3 Simple Steps To Crush It In The New Year
No matter where or when you were born, we all entered this world in the same way, naked and uneducated. Each of us had a unique childhood, and through childhood, most of us were under the guidance of another human being. Growing up, those around us influence our thoughts and beliefs.
Most of us did not get a choice of who we wanted to become due to rearing by a caretaker, influencer, demographics, geographics, or activities that went on around us. Many blame current problems on past situations.
Well, that was the past, and this is the present. Now, you are responsible for you. No one is keeping you from achieving your wildest dreams, but you. Now is when you strip yourself from your past. You are not what you were born into; you are not under guidance anymore. You make choices every day that are impacting your future. Most of us enjoy our independence, but we still need direction and some accountability. It is ironic how we all came into this world the same, yet when we leave this world, our achievements, self-worth, and sense of accomplishment will differ vastly. Are you going to leave this world crushing it, or not?
Here are three simple steps to help you crush it in the New Year so that you can live to your fullest potential.
Life is a serious business. We only get one shot.
When working with individuals in their golden years, I often hear the common phrase, I wish. I wish I would have done this; I wish I would have done that. This reflection is a reflection of regret. Regrets that they did not fulfill their passions.
Each day that passes, all of us are getting another day closer to our golden years. We will not physically be able to do the things that we can do today. Like most, we will have a lot of time on our hands to reflect.
When we get to that stage in life, we will be reflecting in one of two ways. One, what a beautiful life I've lived. Everything I wanted to do, I did. I cannot imagine changing anything.
Or, two, a regret. I wish I would have started this or done that. I wish I would have gone here or seen this. I wish I would have been kinder to my spouse so that he/she would not have left me, because it sure is lonely living these last years on earth alone.
We have a short amount of time on this earth. The moment we are born, we begin to die. Get serious about today because tomorrow will be here before you know it.
Make A Plan, With A Strong Why
A critical part of this process is also figuring out a reason to carry out the plan and figuring out why you are going to stick to the idea. Bypassing this step is the number one reason why most people fail to accomplish their goals. New Year's resolutions are a prime example of failed accomplishments.
Only 8% of people are ever successful at achieving their New Year's resolutions. That is less than 1 out of every 10 people. The reason? There is not a strong enough "why" to fulfill these goals.
The number one New Year's resolution year in and year out is to lose weight. Now, if less than one out of every ten people ever achieve their resolution, how high do you think this percentage would rise if we added a strong enough why? What if your doctor had a crystal ball and told you today that if you do not lose 30 pounds that you will die of a cardiac arrest in 90 days? And that you would never see the children or spouse that you love so dearly ever again. Think the percentage of achievement and the drive would increase?
The "why" is like the main ingredient to a recipe. If you do not have the main component of a recipe, your odds of achieving a fantastic edible meal are very slim. You can have all the ingredients of a recipe to make mouthwatering ribs. But if you do not have the ribs, then you are not going to have ribs for dinner.
Before making a goal or plan, you must figure out a strong "why." This plan of action is critical for you to discover, or you will never have the determination to carry out the hard work to achieve your goals.
Take Action
The late Jim Rhone, a personal development speaker, describes success like this, "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines (actions), practiced every day."
That sounds simple, right? Easy to say, easy to understand, right? Most successful people say the only thing that separates them from others is that they took action. Everyone knows what to do, but most don't do it. You have to take action in your life today that will impact your tomorrow. Think about where you would be in a year if you took steps every day and build on them each week or month. Start small or start big, just start.
Actions take time. The more you repeat an action, the more natural it becomes. It is an ongoing process. Actions require repeated efforts until they become habits. And with the right habits, success follows.
The ability to drive a car is a perfect example. Most people were nervous about learning to drive for the first time. Yet, in no time at all, it becomes habitual. So routine that most everyone I know has driven past an exit or a turn they usually take and not realize it until later. We get set on autopilot and are so focused on other things that we just drive, and before we know it, end up on an old route or at an old job site.
Changing or taking action takes time to become habitual.
Closing
Life is a serious business! Each week passes faster than the last.
Make a plan with a strong enough reason "why" you need to achieve this goal.
Take action! Make my mantra your mantra, "Do today what others won't. So tomorrow you can do what others can't."
You can do this!