There are many things in life that we can’t control,
but within each individual life,
there are other things that we do have control over.

Setting goals helps us take control of our lives.
It gives us a map to show us where we want to go,
instead of letting life just happen by accident.

Individually, we need to find out what our values really are,
so we can decide which goals we want to pursue
and what direction to aim our lives.

 Goals should be:

Positive.
State goals in positive rather than negative terms.
(like: “I am an organized person: instead of “I am not disorganized”
or “I eat 3 meals and nothing in between”, rather than “I don’t eat snacks”)

Present Tense.
State goals as though they are being realized right now,
or have already been attained. The subconscious mind operates in the present.
If we create goals in the future tense, our subconscious will never get there.

Personal:
Goals have to be about you, and under your control,
not about someone else.

Precise:
Goals should be realistic.
Achieving them must be within the realm of possibility.

Powerful.
Use words that convey action and emotion.

  Visualize success.
See yourself achieving your goal.
Picturing a positive outcome is helpful.
If we can see ourselves attaining a goal, we very likely will.
However, if we can’t muster up any image of success,
we very likely will fail.

Visualizing is something all of us do every day.
When we daydream, or think about someone we know,
or remember a place we visited, we are visualizing.
We can use this technique to help us achieve our goals
by seeing ourselves achieving them.

One of my forum friends recently posted the following statement:

“I have never found that allowing myself to eat whatever I want
stopped me from overeating it at some time.
Processed foods are powerful.
Even thin people overeat them, and sometimes become fat people.

That said, it is still crucial to allow those foods into my plan.
It is important to take away the emotional charge.
But the emotional charge is not the only stimulus.
However, in the right conditions--right amount of pleasure, rest, companionship--
I have them moderately and satisfyingly.”

  This has also been my own general overall experience.
Sometimes I delete specific food for specific time periods,
but eventually, I've always returned to the above-general behavior.

Will I always do that?  I don't know.
I like to always remain open to new possibilities.

Hope.
Each of us knows what it feels like.
Each of us wants to feel it.
But exactly what is it? How do we get it?

Hope is the emotional state
which promotes the belief in a positive outcome
related to events and circumstances in one's life.

It is the feeling that what we want can be had;
or that events will turn out for the best;
or that something desired may happen.

Hope comes into play when things are not going well
or at there’s considerable uncertainty about how things will turn out.
Hope opens us up, removes the blinders of fear and despair
and allows us to see the big picture,
which allows us to become creative and have belief in a better future.

 Hope is cultivated when we have a goal in mind,
determination that a goal can be reached,
and a plan on how to reach those goals.
Hopeful people are like the little engine that could,
because they keep telling themselves "I think I can, I think I can".

Hope is distinct from positive thinking,
which refers to reversing pessimism,
and the term "false hope" refers to a hope
based entirely around a fantasy or an extremely unlikely outcome.

That said...and as unlikely as it might seem...
I usually feel hopeful.

For those who are following my “Ask Grandma” videos
click to see my latest one: “You Are Stronger Than You Think”
which is located in DietHobby under RESOURCES, Videos, Ask Grandma.