Shift Momentum When You Don't Need to Change Direction

Focus on Changing Choices to Attain the Results You Want

After your self-discovery introspection (which we have discussed in the previous two Project You Life blog post) you will have a pretty good indication and understanding of who you are and what goals, dreams and desires you have. 

The typical next step is to assess where you are in relation to achieving your dreams and goals, and even whether you are currently on the right path in pursuit of them. We call this the Shift Momentum phase. 

For most, some change is required; either in the actions being taken or in the effort and energy being put into the actions you deem should be continued. 

Actions and effort, however, are not the total story or the only factors dictating your achievements and personal satisfaction. Also playing big roles are your attitude and your personal outlook on life (both short term and long term).

Often what is truly needed is a shift in momentum, not a complete change in direction. 

As American writer Ralph Marston points out, "Shift your momentum, and a bad day turns into a great day. Problems change into opportunities. What was once negative energy turns into a useful, creative force."

On the other hand, most people will find that various aspects of their lives (but not all) need a slight or fundamental change in direction. After all, every thing and every person in your life at this very moment is a reflection of a choice or choices you have made in the past. 

The formula for the future is simple: if you want to be in a different situation, surrounded with different things, or have different people in your life, you must start making different choices and taking new actions.

Remember, as Flora Whittemore says, "The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."

Or, as well-known keynote speaker Patricia Fripp advises, "Challenge everything you do. Expand your thinking. Refocus your efforts. Rededicate yourself to your future."

The key, of course, is focus. Everything from the recent best-selling book The Secret to ancient Asian philosophies highlight the importance of focusing on what you want, rather than on what you want to rid yourself of (i.e. focus on becoming slimmer, not on losing weight).

Because your journey is equally as important, if not more so, than your desired destination, it is therefore more important to focus on what you need to change than on what you are aiming to attain. As the saying goes, "If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results." 

This article is partially excerpted from the book Project You: Living A Determined Life, available in paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon.