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 - 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.

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Change your life - 5 steps to change your life!

Changing your life requires certain steps to bring about successful results. These 5 steps to change your life lays out a direction which you can follow.

1) Recognize your need

If you are to make any changes in your life, you must first recognize that you have a need for something. When you recognize dissatisfaction in your life, it’s time to make a change.

2) What is your desired outcome?

And you begin to address that situation by thinking about what it is you desire the outcome to be. For example out of your dissatisfaction with the quality of food at the grocery store or if you want to save money, you may decide to grow your own garden. That desire for the garden springs out of your emotional concern about your health which propels you to do something about your current situation.

3) Be specific – have a definite goal

When you make a decision to grow this garden then you decide what type of garden you want – vegetable, fruit or flower garden or a combination of all three. This is the step of having a definite goal. For you must determine what it is you desire to create in order for you to create it.

This lays the foundation then for a completely different mindset than the one you had before. The previous results you were getting came as a result of the mindset and conditioning during that period of your life. Therefore you acted in accordance with the way you were thinking.

So now it’s time to go through the transitory period to create the new mindset and habitual conditioning which may produce a period of discomfort as you go through the process. Remember, this is something new to the mind and body and at first it may be uncomfortable. But as long as you stay focused on your results and on the final goal, the new mindset habit will begin to set in which will produce different behaviour and positive results.

This is where you begin to make plans and find ways to effectively create this change.

4) Garden of your life

Your life is like a garden. You must nurture it. You must tend to your garden daily. I like the garden illustration because it gives a tangible guideline for determining what you desire and how to go about getting your desire, especially if your desire is one that is intangible, like spiritual growth and development.

As we learn these principles, it’s imperative to teach them to our children so they can have an early start in creating a great future for themselves and their children.

Education is more than rehearsing what’s been taught to us in text books. It is also about knowing how to use our mental faculties to create and shape our world. It is not being told what to think but how to think and use our thinking abilities to change our lives.

Our thoughts when fuelled with emotions become our reality. Therefore the garden thought must be nurtured and cared for on a regular basis, weeding and pruning all that is unwanted. It is a never ending process to living.

5) Persistence and determination

Persistence and determination is the driving force to achieving any goal. These take you through the tough times when you feel like giving in. A woman in labour knows that when the pain is at its highest intensity that’s when she’s about to give birth – that’s our breaking through point.

Determination is the mindset that says that regardless of the external conditions I will have what I desire. It will come to me no matter what, and you wait, if you have to, for it to unfold.

Persistence is birth out of a determined mindset. It is the consistent continuous action whether physically or mentally towards achieving your goal.

Anything is possible when you have the mindset that it doesn’t matter what it is, you can and will have what you desire.

Changing your perception of things causes you to see opportunities where others only see adversity.

If at first you don't succeed, keep trying 'til you do!

Getting my body back - Day 135

One of my 14-Day Body Sculpting Workout routine involves dumbbell lunges - an exercise move where you step forward with the right foot, bend the knee and lower your body, then you switch to the other side. I don't particularly like this exercise, I've always kind of skipped it in the past and now it's back to confront me again. I find the movement a bit uncomfortable and strenuous. At first, I was about to just skip it, then I thought, you know what, if I don't try it and keep practicing it how will I perfect it? So I decided that even if it was 3 or 4 reps that I did, it would be better than none and if I kept it up I could increase the reps, perfect the move and strengthen my legs.

Many times we don't give things a fair chance for various reasons. Mine was because the move felt awkward and I couldn't get it right. Others may have reasons because of fears, but whatever it is, we need to confront our issues, and look it straight in the face and do the very best we can do, until we get it right.

When we start anything new we may feel a bit wobbly, like when we're riding a bicycle, but as long as we know the correct form, the right way to do what we're doing, and we keep practicing, we get better. If at first you don't succeed, keep trying 'til you do. With determination and persistence, we can achieve anything we set out to do and it would be worth it when we reach the finish line.

Years ago when I first started working in the insurance industry as a secretary I was being trained as a dicta typist. I had to figure out what the adjuster was saying on the tapes and at the same time try to type what was being said. The typing part was okay, but I had a difficult time understanding what was said. Many times I had to ask my trainer to help me which sometimes made me feel like I was being a bother.

My first week was awful. But I persevered and worked really hard until I had perfected it. This later on became second nature to me. As a matter of fact, I became a trainer, as well, and was branded the name, years later at another insurance company, lightning fingers. This skill paved the way for me to get this job opening at the other company because when I went for the interview and they tested me and the person that did the testing reported to the boss that I was very fast - I found that out after I got the job.

When we couple persistence and determination, we could go places and reach heights we may not have initially thought of as being possible, and doors open up in ways that we were not able to see when we first start out.

Fuelling words: I am persistent and determined to master whatever goal I set out to achieve.

Workout: walking, jogging, step exercise, weight training

Persistence - the key to goal attainment

Getting my body back - Day 133

So, I'm off and running with day 1 of the 14-day body sculpture workout, beginning with my walking, step climbing and weight training. I'm really making sure that I get my form right and moving between lighter weights to heavier weights depending on the exercise and the amount of reps.

I'm still working on my push ups, though. I could do the full length push ups but can't do as many reps, so I do knee push ups, still working the chest but getting more reps in. It's been a great workout and I feel great, too. One of the reasons, I believe, is because I've been doing the weight training before so it's easier to make the transition and not have to start at the newbie level.

As with anything you embark on, you need to stay focused on your goals, one day at a time, and be persistent. Persistent is the key to attaining any goal. One of the things I'm reminded of that I tend to forget sometimes is to focus on and contract the muscles as I work them.

I love weight training because of the benefits I get long after the exercise workout is over. Weight training works the muscles and continues to help burn fat throughout the day and into the night, and more importantly, tighten those areas that are being pulled down by gravity, if you know what I mean.

I'm taking my routine to the next level where I'm redesigning and sculpting my body into the way I desire it to be.

Fuelling words: I am persistent in achieving my goal. I use different methods but my focus remains constant.

Workout: walking, step exercise, weight training.

Changing Inside Out Now! Getting my body back - Day 7

Determination gives birth to persistence and is the outward expression in the form of persistence.

Persistence is the act of persisting or persevering; continuing or repeating behaviour.

When you make a decision to achieve a goal, you become determined in your heart and mind to attain the desired end results. Your determination gives birth to persistence being expressed in your continued repeated action, day after day, until you reach the finish line.

As you visualize your goals everyday, you reinforce the decision you made to its attainment, thereby fuelling your determination, and as a result, propelling you into outward expression; action.

In achieving my ideal weight, positive daily fueling words reinforces my decision to achieve this goal, feeding my determination, which in turn, causes me to watch what I eat and persist in my daily exercise routine.


Fueling words: I can achieve what I set my mind to attain.

Routine: Warm-ups, stretches, toning and strength exercises, cool down.

Visualization - keeping focus on my goal; healthy, strong and my ideal body weight and shape.

Deep breathing - relaxes the muscles and sends oxygen to the muscles where exercising alone would not reach.