100 Day Challenge: Empowered LivingOften the reason we aren't making progress on our goals is due to bad technique. As Covey discusses, we're climbing hard and fast on a ladder that's leaning on the wrong wall. That means it's time for a fundamental change of strategy.

The best strategies in life are simple. Simple to understand, apply, teach, and share with others.

So what are the simple changes that can transform your life from the mundane to the amazing?

Raise Your Standards

In my church, we have a strong missionary force made of mostly of young men and women between the ages of 18 and 23 who serve for 18 to 24 months. In 2007 the call was made to “raise the bar” on standards for those who would serve. [Incidentally, my daughter, Alana, will be leaving on one of these missions on April 24th to serve in the Ventura, California, area.]

Invariably, raising the bar eliminates some choices. In the case of missionaries, there would be some who could no longer serve. In the case of your own life and goals, there are some choices and behaviors that are no longer options.

Have zero tolerance for mediocrity, procrastination, and behavior that robs you of your potential and increased performance.

Change Your Limiting Beliefs

Easier said than done.

If you raise your standards, but don't really believe that you can meet them, you already sabotage yourself. You won't even try. You'll be lacking that sense of certainly that allow you to tap the deepest capacity that's within you.

This basic step of empowered living has been a tough barrier in some aspects of my life. I've chronicled a bit of my struggle to lose pregnancy weight — a struggle that really began for me in childhood, long before I had children. I haven't blogged about it for over two years — because the only result is frustration.

So how do you motivate yourself to really put in an effort when past effort has failed? I'm a firm believer in this principle, but still working out how to implement it fully.

Change Your Strategy

One of my core beliefs is that if you set a higher standard and you can get yourself to believe those, then you certainly can figure out the strategies. You will find a way.

This sentiment rang true to me. It mirrored a great deal of Ben Carson — my new political favorite. He has proposed lots of ideas for how to save our nation from collapse, but many times his answer is to post possibilities and note that we are strong, smart, resilient people. There is no need for us to feign stupidity or incompetence. And certainly no need for us to collectively pretend we can't find a way, for example, to help those in true need without wasting billions of dollars in precious, hard-earned tax dollars.

The proper path to successfully complete a goal will vary widely with each person and circumstance. But a solution is there, waiting to be discovered.

The best strategy in almost every case is to find a role model, someone who's already getting the results you want. Then tap into their knowledge.

Changing the world begins with changing yourself. Let's do it!

Join me in the 100 Day Challenge!