Quote of the day: "It has been scientifically proven that you CAN change your mind."

Actor, Will Smith, spoke on the subject during an interview with Tavis Smiley. His remedy for changing your mind was simple "just decide!" All you have to to do is decide. It's just that simple.

So often many of us look to those who have what we consider great success for inspiration. There are times though when we think to ourselves that these people have it easy. Every time we see them in the public eye, it looks as though they have it all together. We then take a look at the mess we have made of ourselves and figure we don't have what it takes. That could not be further from the truth!

Here is the thing. The change you ultimately want doesn't look like the first step you take. The change that you really want looks nothing like the first day you make a decision to do better. However, I promise that if you take your goal and break it down into smaller pieces, it will become much easier to appreciate your efforts.

For example. I have decided to train for the Country Music Half Marathon on April 24, 2010. I recently downloaded a training schedule. A half marathon is 13.1 miles. Day 1 of the training does not say run 13.1 miles. In fact, the schedule advises that an individual should have been running consistently for 4-6 weeks and can run for 30 mins. without stopping. Imagine what the training would be like if on day one I was asked to run the 1/2 marathon. That would be ridiculous. Instead, the goal is broken down not only into smaller objective, but even smaller pieces by making a note that I should be running steadily weeks before I start training for the event.

Many of the things we want in life are just like the training schedule for this 1/2 marathon I plan to run. We see what we want, then we think about what we have to do to get it. What we don't plan on are the things we may need to bring to the table in order to make what we want to happen. Then we start taking a look at the time commitment involved and we realize the hill we just created for ourselves. As a runner, trust when I tell you that hill can intimidate many beginners.

Instead of becoming discouraged, why not become encouraged by having a challenge to wake up to. These are the opportunities that life presents us to show the universe that we are serious about what we say we want. We are willing to give time and sacrifice in order to achieve our goals and we look forward to the process of seeing things through.