What happens when we quit striving towards a goal?

Failure...

What happens when we persevere through towards the achievement of our goals?

Success.

What's the difference between try and triumph?

A great big UMPH.  That big push through the perceived pain towards our ultimate objective.

You WILL stumble on the way to your goals.  You WILL have setbacks.  It's a given.

It's the perseverance towards your objective that wins the game.  When the going gets tough, the tough get going...silly saying, but so true.

Vince Lombardi said once, "We've never lost a game...we just ran out of time".  Keep that thought in your mind when you feel like quitting the next time.  It's ok to take a break.  It's not ok to break a commitment to yourself.

Take full responsibility for your life...that means EVERYTHING.  Take responsibility for the fact that you haven't achieved what you wanted because of you.

Hurts a little, but it doesn't matter one bit.  The reason it doesn't matter is because the past does not equal the future.

This SECOND is a fresh new opportunity to start reconditioning your will to persevere and start living your life to the potential you know exists inside of you.  It's all up to you...not your spouse..not your kids.  You may use them as excuses (I know I have in the past), but that's all they are...excuses.  The only thing between you and what you want is your story about why you don't have it.

Identify the habits in your life that are counterproductive...that don't get you closer to your dream life.  Then, get them the heck OUT of your life.  Dump them out of your life.  If they're not getting you closer to your goals, they are taking you farther away from them.

Get support from others...get support from someone who's been there...who's in the trenches with you...getting goals.  Being here on Tools everyday will help you do that.

Be true to yourself.  You know when you've failed and succeeded.  You may be able to fool others, but you can NEVER truly fool yourself.  Honor your commitments to yourself.  If you say you're going to lose weight, make it a must and not a should in your life.  The moment you make it a must, you have made a true decision; and consequently cut off any other possibility.

Write down on a piece of paper who you want to be...down to the last detail of every character trait that you want.  Then, start living in that manner.  Be that person that you want to be.  Choose consciously if you need to at first, but BE that person.  Pretty soon, you won't need to think consciously about it.  You will be that person.

Persevere...push through...when all others ring the bell...be the last one out on the treadmill.  Be the last one going to bed at night, putting in the hours studying.  Be the first one up in the morning...showing others what they can be.  

Demand more from yourself than anyone else would ever expect.

Keep rockin',

Adam