I am an admitted Self Improvement Junkie. I love all things Self Improvement. I have book shelves full of books, I try to enroll in any online trainings I can, and I do not hesitate to attend weekend long events with other self improvement junkies. So what has this done for me in my life? Well, as I've gotten older it's taught me one very important fact, which could be the key ingredient to living a life of either mediocrity or a life of success. That lesson is, you can have all of the information you want, but you still have to do the work.
This shockingly, was a concept that I really only came to terms with in the last ten years, and I've recently after talking to many other people realized that I'm not the only one. How often have you invested in a gym membership and six months later you are not only not going anymore, but you actually weigh more than you did when you bought the membership. (Insert raised hand here, lol)
How many of us have taken the time to educate ourselves in the areas of our lives where we desperately desire to see improvement, only to find yourself in the same place the following year? How is this possible? You know what you need to do, you know why you need to do it, but yet it just isn't getting done.
The answer to these questions is simple, and really we know what the one thing is that is missing. We are not taking actions to commit the tasks that we know will move the needle in our lives. The question really needs to become "Why aren't we taking action?"
Why is it that we seem to procrastinate? Why have we become chronic starters and stoppers? There could be be a detailed list depending on each and every individual person. Maybe you don't really know what you truly want because you don't know the person that you truly want to be. Maybe you actually deep down don't want to achieve your goals because you are afraid of what it will mean in your life if you achieve them. Sometimes it is much easier to stay same in your comfort zone of where you are rather than working towards something without knowing truly what the outcome or consequences can be.
Below I've listed a couple things that can sometimes cause you give up and not follow through and what you can do to break out of that cycle.
1. Not Understanding why you want to do something. You need to be clear on exactly what it is you are attempting to work towards an why. You want to go to the gym: Why? Because I want to lose weight! Why do you want to lose weight? Because I want to feel better about yourself. Why do you want to feel better about yourself? Because it will give me more self confidence. Why do you want more self confidence? So I can boldly take action in other areas of my life. Getting clear on what the root is to your goals is key.
2. You Hit a Wall: Sometimes, especially if you're someone like me, you like to load your plate up with all of the things that you want to achieve, and you begin to take action on all of them at once. Now the human mind is a powerful thing, but even it will start to shut down when it becomes too overwhelmed. Sometimes the adage of less is more is important. Prioritize what is truly important for you to achieve in any given time frame and then work towards that.
3. Your Timelines are too long: I am so guilty of this. I will do a monthly habit tracker and after the first week I am overwhelmed at the pressure I put on myself to complete the next three weeks. Now I have started to break it down into weekly goals and daily goals, and somedays I am breaking them down to hourly goals. By setting shorter goal timelines you set yourself up for greater success. Remember that Action breeds Success, which breeds more Action.
4. Struggling with Something Larger: This is where self-compassion becomes extremely critical. Being radically honest with yourself is crucial when trying to achieve your goals. Trying to start a business, or get in shape while you are experiencing personal, financial, or family struggles is not setting yourself up for success. Sometimes we need to be able to step back and understand that the timing in our lives just isn't right.
If you can see yourself in any of these situations, there is hope. Being able to sit down during your goal setting process, and answer some of these questions, can save you not only thousands dollars, but hundreds of hours which you can't get back.
If this isn't something that you are sure where to start at in your life, talk to someone. Reach out to someone who is doing the things you want to do, and find out if it's something that's truly right for you. As I've heard said before, "if you want to cross a minefield, follow the footsteps of someone whose safely made it across before you!"
And, if you aren't sure what it is you want to do, or which direction you want to go then comment below and I can help you start your journey.
Remember though, that having the best plans in the world, will never bring you closer to achieving your goals, unless you take action.
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