Hi, how\u2019s it going? Hope you are doing well.<\/p>\n
I was talking to someone who has bipolar disorder yesterday. He said that he felt \u201cmuch too old to have made this little progress in life.\u201d Mind you, he\u2019s only in his 20\u2019s. So in some ways, I took it as a joke at first. But then, as the conversation went on, I realized just how serious he was.<\/p>\n
Because he was in his mid-twenties already, he was convinced that he should have graduated from college \u2013 at least with a bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 by now. He was convinced he should be well on his way to saving up for a house, instead of left unable to save anything due to his bipolar spending habits.<\/p>\n
He was convinced that he should have a car, or at least a driver\u2019s license, by now. Well, maybe that last part was true. But then again, everyone is different, so maybe not.<\/p>\n
He was talking to me about how he was making goals at this point to do all those things. He wanted to graduate from college with a master\u2019s degree in social work. He wanted to buy a house. He wanted to learn to drive and buy a car \u2013 a new car, at that. He wanted to get into a stable relationship with someone and have it last because he knew how to handle relationships. Ultimately, he wanted stability.<\/p>\n
And, he told me, he planned on using the techniques that I had taught him for implementing the goals in his daily life. Well, that\u2019s great! All of those goals are good things. And, honestly, I wish him the best.<\/p>\n
But I had some advice for him, which fortunately, he took very seriously. I told him that his patterns of thoughts and beliefs had as much to do with meeting his goals as his actions did. Now, when I say beliefs, I\u2019m not necessarily talking about spiritual beliefs. I\u2019m talking about what you believe you can do, and what you believe about the world around you.<\/p>\n
I explained to him that thoughts, beliefs, and actions all go hand-in-hand. When you can get your thoughts and your beliefs to line up with your goals, then your actions will follow.<\/p>\n
Now, I\u2019m no scientist. I\u2019m not entirely sure why this works. But I have seen it in action, and I know that it does work. If you can convince yourself that you can do something, then you will be much more likely to successfully go through the steps to do it.<\/p>\n
Now, this is different from that old phrase, \u201cyou can do anything you set your mind to.\u201d The reason it\u2019s different is this: You can set your mind to, say, buying a house. But if you don\u2019t set your mind to saving for a house, it\u2019s never going to happen.<\/p>\n
You have to set your thoughts and beliefs towards not just the end product, but also the necessary steps along the way. And you have to set your mind towards persevering no matter what, because you never know what life is going to throw at you next. Then, once your thoughts and beliefs are in the right direction, you have to actually do it. At that point, it shouldn\u2019t be that hard. At least not impossible, anyway.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not too late for him to start working on his goals (no matter how much he feels he should have gotten there already.) It\u2019s never too late for you to start working on yours. Just remember, whatever you set your thoughts and beliefs to you can do, as long as you set your thoughts and beliefs realistically to do the necessary steps along the way as well.<\/p>\n
What are your thoughts on that?<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi, how\u2019s it going? Hope you are doing well.<\/p>\n
I was talking to someone who has bipolar disorder yesterday. He said that he felt \u201cmuch too old to have made this little progress in life.\u201d Mind you, he\u2019s only in his 20\u2019s. So in some ways, I took it as a joke at first. But then, as the conversation went on, I realized just how serious he was.<\/p>\n
Because he was in his mid-twenties already,<\/p>\n