The Mental Wall

It happens from time to time to all of us. Sometimes it hits on mile 3, other times it hits on mile 18.
Then there are days when it hits while on the elliptical. The worst is when it hits and you haven't even gotten out of bed yet.
I'm talking about the wall-the invisible, yet giant mental wall. It's miserable, isn't it? It can knock the wind out of you, and it can be so overwhelming to take on. Sometimes it feels like you're never going to break through it, and yet when you do, what an amazing feeling! You feel like you can conquer anything.
Oh yes, I have hit more than my share of mental walls throughout the last several years, but I have broken through all of them as well. It takes time, determination and sometimes, good old-fashioned physical work.
That mental wall is what will keep you from achieving what you want in life. That mental wall will drag you into that dark hole that you want so badly to avoid. It's that mental wall that will defeat you if you don't defeat it.
Listen: most things in life are 2/3 mental work and 1/3 physical work. Why is that? Well, think about it- when you get in a rut, you tell yourself things like "I can't do this, it's impossible." "It's too hard, so I should just quit now." "I don't have the energy to do this anymore, it's getting too hard." "It's no use, I should stop while I am ahead." Then, what happens? Well, you turn out to be right. BUT, what happens when you tell yourself things like "I can do this!" "I have gone through so much more and survived, so I can get through this." "I am strong enough, and I won't quit until I finish." "Quitting is not an option!" Amazingly, you also turn out to be right.
It's called attitude, and having a positive one will make all the difference in the world. If you tell yourself you can't, then you'll be right. If you tell yourself you can, then you'll be right. It's your choice as to what you want to be right about.
Once you conquer the mental wall you're facing, it's easy to make your body follow your brain. If you are trying to lose weight, you start by retraining your brain how to eat properly. Once your brain is trained, your body follows and amazing things happen. If you don't train your brain first, then you won't stay committed to your cause. That's how it is with everything-from losing weight to running a marathon, or finally getting that degree. It all starts in your head, then the rest follows.
Here are a few things I've learned about breaking through that mental wall:
1-Think about the goal you want to achieve
2-Make a plan how you're going to achieve that goal
3-Write the goal and plan down and place it where you can see it every day
4-Put a smile on your face and tell yourself "I CAN DO THIS"
5-Keep a positive attitude
6-Believe in yourself
7-Have a support group (family, friends, etc)
8-Work hard every day. Realize some days your best is 80% and some days your best is 120%-as long as you did your best, it's good enough
9-Measure your progress. When you see how far you've come, it's easier to see how much closer you are to reaching your goal
10-Don't dwell on your failures-learn from them
11-Celebrate your successes
12-Keep moving forward, not backward

You can do anything you put your mind to. It's time to knock through your mental wall, move forward and make a difference. Good luck!