How often do you find yourself reacting and making changes based on emotion?  Living in this mindset is unhealthy and is often evidence of a stressful lifestyle.  

When we allow emotions to play an influential role in decision making rather than being a "check and balance," the result is often many false starts with few results.  Situations are "awfulized" and seem to be a lot better or worse than they actually are.  In these circumstances, emotion has become a 4 letter word.

Here are 5 steps you can follow to help you keep emotions in their proper place when considering a change.

1.  Write down the current situation.  What is going on right now? 

2.  Write down your goals?  Where you would like to be?

3.  Write down the obstacles that can possibly keep you from reaching your goals?

4.  Write down the things you need to do in order to overcome each obstacle. 

5.  Use emotion as a "check and balance" to ask yourself if the solutions you have written down in step 4 will actually work.

Following these steps will enable you to make strategic, beneficial changes that actually work.  Isn't that a novel concept?  The key is to keep your emotions in their proper place and from becoming a 4 letter word