My best intentions are always easy to follow at the start of the day when my vitality levels are high, my emotional love cup full.  As the day wears on my best intentions can ebb right along with my emotional energies.  The ability to choose well when feeling drained is where the emotional rubber meets the road.  So let’s talk about how to set ourselves up to succeed.  How do we avoid the emotional trap of diving into old familiar patterns when the heart and mind are too tired to do more?

Remove temptation out of reach before it becomes a problem.  Know yourself; set yourself up to win during the strong times.  Clear the kitchen, clean out the closets, and make a standing date with a friend to do any activity you know you will not do alone.  Find a trustworthy friend to be accountable to.

Pain is an excellent motivator.  There is nothing better than a painful condition or experience to induce even the biggest skeptic to face up to life and implement some much needed changes.   The real issue is often not the getting started but the continuing on.  We often hold back just enough to keep out options open, one eye looking back while trying to venture into something new and unknown.

Moving on and winning at this thing called life often means cutting loose people, places, and things that prevent growth.  Personal experience has taught there is no way around this process, the gaping whole created in the life will take time to fill.  Letting go of what is not working is the only way to enable a place in your life for something better and new to grow.