{"id":4791,"date":"2013-10-18T12:01:38","date_gmt":"2013-10-18T16:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/?p=4791"},"modified":"2013-10-18T23:08:43","modified_gmt":"2013-10-19T03:08:43","slug":"i-choose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2013\/10\/i-choose.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI Choose\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"choose\"<\/a>How many times have you said you wanted to do something but just didn\u2019t do it. Maybe you really want to go to the gym a few times a week but never even get your sneakers out. Or you want to make a more concerted effort to get out and network to help\u00a0 find a new job. Or you want to take a vacation and need to plan and book it. Or you want to spend more quality time with your kids. It\u2019s easy to come up with what you want but much harder to implement what needs to done. It\u2019s easier to make excuses for why you can\u2019t than to take action.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve had a rough week at work and need to stay home and rest.\u201d
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI may have a cold coming on so I shouldn\u2019t be around people.\u201d
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cNext week my schedule may be lighter so I\u2019ll start then.\u201d
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI need to get organized first.\u201d
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve used all of them. But I\u2019ve learned that making excuses or stalling doesn\u2019t get you what you want. It makes you frustrated, which doesn\u2019t feel good. Years ago there were many things I wanted to do and I talked and dreamed about doing them but couldn\u2019t take the first step. Deep down I felt like a loser. What was wrong with me? I had many books in my head but never tried to write one. And when I did begin to write several but made no effort to get them published. And I kept putting off joining a gym though I knew I was important for my health to do weight training.<\/p>\n

I gave it a lot of thought. We all have choices but often don\u2019t use our options. I was subconsciously choosing to not do what zi said I wanted. So I sat down and asked myself what I REALLY wanted. I decided I did REALLY want to build my muscles, and to be an author. So I took on a new mindset. I stopped just wanting and made each thing my choice.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI choose to<\/strong> write books and make an effort to get them published.\u201d
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI choose to<\/strong> go to the gym regularly to build my muscles.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you say, \u201cI choose,\u201d it puts the onus squarely on you. It\u2019s a reminder that it\u2019s YOUR choice and you are responsible for it. You can also choose not to do it. But declaring, \u201cI choose to__\u201d instead of \u201cI want to__\u201d can change your attitude about it. It\u2019 a reminder that you\u2019ve made it a choice, not an obligation.\u00a0 So the next time you\u2019re trying to figure out why you can\u2019t get started doing something you think you want to do, ask yourself if you want it badly enough to choose to do it. Then make a conscious statement aloud, \u201cI choose to__.\u201d And when you find yourself making excuses for not starting, declare your choice again to motivate yourself. You\u2019ll get a lot more done when you make it a choice, not just a desire.
\n**************
\nJoin the Self-Love Movement\u2122<\/strong><\/a>! Take the 31 Days of Self-Love Commitment<\/strong><\/a> and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways<\/a><\/strong> for free at http:\/\/howdoiloveme.com<\/a><\/strong>. Read my 2013 31 Days of Self-Love Posts HERE<\/strong><\/a>. Join the Self-Love Movement\u2122<\/strong><\/a>! on Facebook<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please leave comments under my posts so we can stay connected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How many times have you said you wanted to do something but just didn\u2019t do it. Maybe you really want to go to the gym a few times a week but never even get your sneakers out. 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Let Me Count the Ways, a She's appeared on hundreds of TV and radio shows, including Oprah, Howard Stern, and Good Morning America and has been quoted in dozens of publications, including the New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Marie Claire, and Men\u00b9s Health. After being a consummate People Pleaser who felt unworthy of getting her own needs met for many years, Daylle found a path of self-love that enabled her to build her self-esteem and reinvent herself into a dual career. She learned to get taken seriously without being overtly assertive when she became one of the first women to start an independent record label (on a dare!) and learned to play ball nicely and successfully in an industry dominated by men. To help independent musicians empower themselves, Daylle writes music business books for Billboard\/Random House, including the very popular Start & Run Your Own Record Labe and I Don't Need a Record Deal! Daylle's books have been translated into over 10 languages and are popular around the world. She speaks for colleges, organizations and corporations. Through her company, Project Self-Empowerment, Daylle creates programs and materials to help people empower themselves. One goal is to raise the money to self-publish her book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways and give it away for free in colleges and through organizations, to give thanks for all her blessings. 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