Everything we wanted to be in life all boils down to a choice. Scary, right? So if you really want to do something or be someone — how do you do it? How do you make sure that your choice is correct?

First and most important of all, the key is to get your mind into it. Condition your thoughts into what you want to happen. Some people say the best way is to visualize yourself doing what you want. Not just a fuzzy daydream but a full pledged, honest-to-goodness, day-by-day kind of visualizing. Say you want to be a successful manager – envision yourself dressing up in power suits, going to a corner office with a view, getting pats on the back for good work, speaking at conferences, etc.

It also helps to find a role model to imitate. By doing this, you have something to look forward to. It also helps you focus on your goal.

Remember, your mind is your most powerful tool. If you aim on getting that corner office or academy award or gold medal, it will show you how to get it. Whether the solution is for you to study more or practice better, your mind will direct you to it. Other people use affirmations, mantras, physical reminders, diaries and whatever works that can remind them about their goal. Getting another person or a support group to remind you will also be great!

On the other hand, if you keep on telling yourself ‘no, I couldn’t do it’ then you really can’t. There will be tons of excuses that you can fall back on anyway. Notice how convenient it is to just come up with them instead of aiming for something better? That’s where the power of your brain comes up again – negative or positive thoughts will influence what you are. Look around and observe – some people walk around with an upbeat attitude and some people are known as prophets of doom. You don’t even have to ask these two how they think. And generally speaking, don’t you notice that the upbeat ones are the ones who are successful and happy?

So, do you want to act on stage, write horror books, or climb Everest? Whatever you want, it is your choice to do or not to do it. Think hard. Then take our next step – go and do it.

Here’s a big productivity-killer: All the daily demands from your friends, family and colleagues.

Your spouse wants to go to dinner tonight. Your child wants you to drop what you’re doing and help her build a tree house right now. Your friend wants you to run for the city council. And your colleagues are always looking for help on something.

You’re a good person – you like to help out. So you often say yes to these sorts of requests.

The problem is, pretty soon everyone else’s projects are eating into your time. I mean you don’t mind helping others out – but when it gets to the point that you can’t get your to do lists done, then it becomes a problem.

Here’s how to start reclaiming your time…

* Start saying no. Just because you start saying no doesn’t mean you need to say no to everything. It just means that you realize some things are more important than others – and that you simply cannot do it all.

* Prioritize requests. The demands on your time are going to come in fast and furiously (as usual). So you need to start deciding which requests you want to accommodate and which ones you’ll need to politely decline.

For example, you may not want to break your child’s heart when she asks you to build a tree house, so family requests will be given high priority. But perhaps requests from colleagues (especially those requests that are favors that are rarely returned) can be given low priority.

* Delegate whenever possible. Sometimes you don’t want to say no… but you have to because you’re simply too pressed for time.  In that case, consider freeing up your time by delegating some of your other tasks.

* Stop feeling guilty. This is an important step – you need to stop feeling guilty when you say no.

It won’t always be easy. Sometimes friends, family and colleagues will deliberately give you a guilt trip when you say no. They may even be keeping score, so they can point out that they helped you last time… or they might even point out that you helped someone else, so why not them?

If someone is trying to make you feel guilty, that’s just another reason to say no. After all, who wants to do a favor for a bully?

Saying “no” takes practice – especially when you’re saying it to the people you’re close to. Just tell them that “no” doesn’t mean no to every request forever. It just means “no” to this particular request… and tomorrow is another day.

One way to lose weight is to just stop eating. It sounds simple but in reality you have to know what you are doing to get any long term weight loss benefits from fasting. Let’s look at the weakness and strengths of fasting for weight loss.

Like most forms of dieting, fasting can be used to bring about dramatic but temporary reductions of weight. You can go on a long fast, taking nothing but juice or eating grapes or taking some other low calorie meal substitute for several weeks, and while you are on the fast you will certainly lose weight. However, during the fast you may not be able to carry on your normal social interactions. It’s not so easy to sit around sipping carrot juice while the rest of your family is eating a normal meal.

Another problem with long fasting is that your body requires vital nutrients (vitamins, minerals, protein) and your favorite juice may not contain them. Long fasting without proper medical supervision can be dangerous.

Finally, a major problem with this kind of fasting is that once you stop fasting and resume eating your normal diet, you are likely to gain back all the weight that you have lost during your crash weight loss fast.

So, does fasting have any place in a weight loss plan? Yes it does. Periodic fasting is one of the secrets of a long and healthy life. Our body’s digestive organs require a rest from time to time, just as we require days off from work. One-day fasting done in a methodical and regular manner provides the kind of rest that helps our digestive system, aids in the elimination of toxins from our body, and, yes, also helps us to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.

How to Do Proper Fasting

Here is a method of doing one day fasts, taking no food and (if your body is strong) no water in a period from the sunrise of one day to the sunrise of the next day.

Successful fasting has three stages: preparation, the actual fast, and breaking the fast. Each one of these stages is important.

Preparation

If you are not prepared both mentally and physically you will find it difficult to go one day without food. The mental preparation is simple, but very important. The night before the fast you have to take a firm determination that tomorrow you are going to fast, that you are not going to eat any food. If you fix your mind in advance then you will not start deliberating during the fasting day whether you should continue or not to continue. If you are undecided or waffling you can always find a hundred reasons why you should start eating!

Physical preparation is also important. The day before you fast you should eat a normal amount of food and take a good amount of liquids (especially if you are going to be fasting without taking any liquids). If you miss some meals on the day before fasting, then you may start feeling hungry during the fasting period. If you do not take enough liquids, especially during the night before the fast, then you will feel uncomfortable when you are fasting.

If you are physically and mentally prepared you will not feel very hungry while you are fasting. Once you decide to fast, your hunger just “shuts off” for the fasting period. This sounds hard to believe, but if you do it a few times you will see that it is true.

The Fasting Day

It is best to do light physical tasks and concentrate more on intellectual and spiritual work during the fasting period. It is not a good idea to spend your time thinking about what you are going to eat tomorrow! If you have prepared yourself properly this shouldn’t be a problem and you can use the time that you gain by not eating to do some constructive things that you normally don’t get time to do.

Breaking the Fast

One of the benefits of fasting is that it helps to eliminate toxins from the body. However, you can only get this benefit if you break your fast correctly. On the morning following the fasting day, take two glasses of lemon water. Put the juice of have of a lemon in one glass and add a bit of salt. (The drink should taste both lemony and salty). After some time, you can eat your breakfast. The lemon water will help you to flush your digestive system with a strong bowel movement and many toxins will be eliminated.

One day fasts like this can be done twice a month. This kind of fasting will give rest to your digestive organs, help eliminate toxins, build your will power and strength of mind. On top of this, the overall reduction in calories that you get from going two days without food each month, will definitely be one of the elements of a balanced and sustainable weight loss program.

Here’s a great guide on a special method of intermittent fasting.