When things happen in the world that seem so far beyond our
individual control, it can feel unsettling.
But don't give up on your goals and dreams just because "the time
isn't good"... you can still make 2010 the year you uncover a whole
new you for the better!
Even in tough times, you get to decide how to respond to certain
conditions, opportunities, and outcomes--both good and bad.
Life will always be a series of choices and YOU get to decide on
what will move you closer to your goals, or farther away from them.
External forces will always be part of the equation, even during
the good times when the world is thriving.
When people ask me about the single most important ingredient to
success, I always share the same response: realizing what's making
you achieve success, and then realizing what is stifling your
success.
Sometimes recognizing the things that are NOT working in your life
can be painful, yet VERY powerful to shaping the life you want.
Don't try to rationalize them, make excuses for them, or hide them.
This is when it's even more critical to take personal inventory and
evict those excuses, rationalizations, and hidden habits that don't
serve you. These things will keep you from the life you want to be
living. Let me give you some examples. Ask yourself if you relate
to any of these questions:
Do you want to be active, fit, and strong? Then you have
individual control, it can feel unsettling.
But don't give up on your goals and dreams just because "the time
isn't good"... you can still make 2010 the year you uncover a whole
new you for the better!
Even in tough times, you get to decide how to respond to certain
conditions, opportunities, and outcomes--both good and bad.
Life will always be a series of choices and YOU get to decide on
what will move you closer to your goals, or farther away from them.
External forces will always be part of the equation, even during
the good times when the world is thriving.
When people ask me about the single most important ingredient to
success, I always share the same response: realizing what's making
you achieve success, and then realizing what is stifling your
success.
Sometimes recognizing the things that are NOT working in your life
can be painful, yet VERY powerful to shaping the life you want.
Don't try to rationalize them, make excuses for them, or hide them.
This is when it's even more critical to take personal inventory and
evict those excuses, rationalizations, and hidden habits that don't
serve you. These things will keep you from the life you want to be
living. Let me give you some examples. Ask yourself if you relate
to any of these questions:
Do you want to be active, fit, and strong? Then you have
to stop making excuses about your weight, diet choices, and lack
of exercise.
Do you want to be in a loving relationship based on
Do you want to be in a loving relationship based on
friendship and respect? Then you have to stop rationalizing why
you and your partner are not communicating well.
Do you want to embrace Monday mornings and feel excited
about going to work every day? Then you have to stop hiding your
Do you want to embrace Monday mornings and feel excited
about going to work every day? Then you have to stop hiding your
true passions and go after whatever it is you really want to be doing
day in and day out.
Do you want to lose the debt forever? Then you have to stop
ignoring your spending habits and get real about a creating budget
that will pull you out of debt and allow you to reach financial
freedom.
Do you want to feel more connected to the people in your
day in and day out.
Do you want to lose the debt forever? Then you have to stop
ignoring your spending habits and get real about a creating budget
that will pull you out of debt and allow you to reach financial
freedom.
Do you want to feel more connected to the people in your
life, such as your children, friends, and colleagues? Then you
have to stop complaining about your poor relationships and figure out
why you don't feel as connected as you'd like to be.
These things can be painful to look at because the truth is that
you have to do something about them in order to make it work in
your life.
You'll have to say no to the second helping of dinner and the
dessert to follow and go through the action steps to get into
shape... You'll have to confront your partner about the areas that
need work... You'll have to get past fears about changing your job
or professional path... You'll have to cut back on your spending
and be a bit more frugal... You'll have to take a good hard look at
your personal relationships and perhaps consider your own
shortfalls and weaknesses in communicating your needs and concerns.
Plain and simple, you will have to do something uncomfortable.
Successful people don't waste time in denial (or complain or make
excuses for that matter). They face situations like a warrior. They
look for the warning signs, they find out why things aren't
working, and they go about fixing them- even when fixing requires
problem solving, hard work, risk, and a level of uncertainty.
It's okay to identify a problem even though you haven't a clue
about how to go about solving it right away.
The first step is just recognizing the issue, and then having faith
that you'll figure it out with careful attention to it. That's how
successful people live--in constant focus on goals, on results, on
problem solving, and on the actions that get them to where they
want to be.
Following are three things to do constantly in pursuit of
These things can be painful to look at because the truth is that
you have to do something about them in order to make it work in
your life.
You'll have to say no to the second helping of dinner and the
dessert to follow and go through the action steps to get into
shape... You'll have to confront your partner about the areas that
need work... You'll have to get past fears about changing your job
or professional path... You'll have to cut back on your spending
and be a bit more frugal... You'll have to take a good hard look at
your personal relationships and perhaps consider your own
shortfalls and weaknesses in communicating your needs and concerns.
Plain and simple, you will have to do something uncomfortable.
Successful people don't waste time in denial (or complain or make
excuses for that matter). They face situations like a warrior. They
look for the warning signs, they find out why things aren't
working, and they go about fixing them- even when fixing requires
problem solving, hard work, risk, and a level of uncertainty.
It's okay to identify a problem even though you haven't a clue
about how to go about solving it right away.
The first step is just recognizing the issue, and then having faith
that you'll figure it out with careful attention to it. That's how
successful people live--in constant focus on goals, on results, on
problem solving, and on the actions that get them to where they
want to be.
Following are three things to do constantly in pursuit of
your goals and dreams, however big or small:
*Awareness: Keep your awareness on the feedback you are
getting from life and decide to address the situations immediately.
Don't bottle up feedback, cast it aside, and avoid it like you
would a pile of dirty laundry or a stack of unopened bills. Life
tells you things every day. Do this. Don't do that. Think about
this. Try me. Forget that. We live in a world that seemingly
encourages us to live on autopilot. Successful people fly manually
every day and so should you. When those feedback signals come in,
listen to them and use them in planning your next step.
* Commitment: Commit to finding out why things aren't working
and learn what will fix them. Once you start the process it will be
much easier to continue. Nothing fruitful stems from inaction.
* Trust: Trust that making changes to the situation will
ultimately bring about the best results. Sure you might go through
a bit of discomfort during the change, and some unlikely or
unwanted outcomes, but in the end you will triumph!
So are you ready to admit the things that just are not working out?
Make a list of the things in your life that are working against
your success and ask how the situation can be improved. Commit to
tackling just one of those issues and be brave!
If you need help organizing those "things" in your life, try using
the following list of categories. I recommend reflecting on each of
the 7 areas and ask yourself, what's not working here in each one
and then brainstorm 3 potential solutions.
1.) Financial Goals, 2) Career/Business Goals, 3.) Free Time/Family
Time, 4.) Health/Appearance Goals, 5.) Relationship Goals, 6.)
Personal Growth 7.) Making a Difference
Remember, by facing what is not working, you can only improve
*Awareness: Keep your awareness on the feedback you are
getting from life and decide to address the situations immediately.
Don't bottle up feedback, cast it aside, and avoid it like you
would a pile of dirty laundry or a stack of unopened bills. Life
tells you things every day. Do this. Don't do that. Think about
this. Try me. Forget that. We live in a world that seemingly
encourages us to live on autopilot. Successful people fly manually
every day and so should you. When those feedback signals come in,
listen to them and use them in planning your next step.
* Commitment: Commit to finding out why things aren't working
and learn what will fix them. Once you start the process it will be
much easier to continue. Nothing fruitful stems from inaction.
* Trust: Trust that making changes to the situation will
ultimately bring about the best results. Sure you might go through
a bit of discomfort during the change, and some unlikely or
unwanted outcomes, but in the end you will triumph!
So are you ready to admit the things that just are not working out?
Make a list of the things in your life that are working against
your success and ask how the situation can be improved. Commit to
tackling just one of those issues and be brave!
If you need help organizing those "things" in your life, try using
the following list of categories. I recommend reflecting on each of
the 7 areas and ask yourself, what's not working here in each one
and then brainstorm 3 potential solutions.
1.) Financial Goals, 2) Career/Business Goals, 3.) Free Time/Family
Time, 4.) Health/Appearance Goals, 5.) Relationship Goals, 6.)
Personal Growth 7.) Making a Difference
Remember, by facing what is not working, you can only improve
your life!
