In the Face of Challenges, Rivise Your Life Plan

Major life challenges and trials disrupt your life and force you to redirect your energies, interests, and commitments.  But how do you do that? It's not easy to revise your life and move into a positive, more satisfying future.  But these steps can get you moving in the right direction:

• Create a positive mindset by sitting quietly with your eyes closed while opening your mind to the possibility of hope, optimism, and creative behavioral change.  Take ten exaggerated breaths, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth while silently repeating the word relax each time you exhale.

• Identify a short list of valued life goals-for example, being closet to your family, becoming a more spiritual person, reconnecting with old friends, and getting in shape. Goals give you a sense of direction in terms of the changes you want to make.  Basically, you are deciding what you want your life to stand for from this point on.

•  Surround yourself with people who have positive energy, who can push you and direct you toward your goals.

• Decide what the incentives are for you to reach these goals.  What is the end game?  Will you have greater peace of mind?  Will you be happier? Will you live longer?  Be specific.

• Ask yourself how committed you are to achieving each goal.  The more committed you are, the more successful you will be.

• Ask yourself how confident you are about making these changes.  Commitment and confidence are not the same.  You can be committed, but not all that confident- or, the other way around.

• Consider what specific things you would need to realize each goal.  Where would you start?  How much support do you need?  If you have several goals, which one do you begin with?  Make it easy on yourself-start with the smallest, easiest thing and work your way up to the big changes.

• Identify any obstacles to meet your objectives.  Do you have physical limitations that might interfere?  Are other people's attitudes holding you back?

• Begin-Just Do It.  It does not matter what you do; the important thing is that you just do something. Change takes effort, so you have to persist, even when going gets tough.  There is no easy way to accomplish change.  Change also takes time, so be patient.  As the saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day."  You Cannot reconstruct your life in a day either.  Focus on the destination, but enjoy the journey.

• Reward yourself for whatever changes you make no matter how small.  If changes is rewarding, keep at it-if it isn't, quit.  It's just that simple.