"I am in a situation where I know what I want to do and how to do it but I can not seem to follow through on my intentions. I get started and feel great about what I am doing. I get all excited and vow this time to really follow through. But soon the same thing happens -  I just fade away. I can't seem to stick with my good plan and my good intentions. What should I do?"

Most of us have had the experience of wanting to obtain a desired result and seeing it slip repeatedly through our fingers. The most frustrating part of change is watching good intentions fade away and old habits win the day.

As you start making changes, you are probably filled with enthusiasm for the promise of changes to come. You are convinced that this time will be different. You WILL follow through on the changes you want to make. You will have a healthier lifestyle. You will save money. You will find the one…. You will loose weight…. You will…whatever.

There are many reasons for not following through – perhaps the goal is not right for you. Maybe you don’t have the resources you need. Maybe you think you want to reach your goal but are actually being pushed into doing something you think you should do but don’t really want to do. Maybe you already have too much on your plate and can’t take on any more. 

But let’s assume that it is none of those but it is just a lack of ability to follow through.  Our brains are hard wired to be alert for the things that are threatening to us. We are not hard wired for following through on things that don’t seem to be an emergency right now.

To override this natural tendency to act only on things that seem to be important in the moment, you can trick your brain into following through more naturally. 

Don’t let yourself stay caught in a downward spiral of doing the same old things. Train yourself to notice right away when your commitment is beginning to slip and master two or three key "will power tricks" to get your brain back on track so that you do what you say you want to do. 

By learning to better manage your energy using these "will power tricks," you can coax success with these strategies to bring your desires for change into effective and efficient actions that give you the results you want. 

Here are four of my favorite "Will Power Tricks" found in my e-course The Way of Change.

Just Do It. Start Now. Begin where you are. 

(This is my favorite "will power trick" that I give my coaching clients.)

Maybe you want to start attending your children’s sports activities but it's late - if you leave now the game will be almost over when you get there. 

Go anyway. 

Don’t wait for the perfect time, the perfect place, or the perfect mood. You don’t have to start your new life on a Monday. If you have missed every day but today, start today. If you are only going to make it for the last 5 minutes of the lecture – go anyway. 

Forward movement begets more forward movement. Going anyway overcomes inertia and starts momentum to keep pulling you forward. And every time you "just do it" the next time is more familiar – and easier. 

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