Don't Let Challenging Times Keep You From Accomplishing Your Goals

People often look at challenging times as obstacles in their path to accomplishing goals. I have found that difficult situations can actually be the catalyst for much greater things, if you let them. I wrote my first book, "Think GREAT: 5 Steps to a Greater Life" to tell the story of my wife’s battle with cancer and our desire to stay on track to accomplishing our goals. That was over ten years ago.

Those were challenging times. But, we found that focusing on our goals gave us an internal strength that helped us through these times. Four days ago, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Challenging times are here again. Yes, we shed some tears and had long moments of silence as we waited for her full diagnosis. But, it was time to practice what we preach: you can accomplish life-changing goals – no matter what circumstances you face.

And you can too. We’re not the only ones with something heavy on our plate. Perhaps you too have a challenging circumstance in your life. Now, more than ever is the time to Think GREAT! But, where do you start? You can start be defining what would make your life greater.

If you are facing a tough time, use the Point A to Point B technique. Gina and I used this during her first battle with cancer and we are using it right now. Point A is where you are right now. For some of us, we don’t know exactly where Point B will be or how long it will take to get there. Make the commitment to go to from Point A to Point B with a positive attitude. Laugh a lot. Humor is a great tool.

Remember, no matter what circumstances you face, you can always control two things: your thoughts and your actions. When you Think GREAT, you will take the 5 Steps to a Greater Life. Once you have identified your definition of a greater life, apply the following steps:

G – Goals: Identify important Goals in your lifer
R – Reasons: Establish powerful Reasons for accomplishing your goalsr
E – Expectations: Set high Expectations for yourselfr
A – Actions: Take all of the Actions necessary to achieve greatnessr
T – Tracking: Track your results intensely

Your circumstances may not be perfect, but you never have to stop focusing on your goals. Make the decision to use your circumstances as a powerful force in your life, not as an anchor, holding you back.