June 12, 2024 in Blog by Dee

How to Stress Less (Not More)!

By: Centerstone

June 12, 2024 in Blog by Dee

Setting Goals and Keeping it Real

By: Centerstone

At a year’s end or beginning, many of us sit down and reflect on the past year, what’s to come, and how we can make positive changes for the next 12 months. Whether you want to quit smoking, read more, or learn a new skill, setting goals can be helpful stepping stones to achieving your desired life. Goals, however, can be hard to maintain for long periods. A 2022 Time Magazine study found that only 8% of people stick to their goals and resolutions for an entire year.  One challenge in fully executing our goals may be because they aren’t always realistic for us.

Why setting realistic goals is important, and how to know what’s realistic for you.

Realistic goals are more likely to keep you on track than larger, loftier goals. With a realistic goal, your chances for success and completion are higher which encourages continued, more sustainable improvement and progress.

Figuring out what is realistic for you may require some trial and error. What we think is realistic may not be, so having some flexibility is helpful. “Give yourself space to experiment and learn where you currently sit concerning your goal,” says Jenna Farmer-Brackett, Manager of Clinical Training at Centerstone.

Common pitfalls of goal setting and how to navigate them.

1. Not having a clear ‘why’ for wanting to achieve it. Sometimes, wanting to achieve something for the benefit or approval of someone else can make the goal seem like a chore, rather than something that motivates you.
2. Not taking time to celebrate victories. “Whether you track your progress in a journal, or have an accountability partner, keeping track of your progress toward your goal can help see it through,” adds Farmer-Brackett. “The key here is to celebrate all the victories and progress along the way!”
3. You are taking on too much. When you stick to fewer, more meaningful goals, it’s easier to track progress and stay with it throughout the year, or your designated timeline.
4. You’re taking an all-or-nothing approach. If you don’t hit your first benchmark right away, re-focus and reassess your goal. It’s important to remember that goals can change as we do.
5. Not taking time to prepare. It can be harder to achieve goals without a specific plan in place to help you get there.

How to break up larger goals into smaller, more attainable ones.

To hit that milestone, it can be helpful to break it into smaller, more attainable goals to see progress sooner which ultimately will help with motivation. Keep the following steps in mind when looking at the big picture:

1. Define your goal, and make it as specific as possible.
2. Identify key milestones and identify the smaller, more attainable goals. Consider any major steps that need to be taken to reach your end goal, and create sub-goals that will help you achieve them.
3. List tasks for each of the smaller, more attainable goals. Figure out what you need to do each day or week to keep you on track for the big picture.
4. Prioritize and plan. Prioritize tasks based on the impact of achieving the overall goal.

June 12, 2024 in Blog by Dee

Accept Yourself!

By: Larry Bilotta

Imagine what your life would be like if you could just be yourself, without thinking twice about what other people think of you! Here are four quick tips that will help you learn how to accept yourself. Make these four things a part of your daily routine and you’ll soon find people will judge you less and accept you more.

1. See Yourself as a Success

You’re probably familiar with that little voice inside your head that tells you you’re never good enough. Instead of letting that voice continuously judge what you didn’t do right; focus on an actual moment in your life that makes you feel wonderful.

This could be a moment at your wedding, the birth of your first child, or a great victory you achieved. Picture it as if you were living it all over again. Right before you think of this moment, say these words: “You know what this (say the bad feeling you are having right then) reminds me of? It reminds me of the time…

Then remember, or in essence “live out” your great moment. End the moment with the words: “That’s what this reminds me of.” This is exactly what Olympic athletes have done for years to increase their physical performance. They see it first in their imagination and then they reach their goals.

2. Restore Your Self-Confidence

The second key to getting over your need for acceptance is self-confidence. Confidence is the result of how you see yourself in your imagination. The way your nervous system makes you feel is the direct result of what’s going on in your imagination.

That’s why when someone describes a great meal; you begin to salivate even though there is no actual food in reality. To your nervous system, this “food” is more real than actual food itself. Since that’s the case, just think what would happen if you imagined yourself being successful and confident?

When you see confidence in your imagination, your nervous system believes you are confident which changes the vibes you give off. People will treat you better because they can feel your success and want to be around it. THIS is what actually makes you stop worrying about what others think of you. Those days of wishing someone would take an interest in you can now be ancient history.

3. Find a Career that Truly Fits “The Real You”

This step may seem like it has no connection to the previous steps, but it goes hand in hand with learning how to accept yourself. An easy way to build your self-confidence is to do what you truly were meant to do in life. What are you passionate about? What have others told you you’re good at?

To learn exactly how to do this, there is no better book than What Color Is Your Parachute? by Nelson Bolles. Head to your nearest bookstore for a copy, or do a search online and order it that way. Match your talents to your career and see your confidence begin to increase every day!

4. Get “Back to the Basics”

Most people are not sure what happiness really is. Many say that money would make them happy. But it’s not money at all. People don’t want money! They want what money can BUY. They remember that buying new things makes them feel happy, but this is only one form of happiness. True happiness comes when you can make a difference in the life of another person and realize how much it meant to them.

Lending someone a helping hand not only brightens their day, but you will be able to reap the effects of, if only for a brief moment, true happiness.

Now that you know how to gain confidence by focusing on a positive memory instead of the negative voice inside your head, you’ll be able to give off the vibes that attract people to you. Instead of wishing and hoping for approval, you now know how to accept yourself by giving people what they need; a confident person who not only looks for the good in them, but also shows them how to see it too.