual person so seeing these concepts in my head played a major part of helping me remember them. Some parts of my chapters I drew stick people which added the fun side to my studies. We tend to remember things as we identify them with something that's funny or is of interest to us. 

Yes, I did have days that I felt like giving up and throwing my book out the window, especially on those beautiful sunny days when I had to study and I really preferred to be outdoors having fun. However, after all was said and done, it was all worth it. The lessons I learned were invaluable and I'd cherish them for a long time.  

Empowered from Within - 4 Mindsets to Change Your Perspective to Overcome the Habit of Quitting

Struggling with the habit of quitting comes about as a result of the way we've come to view situations or tasks that appear difficult at first. Anytime you choose to do something new you'll be faced with the initial learning curve and many times we interpret this as being difficult. So in order to avoid going through the initial struggle, quitting becomes an alternative. 

Here are 4 mindsets you can use to change your perspective so whenever you feel like 'throwing in the towel', you'll become empowered from within and get an extra boost to keep going. 

Mindset #1 - It's part of the learning curve

When you look at seeming difficulty you encounter on whatever task, project or habit you're working on as part of the learning curve, it helps to alleviate the pressure off of your mind so you can continue to move forward toward your goal. It's the anxiety during the learning process that influences the habit of quitting. 

Mindset #2 - I'm becoming spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically in sync 

The learning process requires all of you to become in sync in order to fully master what you're working on. You must be able to connect on a deeper level inside of you. Your mind must be present and focused on what you're doing. Your emotions' involvement propels you forward as you practice with anticipation of the day you actually perfect your desire. And your body, in relation with your mind, must understand the mechanics of how things work - as in the physical and mental mechanics of learning to ride a bicycle, walking, writing etc. 

Mindset #3 - There's always a solution

Every situation has a solution no matter how difficult it may seem at first. If you're faced with blockages, instead of giving up, set your mind to find an alternative solution. The answer will come to you as you open the door for its arrival. Quitting shuts the door and blocks your vision from seeing the answer which may be hiding in plain sight. 

Mindset #4 - I am determined to get this right

Instead of focusing on giving up, shift your mind to determination to getting 'this'. You can do it. You can break through the initial 'bumps and bruises' of the learning curve if you have a determined and persistent mindset. You've done this before when you were a child. It's in your nature to be determined. Connect with your inner child and pull up on his or her innate abilities to help break through to success.

Key Tip: Use these 4 mindsets as affirmations to help you through the process of changing the habit of quitting.

And now, to get access to easy-to-do weekly empowering life-changing tips and steps in audio format with.PDF audio transcript so you can review at your convenience, Workbook in.PDF format - with meditation statements, personal affirmations, self-analysis and action steps plus MP3 audio to download to your computer or your MP3 player to listen at your convenience, subscribe at

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Empowered from Within - 4 Solutions to Overcome the Habit of Quitting

Do you give up at the first sign of difficulty? When you make a decision to do something and you stumble upon obstacles, do you lose interest, momentum and finally give up? Do you find yourself going from one thing to another because you find it difficult to understand or too much work involved? 

Each time you give up on something you're creating the habit of quitting and if you find that you are quitting  more often than pressing through to the finish line it's time to look for new ways to overcome the habit of quitting so you can develop the habit of persistence. 

Use these 4 solutions to become empowered from within so you can overcome the quitting habit when things get tough. 

Solution #1 - Change your perspective

When you think of the situation you're facing as being difficult then you'll be sending that exact message to your body. There's always a solution to every problem. And if you have a difficult time with tough stuff this can be quite discouraging. 

Change your perspective. Change the way you look at the difficulty. See it as being something new to learn that you've not yet mastered but you can and will. E.g. look at it as part of a learning and growth process like when you first learned to walk. You didn't see it as difficult. You focused only on the fact that you wanted to walk.

Solution #2 - Take it one step at a time

Instead of trying to do everything all at once or master a task all at once, break it up into smaller action steps. A baby first learned to stand up by holding on before walking; then moves on to walk while holding on. Followed by standing without holding on and finally begins to take the first step. Each stage is progressive after each part is mastered to finally master the art of walking. 

So if you're finding it difficult to complete anything you've started, look at your overall goal and break it down into smaller manageable tasks you can master in a shorter time. You'll feel empowered once you finish/mastered each level.

Solution #3 - Relax and enjoy the journey

Often times we become frustrated and overwhelmed because we want to get to the end result fast. But the journey has many invaluable lessons to harness if you slow down and take the time to observe them.

Let's use the 'baby learning to walk' example again. If the baby misses the important lesson of balance how will she master walking? You need to mentally and physically understand certain aspects of your tasks in order to master it. Otherwise you'd find yourself more frustrated because you've left out the most foundational lessons before continuing on to the next level.

Solution #4 - Practice to master the habit of persistence

As with anything, to break free from the habit of quitting you must practice the previous solutions in order to reprogram your subconscious programming so you can adapt to the habit of persistence.

As a child, persistence was a natural part of your learning. What happened? Why have you now adapted to the habit of quitting? Many factors come into play why this is so but the fact still remains that in order to achieve anything, persistence is the key.

And now, to get access to easy-to-do weekly empowering life-changing tips and steps in audio format with .PDF audio transcript so you can review at your convenience, Workbook in .PDF format - with meditation statements, personal affirmations, self-analysis and action steps plus MP3 audio to download to your computer or your MP3 player to listen at your convenience, subscribe at

http://www.changinginsideoutnow.com/membercion/empoweredfromwithin.html