We already talked about our connections to old ideas in Phase One. We talked about our introductions to fear and shame-based thinking. But this isn’t Phase One anymore. This isn’t about thinking or thought based strategies. No,
this is Phase Two. This is about action. This is about the ability to change our direction. This is about movement and the methods it takes to create the change in our world. This is more than about showing up.

I was overweight and tired. I struggled to look at myself in the mirror and, aside from that, I had other panics and emotional struggles. I had workplace stress and personal heartaches. This includes the ideas of disheartened or tragic thoughts of a dead-end mentality.
There was no drive. There was no spirit. There was nothing more than more of the same, which was tired and subpar from mediocre.
My job was my job. My life was my life yet there was nothing internal to give me a sense or source of redeeming light. I needed something.
I needed a spark. I needed a sense of inspiration and a push in the right direction.
Perhaps this began with an awakening. Or, maybe this was a result after the trip to a doctor, who, with no filter, chose to explain exactly where I was (and where I was heading).

What is forward motion? Or better yet, what is forward thinking?
Both questions are valuable and both answers are necessary for this application.
Forward motion is to move forward, as in move onward or to move ahead and to head towards something with a goal in mind, a plan in place and a strategy to achieve it.
Forward thinking is thinking in the direction we choose to go; as in no more looking back or looking to re-litigate the past.
There’s no more rehearsals in the mirror or practicing our speeches while driving to someplace we don’t want to be.
There’s no more giving in to intimidations that held us back. Mostly this means that we are out of the contemplation phases.
This means we are here ar the entryway and beyond the planning stages.
This means now is the time for action!

To be clear, we understand more about ourselves than we think we do. We know more about us than we believe and, just to add clarity, if we are open to a transformational change, we can learn how to diagram our behaviors to define old symptoms to which, essentially, we can learn from our history and improve our future.
I am a person who rejects the typical mottos and the overcomplicated programs that make life more difficult than it needs to be. I am, however, a fan of the best motto which is keep it simple. This is the easiest way to go.
However, as easy as this is to say, there are times when we need help with both personal and interpersonal navigation. There are systems of thinking and helpful behavioral methods which apply to us as unique individuals yet once we realize what works for us and our best level of understanding, then we can adapt and improve according to a new plan that supports our transformational improvements.
This is basically Self-Help and Self-Care 101.

After the ideas and contemplation and after all the back and forth thinking which, if anything; none of this has done much except lead us to excuses and distance from our goals or to another problem, which is known as procrastination. Once we get through all the realizations and when we find ourselves at “go time,” we have to understand that, at this point, there can be no such thing as turning back or giving in.
The time for excuse making is over.
It’s time for some action.

When we look at people who succeed and compare ourselves to them or to their success, what do we see?
When we think about people who dedicate themselves to a program or see how they invest in a strong routine in life, what do we notice about them?
Better yet, when we look at people whose drive to overcome seems to be unstoppable or undeterrable, and in their case, which may seem or appear unthinkable or unbeatable. Even in the face of pain or against the unbalanced odds, they still move forward, just like the underdog.
But how? Are they really built so differently?
Is this only something that comes with a privileged life? Or adversely, is this a level of understanding that comes with the knowledge and the experience of what it means to not have anything – privileged or not. Is this an internal understanding that connects in our head and once we’ve made the “click” everything in our life seems to “snap” into place? Maybe –
Maybe the click constitutes a moment of awareness where at last, we’ve finally found what it takes to cross the finish line.

There literally is no distance between here and where we want to be in life. This is more of a decision and means towards an end. There is only time and space and the perceptions of difficulty. There’s nothing else to this.
Or more accurately, this is a moment when a person says, “That’s it! It’s go time!”
This is a breakthrough or perhaps this is a breaking point where, at last, we see the line that extends outward from within. In that moment of awakening, we find that all that’s stood between us and where we want to be is a decision to make this so. 
There’s nothing else between us, other than a decision.
That’s all. I promise you.

Safe to say that by now, we all know what drives us crazy. We all know what sets us off, which can range from someone leaving a mess on the table or not cleaning up after themselves. This can be seeing someone litter or being interrupted when speaking.
Either way, my point is that we all know our triggers. Perhaps we might not fully understand them or why we find ourselves arguing or fighting about unimportant things with unimportant people. However, at some point, if we truly want to find the rebirth of sanity, we have to understand the deviations of our sanity. We have to address the mind and the triggers that lead us to trips and falls. We have to know what leads us to the unfortunate paths that steer us away from where we want to be.
Otherwise, then what?

Something I heard in the beginning of my journey is to keep the focus on myself, which is great advice. Yet, somehow, we can often be distracted.
I was told, “worry about you.”
I was told to stop comparing and stop thinking about what other people say or what other people do.
“Keep the focus on yourself!”

I was told to focus on my own goals and to worry about my own momentum. But at the time, I was early into a certain change. I was growing and certainly uncomfortable.
I had to endure the strains of a new life and the discomfort of learning new things. Also, I was made to endure a new life that made no sense to me.

The question above is why start here?
Since, I am open to suggestions, I respond to this question with a question of my own.
Where else should we start?
Where else do we begin, but in the beginning?
Right? So –
Here at Phase One, our attempts to understand ourselves and our freakouts and breakdowns are simple. We are here to explore the obvious.
We are here to either understand more about ourselves or more about other people around us. Maybe your desire to follow along with this is to improve your insight. Or, like the critics, maybe you disagree. Either way, since you’re here, we might as well go on.
Okay?