The Battle Of Change and Three Steps to Help You WIN

Welcome to those visiting from weeklyhustle.com where I have the honor of guest posting, please enjoy Tales of Work!

Note from Kimanzi: I am out-of-town speaking at WordCamp Fayetteville in Fayetteville, Arkansas . While I’m away I’ve asked several bloggers to guest post in my place, enjoy! This is a guest post from Ben Dempsey who is a health/wellness coach that has went from 360 pounds to triathlete.  He wants to help others defy obesity and reach their goals.  He blogs about his journey and how to win the battle against obesity.  You can follow him on Twitter. If you would like to guest post on this blog, email a post to kimanzi@talesofwork.com

Whenever you start something new, no matter what it consists of there will be a battle that takes place. Where you ask? In your mind. Change is 80% mental and 20% physical.

The battle consists of changing the beaten path you have been on to turning down a new road with endless possibilities. On July 22, 2009 I weighed in at 360 pounds and was on the path of destruction.  I had to take a stand.  I began to implement the 3 steps I list below and over the last few years I have found who I am, I’ve lost 160 pounds and completed my first marathon.  I hope that you find these steps helpful as I have.

Three steps to help you WIN the battle of change.

Believe in yourself:  This can be one of the hardest things to do, especially if you are like me and have failed so many times.  Sometimes we don’t ever think we can win, change or succeed.  But, that is not the case.  You can do it, it won’t be easy but with hard work and perseverance you can overcome the defeat.  Simply let the past be what it is, learn from it and move on.  Don’t let it HOLD you down any longer.
 Understand that there will be plateaus:  We are not perfect, things will happen that will cause us to plateau and it’s ok.  It doesn’t matter who you are, this will be a punch in the gut and make you feel that you have lost.  That is not the case, use it as a reflective period, learn from it and use it to catapult you to your next objective..         
 Accountability:  No matter who you are, you need to have accountability.  Someone or a group to hold you accountable. Not to bash you down or cause you to turn and run.  But, someone who you can trust, depend and lean on in a time of need.  They will give you the proverbial kick in the pants, but be there to help you get back up when you have fallen.  

Question for you?  What ways help you win the Battle of Change and what has been the biggest hurdle along your journey?

P.S. Dan Black will be moderating the comments while I’m away, thank you Dan!