Would you do ‘this’ if you knew you could succeed?

Exit From The Comfort Zone Concept. Feet Standing Inside Circle Comfort Zone And Outward Arrow Chalky On The Asphalt.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.”

~ Seth Godin

Are You Achieving Your Goals

I was talking to a client last week and he said, “I know the thing that would really make a difference to my outcomes, but I just don’t have enough time to do it well!”

We went through his calendar, his list of activities, and so on, and sure enough there was no space for anything else… So I looked him in the eye and asked, “Do you really think this new thing would make the difference you need?”

“Absolutely!” was his response.

“So, what are you willing you do to make it happen?” I asked.

“Whatever it takes.”

So we started looking at all the things that were taking up his time, attention, and energy. We started with his calendar because if you have meetings and travel back-to-back then you don’t have time to do the deep thinking, writing, and other strategic activities that really move the needle on results.

It wasn’t until after we had cleared his calendar and dropped some activities that weren’t important that we talked about how much time this project would need. That was deliberate. If you tell yourself that you need 4 more hours then you may find those 4 hours, but you won’t uncover all the extra debris in your life.

At the end of the exercise, he realized that not only could he lay the foundations for that project in 4-5 weeks, he had capacity to create some other important opportunities as well, so we brainstormed some follow-on projects. He Voxered me the following day to tell me how encouraged and motivated he now felt.

… All from a simple awareness that something needed to change.

What is Holding You Back?

OK, we all have 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week, so what makes the difference between those people who accomplish the needle moving activities and the majority who don’t?

It’s not a question of family or work responsibilities and it’s rarely a question of health or finances. I know people with major chronic health problems who have managed to achieve their goals, and people with massive responsibilities in multiple arenas (large teams, large families, parents who need care etc.) who have made things work.

It’s not family connections, luck, talent, or the size of your bank balance that’s an obstacle, either. Most of the people who have turned their lives around or simply set out on a trajectory to achieve their goals from the start would say it’s a question of choices and decisions.

Depending on how you look at it, that’s either good news or bad news. If you want to make excuses, then this won’t make you feel any better about your outcomes. On the other hand, if you are ready to change, then you’ll be glad to know that the results are in your hands.

Choices and Decisions

“If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.”

It’s easy to look at your calendar, to-do list, responsibilities, relationships, bank statements etc and throw up your hands in despair thinking there’s nothing you could change, but that is rarely a true perception of reality.

If you knew that you had a sure-fire solution to your problems, then you would almost certainly find the time and resources you needed. So why do you let the days and weeks slide past as you wearily put one foot in front of the other like an ox team plodding in circles as they draw water out of a well?

There are two main reasons why people do this:

  1. They can’t see any alternatives.
  2. They aren’t really sure that their solution will work.

Often the solution is to talk to someone who understands both business and personal change. In the course of my NLP training and business coaching I’ve worked with people whose doubts about their ‘sure-fire solutions’ were extremely well-founded, and others whose fears were engendered by self-doubt. Both of these types of people found long-term solutions that lead to their success and satisfaction, and I’m glad I had a part in that. Left to themselves they would either have wallowed in inaction, or taken a path that lead to failure.

Do You Need Some Help?

Whatever time of year you’re reading this, today is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on where you are today, and what you would like to change by this time next year. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone who has the knowledge and experience to help so that you can get the clarity you need to move forward.

A HOWTO Session brings clarity and helps you focus on what you really want so that you can make the decisions you need to make. Book your session soon!

Book Your H.O.W.T.O. Session 

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