If you wanted to go from the east side of town to the west side of town, there would be a defined route to get there, right? In fact, most people would take that route because it is probably the easiest, fastest, most convenient way to get to that side of town. What do you do when that route is blocked, however?

No matter how easy, fast, or convenient any given method is for getting what we want out of life, there are a myriad of things that could jump directly in our way on the road to goal attainment. If we don't have a back-up plan, then we are stuck staring directly at a road block, with nothing left to do but turn around and go home in defeat.

There is another option here, however, and it requires you to look at your goal from a more global perspective, rather than believing there is only one road that will get you to wherever it is that you want to go. Your path to success is NOT a permanent road. There is only one goal, but there are multiple ways to get there.

If you pin your entire hopes, dreams, and desires on one method, one set of circumstances, or one path, then your very happiness in life will be dependent on that one method, circumstance, or path.

It is important not to view that which stands in your way as your 'enemy.' It can often be your best friend, sending you on a detour that takes you around what could have been your biggest stumbling block.

- Neale Donald Walsch 

It is certainly understandable that we tend to see things in black and white. A certain cause will result in a certain effect, and we were all taught as children that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Life does not deal in straight lines, however!

Picture the following scene to illustrate this concept in a real-world, 3-dimensional scenario:

You are standing on one side of a deep chasm, and you need to get to the other side. The chasm is very deep, and there is an old, rickety rope-bridge tied to trees on either side, and the whole thing looks pretty unstable.

You HAVE to get to the other side, though. What do you do?

Most 3-dimensional thinkers would say that they have no choice - it's the rope-bridge or nothing. Why do they think that way? The rope-bridge is a straight line.

In truth, there are multiple ways to get across a chasm, but when I painted the scene earlier, you immediately assumed that you had limited resources. That is exactly what we do in life, which is why we tend to base all of our hopes for success on the results of any one plan of action.

There are unlimited ways for us to get what we want out of life (to get across our chasms), yet people tend to only see one path, or maybe a small handful of paths, and they ignore anything that they personally don't see or don't understand.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you think that your way is the only way that could possibly work, not only are you being radically short-sighted, but you're being a bit ego-centric, too.

Who are you to say that whatever methods you personally come up with are the best methods for getting what you want?

• Logic and reason don't always work
• Throwing caution to the wind doesn't always work
• Asking others for advice doesn't always work
• Getting educated/informed doesn't always work
• Following the examples of others doesn't always work

In fact, there is NOTHING that always works for every person. Each situation is different, and the outcome of each situation is different.

The phrase "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten" is a truth of our existence that most people believe in wholeheartedly, as well they should. Here's the rub, though:

Someone else could come along and do what you have always done, but get completely different results.

You, on the other hand, need to change tactics.

• If you have been using logic and reason, then perhaps you need to get more esoteric: Meditation, visualization, affirmations, etc.
• If you have always flown by the seat of your pants, and that hasn't worked, then get more "grounded" and try more traditional methods.
• If you have always followed the advice of others, but you still aren't successful, then maybe you need new mentors, or maybe you should just look inside your own mind for your answers.
• If you have spent years getting educated/informed/experienced so that you could be successful, but you still aren't, maybe it's time to put the books down and start applying what you have learned.
• If you have followed the lead of successful people before you, but their methods aren't working for you, why don't you try coming up with your own methods?

The bottom line is that no matter what methods you have been using, if they haven't worked yet, then they probably never will. Open up your mind to the possibility that your path to success may be so confusing, so convoluted, and so backwards and illogical that you could not possibly imagine it in advance.

Once you are in that open-minded state, you may very well be amazed at how clear things suddenly become. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

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In all of my years as a personal trainer and a personal development writer, I have never been more convinced about a program's ability to help people take control over their lives more than the P90X Extreme Training System®.

What's surprising, however, is that even though P90X is one of the most effective weight loss and fitness programs out there, the health and weight loss benefits are only part of what people get from using P90X. In addition, they get something that is not as measurable as weight loss and increased health, but just as important - they get empowerment.

Ever since announcing the Million Dollar Body Challenge, and choosing P90X as one of the fitness programs the participants can use, I have been researching P90X extensively. The amount of data available about the program is nothing less than staggering, and here's the best part:

It's all good!

Normally, even a very popular book, video, program, etc., will have a fair amount of people who don't think that much of it. With P90X, however, the only negative comment that I've heard is that it's really hard! That is, of course, why it's really effective.

I have read dozens of blog posts and articles, poured over the company literature, seen multiple videos about the product, and even talked to people in person, and no one has had anything bad to say about it.

So, that is all well and good, and if you haven't already checked out P90X, I definitely recommend that you do. You can see 3 cool videos about it and get signed up for the Million Dollar Body challenge by going right here.

There is more than just health and fitness to be discussed, however - let's talk about empowerment.

The Discipline to Win

The people who successfully complete the 90-day P90X program do it by, quite frankly (and literally), working their butts off for 90 days straight. P90X is not easy, and like any good fitness program, it includes both a structured exercise program and a structured nutrition plan.

The P90X graduates are all people who took control of their lives for 90 days straight and said, "I am going to do this. I will not back down, and I will not give up. I will stay focused on my goal of making it to day 90, and I will not allow myself to be distracted in any way from reaching my goal."

Hmmm…that sounds a bit like the recipe for success in any endeavor, doesn't it? The P90X grads, however, have an edge that most people don't: They know that the system works.

They know that by staying disciplined and on track, that the results will be there. It isn't hearsay to them, it isn't a rumor, it isn't some vague bit of personal development advice - it is a fact.

They know that by staying their course for 90 days, they can accomplish truly amazing things, remarkable things, measurable and noticeable things. They can accomplish things that not only make other people stand up and take notice, but more importantly, things that have empowered them to succeed in any endeavor in their lives.

Their success with P90X, although wonderful in its own right, is just a stepping stone to success in other areas because they now have confidence, and faith, and they understand the power of positive habits. By the sweat of their own brow, they have seen that they can accomplish something that was neither easy, nor short-lived.

They have learned perseverance and discipline; they know the taste of victory and they know it tastes so sweet because they earned it, they worked for it, and they deserve it.

Does all of this mean that you should run right out and buy P90X just so you can be like them? Unless you are in perfect physical condition already, sure that would be a great idea. However, even if you don't, at least take the message of this blog post to heart:

Victory is sweet when you earn it, and you aren't earning it if you are sitting well inside your comfort zone watching the world go by.

Is it all about the chiseled abs, the sculpted shoulders, or the beautiful legs? Nope! However, when you work hard enough to have chiseled abs, sculpted shoulders, or beautiful legs, you suddenly realize that there is nothing that you can't do.

And that, friends and neighbors, is definitely something worth working for, wouldn't you say?

WHAT'S NEXT?

Join the Million Dollar Body Challenge
Check out the P90x Extreme Training System®
Sign up for the free Today is that Day Newsletter
Discuss this post at Personal Development Partners
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This is Volume 32 of the Self Improvement and Personal Development Link Love series.

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader.

As you check out these quality links, be sure to help the authors out by adding their posts to Stumbleupon, Digg, or your favorite social networking site. Enjoy!

1) Ramblings from a Glass Half Full - In his post The Key Ingredient to Sustained Success? Calvin Had it Right, Terry Starbucker keeps us "in the know" with the most basic truth of how to succeed!

2) Jordan Cheng’s Success Journal - The post Why Most Successful People Are Renegades is so dead-on with what I've been telling my readers for a long time - success does NOT come from doing what everyone else does.

3) Martha Beck Blog - No one is a "slave" to their lives, yet many people act like they are. Martha's post Do you really HAVE to do anything? includes a great method of finding what you want, and then CHOOSING to do that.

4) Scott H. Young - Awhile ago I wrote this post about when your environment changes, and Scott's post Self-Improvement Tip: Ride the Wave of Moving Day does a great job of discussing that concept along with some tips on what precisely to do when the time comes for change.

5) How to be an Original - For those of us who use passwords all the time (and who doesn't these days?), Lodewijk's post Tweak your passwords to benefit from them lists some truly original ways to not just remember passwords, but to actually put them to good use!

6) Pick the Brain - If you are on the fence about whether action or desire are the keys to getting what you want, why not try both? In the post The Other Side of Productivity: Coincidences, Synchronicity, and Serendipity, check out a good discussion of the concepts.

7) That's Fit - If you've been getting your motivation for health and fitness from magazines or the television, you probably think that you need to be in at least decent shape to get the ball rolling. That is, of course, total rubbish. Read Exercise is not only for the fit for more info.

Blog Carnivals that have recently included posts from Today is that Day:

Very much obliged to ImprovedLife for giving the Top Post award to the Today is that Day post 5 Not so Q.U.I.E.T. Methods of Personal Growth and Development in the Fifth Edition of the Carnival of Improving Life. Thanks a bunch!

Thanks as always to the authors who create content worth sharing, and to the readers who inspire us to do so!

No one likes to be called a quitter, and it's pretty easy to not end up with that title, because in truth, very few people actually make enough of a true effort at something to even honestly say that they tried in the first place.

Oh sure, most people make a "token" effort at improving their lives, yet how many people can honestly say that they gave it everything they had before they gave up and moved on to something else?

Photo Credit: mthrlsgoatOur lives are replete with opportunities for us to "rise above," and to excel in every conceivable manner, yet a lack of immediate gratification tends to knock us flat long before we ever even get up a full head of steam. We never even get the chance to quit trying to attain something because we never completely engaged in the process of making it happen to begin with!

Think about any area of your life where you are wanting to make improvements, and then think about how much of a true effort you are making in that regard. Give no thought to phrases such as "doing the best I can," or "doing what I can with what I've got". Release your reliance on phrases or concepts like those, as they only serve to give yourself permission to fail based on any given set of circumstance. Think more along the lines of what if your life actually depended on you being successful? Are you trying that hard? Honestly?

What's your relationship status?

If you aren't 100% happy with your relationship status, can you honestly say that you have tried every single thing in your arsenal?

• If you're single, do you act in every way like the type of person that you want to have in your life, or do you wish for that "dream mate," yet not consistently act in a manner that your dream mate would be attracted to?
• Do you go out of your way on a consistent basis to meet new people, or do you sit around at home thinking that you'll magically come across that special someone?
• Do you have a winning, confident attitude that will naturally attract prospective mates to you, or do you sit around wallowing in your loneliness?

Even if you have been taking appropriate action in each of those areas, have you been doing so for the entire span of time that you've been looking for a new mate, or have you just acted in those ways when it was convenient for you?

• If you're married or involved in a relationship that needs improvement, do you work on improving that relationship every single day, or do you think that the relationship will just heal itself?
• Do you go out of your way to do the things that will make your significant other happy, even without them doing things for you first?
• Are the needs of your significant other something that you tend to frequently, even if they don't at first reciprocate those efforts?

Although it is possible that your present relationship will not work out even if you do all of those things, until you make a consistent effort to try, you'll never know for sure what could have been.

What is your health status?

Are you one of those people who is constantly trying to lose weight or improve your health in some way, yet you keep not achieving your goals? There are very few health and fitness related improvements that can't be achieved when you truly make a consistent effort, so why is it that you can't ever seem to get there?

• Do you consistently follow the basic nutritional guidelines that we all know lead to good health, or do you eat in a manner that you know is not going to effectively get you to your goals?
• Is an effective exercise program part of your daily lifestyle, or do you let work, family, or personal obligations keep you from regularly working out?
• Do you seek out the knowledge that you need in order to power a long-term health and fitness plan, or do you hide behind your lack of understanding as an excuse?

In each of those examples, there are ways to succeed, and ways to fail, yet you can't "quit" the health and fitness scene because it "didn't work" unless you first make an honest and long-term effort to achieve success in that arena.

What is your financial status?

If you dream of financial freedom or comfort, it will require an on-going effort on your part to provide some sort of value that other people are willing to pay for. What value is it that you are providing that is supposed to ensure your financial abundance?

• If you work for yourself, do you make a daily effort to provide the best possible experience for your customers, including long-term relationship building, or do you just go after quick sales?
• Do you have systems in place for creating new or improved products and services, or do you sit around wondering why you don't have enough customers?
• If you want to start a business, do you consistently learn about and study business models and opportunities, or do you maintain your status as an underpaid employee because you lack the knowledge to do your own thing?
• If you work for someone else, and you enjoy doing so, are you making continuing efforts to provide more value to your employer, or are you just waiting for your next raise?
• Do you have a long-term plan with that company that includes specific goals, or are you simply doing your job every day, and hoping for the best?

Regardless of what your financial or employment status is right now, there is some way that you can improve those circumstances. However, unless you consistently try to improve, no one else is going to do it for you.

All of the examples given above are meant to illustrate the exact same concept: If you don't honestly try to improve, and if you don't make those efforts consistently, and over the long-term, you never really tried at all.

You have nothing to "quit" because the effort needed for you to succeed was never put in place to begin with.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Discuss this post at Personal Development Partners
Get reminded of this wisdom with Offline Merchandise
Check out my Personal Development Products
Join the Today is that Day Newsletter
Improve your Health and your Finances

This is Volume 31 of the Self Improvement and Personal Development Link Love series.

This series will be published weekly and will be comprised of links to quality blog posts that have proven to be extraordinary in their ability to assist, inform, or empower the reader.

As you check out these quality links, be sure to help the authors out by adding their posts to Stumbleupon, Digg, or your favorite social networking site. Enjoy!

1) The Art of Manliness - The post The Virtuous Life: Industry does a great job of pointing out that although we have the means to outsource many areas of our lives, that doesn't necessary mean that we should.

2) Christine Kane - With all of the talk on the 'net about how we need to get over our egos, Christine's post Getting Rid of Your Ego: A Personal Story brings a well-rounded and realistic point of view to that whole topic.

3) Unusual Business Ideas That Work - If you have ever wondered why people will pay $19.95 for something, but they won't pay $20.00, or if you are in charge of pricing your own products or services, I definitely recommend getting an earful of the insight provided in the post Why $19.95 Sells And $20.00 Don't.

4) Debra Moorhead - Although making that extra effort has been a well-known ingredient to success for a long time, Debra's post The Secret to Becoming a High Achiever has some really good info about the actual patterns that surround the go-getter, and why those patterns equate to achievement.

5) The Next 45 Years - Eating healthy meals leads to healthier bodies, yet despite the fact that people realize that, sometimes you just have to eat when you are on the road. If fast food must be a part of your life, check out Alex's post Simple Fast Food Hacks for Eating Healthier and find out how to eat as healthy as possible at some restaurants that normally offer less than wholesome choices.

Blog Carnivals that have recently included posts from Today is that Day:

Carnival of Creative Growth #25 at Energies of Creation

Fourth Edition of the Carnival of Improving Life at ImprovedLife.ca

Carnival of Life, Happiness and Meaning #41 at Life Insurance Lowdown

Personal Development Carnival: Issue 36 at The Next 45 Years

Thanks as always to the authors who create content worth sharing, and to the readers who inspire us to do so!