Buddy up for permanent, positive results

I can do it by myself. Have you ever thought this or said this? I know I have. I grew up saying that. Call it independence, or stuborness, or maybe it’s just human nature. And where sometimes I still think it was better for me to do things on my own, in my own way, I have to admit that many, many times, I would have accomplished my goals easier, faster, and in a more pleasant way if I had found a “buddy” to join me on the journey.

Think about it. Have you ever taken a long road trip? I once did a marathon drive to Montreal for a New Year’s eve party with a friend of mine. I don’t think we would have made it back if there weren’t two of us to take driving shifts and keep the other awake during the “off shift”.

What about other types of tasks, like painting your house, or studying for an exam? They would go faster and probably be easier with someone else, right?

But what about some bigger goals for change in our life? Do we reach out and buddy-up to accomplish those? Unfortunately not. There was a behavioral study done regarding losing weight. They discovered that people who had some sort of partner lost twice as many pounds as those who tried to go it alone.

So find a buddy that can understand what you are wanting to accomplish and who is good at encouraging each other. If you have a spouse or friend who can fill the role, that’s great. If not, there are many other possibilities: personal coaches, support groups, even meeting people online that are going through the same situation is a great way to get support no matter where you are.

New online community Joy Path Ignited!

This is a place of inspiration for all and a great place for members to share their stories of success, ask their most important questions in money, mind, body, and soul as an extension to RealLifeChanges.com daily inspirations and money • mind • body • soul magazine.

Joy Path Ignited was also created to fill a need to have a place to post events that are specifically related to those 4 sectors. I have a lot of info being sent to me these days about great events, but they are all scattered around. And for my existing members (daily inspirations) we realized there was a need for a central location to keep everyone on track and in the loop.

I hope you will join us and keep on your true Joy Path!

Making Change Stay

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.”
— Robert Frost

Improvement and change occur when you do things repeatedly and consistently. Stopping and starting all the time will kill any of the momentum you need to succeed. Find ways to keep yourself on track and motivated. It is easy to create reasons not to stick to your goals. We get sick, we get tired, we have to travel, we get discouraged, we are stressed.

Here are some tricks to staying motivated and keeping change consistent in your life: Be reasonable with your goals by not taking on too much too quickly. Write your goals down in your calendar and make them as big a priority as every other appointment you have. Find support near by — a friend, a spouse, even a virtual computer buddy to keep you on track. Keep things fun — when it’s fun, it’s that much easier to do. Keep a journal so you can see your progress.

What are you really keeping out?

“Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends.”
— Czech Proverb

I know some people who have been hurt, emotionally, by people they thought loved them. And understandably they are now cautious of trusting again, loving again. So they put up their protection shields to keep people out. That way they won’t get hurt again, right?

But what are they keeping out? Perhaps they won’t get hurt by others, but the life they are now creating seems to be hurting their chances for joy, their chances for feeling love again. As much as we all would prefer to live without hurt, keeping everyone out for fear of them hurting us again will also keep out all who would love us again.

Instead of surrounding yourself with a fence of mistrust and fear, surround yourself with a circle of supportive and loving friends. Allow yourself to attract those that would love you by loving others first.

Caring by sharing

“One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another is listen to each other’s stories.”
— Rebecca Falls

I have always had the opportunity to listen to the stories of my friends and family. They often turned to me for a sympathetic ear or even, from time to time, a shoulder to cry on. I may not have always had the perfect thing to say to comfort them, or know the right advice to get them through. But that wasn’t what they really needed anyway.

We all need a safe place to share our stories so that we can release our emotions and move on to a healthy, happy state of mind. Switch the roles every now and then and be the ear for someone else. Find that support person that will unconditionally be there to hear you.

If you have something you would like to safely and anonymously write about, leave a comment and let it out. Maybe someone out there is going through a similar situation and can offer a tip or two as well.