Andrew Ramirez

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Are peak performance and personal change attainable?  At times it seems that success is illusive.  It is forever in our grasp yet so many of us never “reach” it.  In most cases, the hopes and dreams of many are never realized and get caught up and stumped because of failure to do one thing.

I once heard that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.”  People work harder and harder and don’t seem to get anywhere.  They are like a rat on a wheel.  It’s no wonder we have such a high level of stress, sex abuse, obesity, alcoholism and other social problems.

The One Thing…You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

The cause and answer to these and other problems can be summed up in an all-too-often spoken cliché.  “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”  All too often we hear people using this axiom.  The truth is that they are displaying a limiting belief.  Ask most people if they like change and they will say an emphatic “No”.

The truth is that people don’t really mind change, what they don’t like is being changed.  Yet change is the key to our success.  So we are stuck in a paradox or sorts.

In general, what most people want are different (better) results.  They want personal change or peak performance in their health, wealth, relationships, spirituality and others.  However because of their unwillingness to change, they rarely see the improvement in the areas that they want.  We must realize that in order to see the change that we want, we must change.  In order to personal change we must have good sound reason to change.

It would stand to reason that the results you are getting are based on your current habits, actions or activities.  So the too often fatal mistake it to do more of the same.  Doing more will only yield you more of the same.  In summary, we can say that what you’ve learned is causing your actions and results.  And to recap, you must change your actions to get changed results.

Anything that is Learned Can be Unlearned

But the problem still remains…“you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Meaning, that to a certain degree, we believe that we can’t learn something new.  Of course we all know that this is absolutely not true.  We have the capability to learn anything we want.  And as far as bad habits and activities are concerned, keep this in mind.  “Anything that can be learned can be unlearned.”

So there you have it.  You can change and get rid of bad habits.  But how?  For that I will share a story…

I have a ten- year-old Labrador Retriever.  We rescued her when she was already an adult dog.  She came with some bad habits and really didn’t know any “tricks”.  Time and time again we tried to rid her of her bad habits and teach her new “cute” dog tricks.

Time and time we failed.  She was our first dog and we had a learning curve.  So we started watching the dog channel and reading magazines and learned that the dog needed to be “motivated” to learn or unlearn.

So first, we learned that we were required to tire her out by walking, running and playing with her…that way we could expel her energy that was distracting her and so she would be more submissive.

Then we needed “bait”.  Something that would motivate her to listen to what we wanted her to do.

Once the bait was in place, we could then start teaching her the new trick or getting rid of the old habit.  With each successful attempt, she would be rewarded with a treat.

With time, practice and (the key to it all) repetition, our dog both learned new cute tricks and got rid of her old tricks.

Dogs Teach Humans the 3 Major Components for Personal Change

So what do we have to learn from this example?  How can we use this to change and apply the appropriate habits and behaviors needed for improved results in our life?

1. Become submissive to your desire.  You must really want the bait, the snack

Identify in your life what it is that you really want.  Identify why you want it.  What will it do for you?  How will it change your life? And answer the question…Do I really want this, or will it just be nice to have this?  Most importantly, how will it make you feel?  Think about this all of the time.

2. You must practice and make repetitive action

Everything that we learn is through repetition.  Everything takes time.  Remember, “Every master was first a disaster.”

Both scientists and behavioral experts have concluded that it takes between 21-30 days for a new habit to form.  It has something to do with the neural connections in your brain.  In any case, doing something once simply will just not work.

Many times people give something a try and if it doesn’t work quit.  Habits are formed through repetition and time.  At the same time, bad habits are removed the same way.

I’ll give you a personal example.  There was a time in my life that I was about fifty pounds overweight.  It came to a point where I decided that I wanted change.  I wanted the bait, the snack of being fit, feeling strong, looking good and feeling good about myself.

It took a long time to come around.  In the beginning, I’d run or workout for a couple of days, then go to the mirror and see no results.  So I’d “conclude” that it wasn’t working.  I’d stop.

Then finally I wised up and applied component number 2 and wallah, over the course of a year, with practice, repetition and time I lost fifty pounds.

The point, don’t give up after your first try.  Make the commitment to be in it for the long haul.

3. After each successful attempt, reward yourself

The best reward that you can provide yourself with is positive feedback.  If you were strong enough to figure out the bait and then make repetitive action toward it, you are already ahead of the game.

The key, track your progress.  You may not see results in a day or two, but over the course of time, you will see immense changes in your personal character, pocket book, relationships or whatever else you want to change.

Every positive step you make forward, chart it down.  Make journal or a “win” book.  These wins will serve as both positive feedback and your reward to keep moving forward and staying the course.

The New and Improved You After the Change

Picture yourself in a month from now, six months, a year….

What do you see?  How does it make you feel?

This will be your new reality.  It will be your new life.  All the results that you want can and will be yours if you apply these three techniques.  The road may be difficult but the reward is worth its weight in gold.

So identify what you want, get ferociously persistent in attaining it and reward yourself along the way.

And please remember…Enjoy each and every moment.  Live in the moment.  “You life success is a journey, not a destination.”

Have a wonder life changing day!

Andrew Ramirez

Most people have great hopes and dreams for themselves yet get caught up justifying not realizing them because of excuses.  In my last article, I wrote about limiting belief systems and how they are the key component to success. 

In our pursuit of life success, whether it be health, relationships, spirituality or health, it is essential to develop a strong belief system.  The challenge sometimes is how to identify our limiting beliefs.    

While going through the process myself, I find a simple answer.  Excuses are a great way to identify what you truly believe.  They are the physical representation of what you truly hold in your self image.  They are what you “see” when you look in to the mirror.  Ever wonder why anorexic people, no matter how thin they are always believe they are still fat?  It’s their belief system, their self image. 

In order to help you get rid of your excuses, I’d like to share with you a simple exercise.  This exercise will help you both identify and change your limiting beliefs and in the process start getting you closer to realizing your dreams. 

Before we get to that, allow me to share with you the little know secret of how frying chicken is most likely holding you back from your dreams…

Yes, frying chicken.  Please read on…

It’s a beautiful hot day and Johnny feels like cutting his grass.  He goes out to get his lawnmower only to find that it is broken.  “No worries” he thinks, “I’ll just ask my nice neighbor Bob to borrow his.” 

Johnny walks on over to Bob’s house and knocks on the front door.  Bob answers.  “Bob”, Johnny says, “I was going to cut my grass today and found that my lawnmower was broken.  Do you think you could lend me your lawnmower?  I’ll bring it right back when I am done, nice and clean and full of gas.”

Bob looks at Johnny and says, “You know Johnny, I’d love to lend you the lawnmower, the only problem is, I’m in the back right now frying some chicken.  So sorry, I can’t lend it to you.”

Johnny says “Thank you Bob” then turns around and starts to walk home.  When he gets about half way there, he pauses and thinks for a minute. 

“Frying chicken?” he thinks, “What does that have to do with cutting my grass?”  So he turns back around to go ask Bob for an explanation.

He gets back to the door and Bob answers again.  Johnny says, “Bob, I asked you if I could borrow your lawnmower just a minute ago and you said that you couldn’t because you were frying chicken. 

As I was walking back home it dawned on me that your reason for not letting me borrow the lawnmower was a little bit weird.  Please tell me, what does frying chicken have to do with lending me the lawnmower to cut my grass?”

Bob smiles at Johnny and says, “Frying chicken has absolutely nothing to do with the lawnmower or cutting your grass.  But when looking for an excuse Johnny, you see, I guess any excuse will do.”

As you can plainly see from this story, frying chicken is an absolutely ridiculous excuse, yet many of us find excuses and fry chicken every single day.  Don’t you think its time to stop frying chicken? 

I agree…

So try this out.  Here’s the road to recovery.  Take a moment to think about what you really want in your life.  Think big.  Think about all of the areas of your life that you want to improve.  Think of the ideal you.  Anything goes.    

As you start to think, the “evil twin” ego will pop up on your shoulder and start to tell you all of the excuses why you cannot have what you want.  This is your limiting belief system.  This is your paradigm.   

Write down all of the reasons the little evil voice tells you that you do not deserve or cannot have what you want.  Don’t be afraid, listen carefully to every excuse and write it down. 

This simple exercise of listening to your excuses will clearly identify for you the limiting beliefs that are holding you back in different areas of your life.  These are the limiting beliefs that must be changed “inside” prior to actually “seeing” outside change.     

For example, you may have pictured yourself with a healthy lifestyle, a slim physique and a healthy diet.  But the little voice makes excuses that keep you from ever changing. 

The “voice” might say that you have always been fat, that all the women/men in your family are fat, being fat is genetic, you don’t have time for exercise, fit people are conceited, you’re not a good runner, you don’t have enough money for a gym membership and on and on.

These are all the excuses that stem from your belief system.  These are the ideas that you hold in your mind that you need to change in order to realize the ideal you. 

Now that you have all of the excuses in front of you, the hard part is done.  Give yourself a pat on the back.  Most people are terrified to look within themselves.  But you did.  Go ahead, smile. 

Now all you have to do is take your excuses or negative limiting beliefs and make them into positive affirmations and get on with the work.  Sounds too simple right?  Well think about this, If you have a belief that is getting all of the things that you don’t want in your life, it would stand to reason that the complete opposite would bring you all of the things that you want in you life. 

So go ahead, give it a shot.    

With time, your belief system will begin to change and your excuses will fade away.  Let’s take the excuses of genetics as an excuse.  You believe that genetics causes you to be fat so you allow yourself to be fat.  Release this faulty belief and you are well on your way. 

Rather than saying that “being fat is genetic”, you can start to say the complete opposite.  After all, the complete opposite is what you really want.  Start to say, “Being fit is my genetic make-up, I am healthy.  Being slim and fit is my nature, I love the way I look and feel”. 

You see, as long as you hold on to any excuse/belief, it will always become a self fulfilling prophecy.  So once you believe your new statement to the core, it too will be come your reality. 

Here’s to the new you!

Andrew Ramirez 

Life Coach Bob Proctor once said that “our belief systems are our evaluation of something.  In order to promote change we must reevaluate our belief about a thing”.

Our beliefs are the things that we believe to be true.  They are what cause us to act or respond to life the way we do.  Our limiting beliefs are those that hold us back from realizing our true potential.

Hyrum W. Smith, when referring to beliefs in The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time management says, “The important thing to remember is that because we believe them all to be true, we will act as if they are true.

This is an important concept to understand.  We act as if things are true because we believe that they are true.  Dig a little deeper and identify what he is implying here.

Smith, to me, is saying that there are belief systems that I carry with me, that cause me to make decisions, which cause me to act, whether they are actually true or not.  He is saying that my beliefs are limiting my ability to grow unless I reevaluate and change my belief about something.

For instance, many people are stuck in their careers because they carry the limiting belief that they cannot have a successful career unless they have a formal education (bachelors, master’s degree).  As such, they accept the measly low wage they receive casting out other possibilities because of their faulty belief.

Both present times a well as history both prove that a formal degree is not what stops people from where they want to get in the world.  Search the net for names like S. Daniel Abraham, Bill Gates, Wally “Famous” Amos, John Assaraf, Christina Aguilera, Ben Affleck, Andre Agassi.  After review, you will find that this belief is not true.

Do you carry this limiting belief with you?  What other beliefs do you carry?  How are they holding you back?

Remember, its great results that we want.  Our actions are what cause our results.  And our beliefs govern our actions.  Bottom line, we are all, whether we know it or not, governed by our belief systems.  Our beliefs shape our perception of life.  They make us do what we do, react as we react, think as we think and act as we act.

So I ask you to think about what is really important in your life.  What do you really want?

What results do you have in your life?  Do you have the ideal career that you want?  Do you have the relationships that you want?  Do you have an active lifestyle and clean bill of health?  What about your financial well-being?  Are you living to your true potential?  Are you expressing your natural talents?

All of these are ultimately tied to your belief system.  If you want positive change in these and other areas of your life then its time to search and reevaluate your limiting beliefs.  How do you do this?  Ask yourself the right questions…

Let me illustrate a simple short story to drive the point…

At a Thanksgiving dinner, a husband observes his wife preparing the dinner ham.  He notices that prior to putting the ham in the pan she cuts off both ends.  After cutting both ends of the ham she then puts it in the pan and into the oven to cook.

Interested in her cooking technique the husband asks the wife, “Honey, why did you cut off both ends of the ham prior to putting it in the pan?”  The wife answers, “I don’t know, that’s the way my mom always did it.”

Still interested in finding the answer, the Husband locates his mother-in-law and asks the same question.  Again he gets the same response.

Now really interested he approaches his wife’s grandmother and starts to dialogue.  “Grandmother, I’m curious…I noticed my wife cutting off the ends of the ham prior to cooking it today before dinner.  I asked her why she did so and she had no real answer other than saying that her mother always did it that way.  When I asked her mom the same question she gave the same reply.  Hopefully you can provide me with the answer.

Is there something about cutting off the ends of the ham that makes it taste better?  Does it release the juices for a moist cut of meat?  Are the ends the bad meat of the ham?

The grandmother smiles and puts her hand on his shoulder and says…”My dear, you must understand something.  I am the one who started cutting off of the ends of the ham.

It has nothing to do with taste, moisture or quality of the meat.  You see, when I was a young woman, I would always prepare the ham for our Thanksgiving dinner.

The challenge was that my pan and oven were so small that the ham would not fit.  If it didn’t fit, I couldn’t cook it.  If I didn’t cook it, we would have no dinner.  And as such you see, I would cut off the ends so it would fit.”

What type of meat are you cutting out of your life?  What limiting beliefs are you holding on to that do not serve your greater desires?  What’s been handed down to you and never really evaluated?  How are they serving you?

Here are a few questions that you can ask to identify your belief systems:

• Why do I do what I do?
• Do I feel that I am set in my ways?  Why?
• What excuses do I make for myself?
• From where does this feeling/action stem?
• What are my values?  And how do they serve me?

My message today is that you challenge yourself.  You owe it to yourself to release your true talents and capabilities.  Identify what’s holding you back.  If you want real, positive change, its time to identify and reevaluate the limiting belief systems that hold you back and chart the course to strong and powerful limitless beliefs.

Have a great day!

Andrew Ramirez