As often happens following one of the Best Year Yet programs I do, a message emerges for Monday Morning Coach. Recently I conducted a BYY workshop and what struck me was how often participants (I include myself in this group, since each time I present it, I am also vicariously examining my own life) stop themselves from taking action because of the underlying belief that they don't have "enough," or aren't enough (smart enough, thin enough, ready enough, etc.) to make things happen.

Shortly after that workshop, I got up one morning feeling somewhat burdened by a day that seemed to have a few too many deadlines. I had almost defaulted to dragging around that heavy, overwhelmed feeling when the thought struck me..."Even though you have several deadlines today, you can still choose a positive, enthusiastic attitude." And at that moment, the words "even though" jumped out as the antidote to virtually any excuse you or I might have about why we're not making good things happen in our lives.

So what follows is a list of "even though" statements I encourage you to use as your antidote anytime you need to jumpstart your initiative, get off the dime and change things for the better!

*Even though I can't do everything on this project, I will do something.

*Even though I have too many projects to manage, I can focus on one at a time rather than procrastinating.

*Even though it's wet outside and I can't do my usual walk or run, I can find a way to get exercise indoors.

*Even though "it" won't be perfect, I can still do the best I can and get started.

*Even thougth I've been unsuccessful before, I can keep trying until I succeed.

*Even though I don't have enough (whatever), I can still be grateful for what I have and use it wisely.

*Even though I think I need more (time, money, information, people) I'll start with what I have and my resources will grow. *Even though I think "they" did something to wrong me, I can still choose to forgive and move on.

*Even though I ate too much yesterday, I can still choose to get active and eat more wisely tomorrow!

You can probably add dozens of variations to the theme. The point is, we can either have what we want in life or we can have all of our lousy excuses and justifications instead. Playing the "even though" game is a fun way to stop buying into the excuses and start taking the actions to propel you forward. Here's to making this an "even though" week.

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Quote of the Week
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"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing." ~~Theodore Roosevelt