DAY 16: Living in the Moment Sabotages Goals

Nothing sabotages goals faster than a mindset fixed on living in the moment. If you live in the moment, you will constantly face great temptation. The thought of what you want to feel now, eat now or do now will be your main focus every single day.  However, if you focus on what you are working toward, it is much easier to say no to just about anything – cheat meals, going out with friends, laziness or whatever else comes your way.

We see this at the gym all the time. We have one group of people completely committed and crushing their goals while others endure the same tough workouts without the reward. As time passes and waistlines shrink, the go-getters become an obvious reminder of what the progress the other group could have made if they were more focused on own goals.

Living for the Future

Time is going to pass. You can either spend your time doing what will move you closer to your goal or you can spend it doing what will move you further away. I can’t tell you how many times people have looked back and realized they would have already reached their goal if they had just stayed more focused. Success boils down to your intention. You have to be intentional about your daily decisions, from what you eat to how you invest your time. It all matters, even the small stuff.

If you are striving to lose weight or get fit, don’t be the one who wakes up a year from now wishing they had lived with more intension instead of living in the moment.

5 steps to help you stay focused:

1. Know your goal. I’ve driven this home over the last few weeks but we can’t address step 2 until you have completed step 1.
2. Match your goal with a photo. We need to visualize our goal. We need to know how that goal will look, feel, perform and live. How will the future you dress, play, vacation, spend time with your loved ones?
3. Make a list of all the benefits you will experience when you reach your goal. Again, we have to really grasp how this goal is going to affect your life. Go beyond just appearance and dig deep into how your body will respond to your goals, from better doctor visits to more energy to be the mom or dad you desire to be. Ask friends who are where you want to be what benefits they experience.
4. Purposefully place your goals, photos and lists where you can see them daily. Create post-it notes or calendar notes to help you stay focused. These goals MUST be real and in your face.
5. Note progress. Don’t let your goal distract you from enjoying progress along the way. Set aside time to assess your progress, whether it’s weigh-ing in or comparing a before photos with a recent photo. Sometimes we don’t realize how far we have come until we look back at where we used to be.

Living in the Moment Sabotages Eternal Goals: Food for Thought:

There is no other goal greater than preparing for eternity and no other greater resource of how we avoid living in the moment in all areas of our life than God’s word. While we do need to live in the moment when it comes to relationships and making the most of our time, we don’t need to be consumed with our pleasure now. So this is why I chose this scripture for the day – because it is a reminder how some of the greatest things worth fighting for are unseen and many of the things we waste time maybe seen but temporary.

What are you fixing your eyes on?

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Scripture of the Day

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Mantra of the Day

30 Days of Motivation