Simple Steps to Kick 2015 into High Gear
Over the past few months, we’ve been contemplating the
importance of our purpose and the need to outline a plan before we write out
any resolutions. Now it’s evident that
we have to do more than just think about resolutions. We have to do more than just plan out our
actions. We have to Take Action.
It makes sense, doesn’t it?
Until your wishes move into action, they are just dreams. Yet even though we know this, moving into
action can become a major stumbling block.
This is not an indication that something is wrong with you. We all experience this. The most up-to-date brain technologies now
reveal that the default reaction of the brain to change its routine is to go
into a negative, protective mode. You know
the feeling. As soon as we need to
adjust our daily habits to accommodate new actions, our brain seem to take the
default position of “No, this can’t be done.”
A little voice begins to scream out every excuse in the book to stop us
from disrupting our routines. “It’s too hard.” “I don’t have the time.” You’ve
heard the litany.
In spite of this “head trash” as Noah St. John calls it, you
have the ability to make major, positive improvements in your life by focusing
in two directions. First, on the outer
level, I’d like to challenge you to contemplate habits you can change that
would pay off in high value activities that would move you toward your
goals.
·
If it is overwhelming to consider “how” you will
achieve your goals, it will help if you break out the tasks involved into small
steps. Excuses and feelings of overwhelm
vanish when the actions are easy to chew.
The distance between where you are and where you want to go becomes less
threatening as you see the distance shorten with each action. It feels great to look back after a bit see
that the small steps taken have added up to a major accomplishment.
·
Time can be deceptive. When we begin to make changes, we think it
will take a large block of time for a new activity. I found that by getting up a full hour
earlier every day, I had time to meditate and get into the right mindset to
write the book I dreamed of doing. It
may have taken more time, but I did it. Other
people make the choice to fit in some physical exercise. When you prioritize and focus established
chunks of time early in the day, before the whirlwind of everyday life sweeps
you away, it’s amazing how much more you can accomplish.
·
Many people experience much greater efficiency by
making a list of the most important things they want to do in a day and prioritizing them. Brian Tracy has written an entire book on Eating the Frog, doing the most
complicated or least pleasant task of your day first. Once completed, you can take it off your To
Do list and enjoy the rest of the day. John Assaraf stresses the importance of doing
the most important, income producing and list building activities first, and
finding ways to delegate less important items.
·
Another possibility is to eliminate daily habits
that are non-productive. If you opt out
of watching television each evening to use that time for something you’ve been
longing to do, you’ll find a couple extra hours in your day that you forgot you
had.
There is nothing “other worldly”
about improving your productivity, however, when one of our goals is to
experience the joy and well-being to be gained from achieving our goals and
living our passions, it helps to allocate our time so that we can focus on the
one thing that inspires us. I find it
fascinating how it only takes a couple adjustments in our routines – and the
willingness to make them – to make huge changes over time.
That’s where heading in the second
direction I mentioned earlier – the inner direction – plays an important
role. Knowing your purpose, being motivated
by passion and understanding why you want something provide the fuel that keep
you going when the outer direction might distract or bog you down. Once you’ve worked through the decisions
involved in gaining this inner knowledge, it saves you all the energy and will
power you burn while reaching the milestones you have in your plan.
If you haven’t already done so, the inner
direction is the best place to start. To
make you’re your best year ever, once you have those goals in mind, find a few
habits you can change to improve your productivity and then repeat daily. As you repeat these new activities, you are
laying the outer foundation for your dreams.
Coupled with the inner work of positive self-talk that you’ll be developing, you will gain the
ability to go for your dreams. When you get into the zone where your inner
game and outer activities are aligned, anything is possible.
This is going to be a fabulous
year!
To Your Success,
Susan