(5 minute read)
It is unbelievable that 2021 is already into its last quarter. Wow! Time really does fly by.
Another year that you promised to get into better shape and be healthier, be more productive at work, with your life, and go after your dreams. You promised to be more engaged with your colleagues, more attentive with your significant other, and spend quality time with your loved ones.
You made resolutions and set goals, but what did you actually DO?
Making your resolutions and setting your goals, if you already knew them, that was the easy part, all you had to do was think about it, but to actually turn your resolutions and goals into a life change, something that has the potential to last forever, well, that takes some actual doing, some effort, and some action.
Your word is everything.
What you say to others and to yourself matters.
If you tell your boss or your significant other that you are going to truly give it your best to accomplish what you’ve been wanting to accomplish this past year, but you really haven’t given it your true best, they’ll be let down and you’ll lose credibility with them.
If you lose credibility with them, trust will follow, and that’s when your relationships, both business and personal, may fall apart.
Most importantly, though, you will have let yourself down, which over time can really hurt your self-esteem and your self-confidence.
If you tell yourself, for example, that you want to lose twenty pounds this year, but don’t hold yourself accountable and make the actual effort to lose the weight, how will that make you feel? You’ll probably feel bad, maybe even depressed, perhaps lose self-esteem and confidence in who you are.
If you can’t hold yourself accountable to the things you want to accomplish, how the heck are you supposed to hold others accountable for theirs?
So, what do you do?
Is there a way to make your goals, your resolutions, attainable?
Of course!
Actually, it’s quite simple.
Like Nike used to say, JUST DO IT!
It really is that simple. Now, you’ll notice I didn’t say easy because that has a different meaning, but, nonetheless, it IS simple. Just do it!
How do you just do it?
You can start with “the 5 second rule” which is something I heard from a Ted Talk by Mel Robbins.
Now, I’m not here to promote Mel Robbins, as I have no affiliation with her whatsoever, but her Ted Talk “How to stop screwing yourself over” is rock star! It’s one of the best motivational, action-inducing videos I have seen. It was recorded in 2011, has been viewed more than 27 million times, and is perfectly relevant for all of us wanting to reach whatever goals we want to achieve. I’ve attached the link below and I highly recommend the viewing of it. It’ll be an invaluable twenty minutes of your life.
We decide within about five seconds whether we will or will not do something. After five seconds our brain will usually talk us out of it.
For example, if we are at work or school where we have to present in front of others and the group is asked who would like to volunteer to go first, if we don’t just raise our hand or jump up to go within the first five seconds, we will probably not volunteer, we’ll start to get nervous and then hope we are not called upon to go first.
If we’re trying to lose weight and we’re watching television, munching a bag of chips, and the thought pops into our head that maybe we should stop eating and put the bag away, if we don’t stop within five seconds, we’ll probably keep eating.
If we’re thinking about texting our loved one something sweet or leaving an inspirational note for a colleague, if we don’t do it within five seconds of the thought, we will probably forget about doing it, or just not do it at all.
So, what do we do?
No matter what it is, within 5 seconds of that thought, we have to JUST DO IT!
The next time at work when someone asks for a volunteer to go first for their presentation, don’t even think about it, don’t hesitate, just throw your hand up in the air and rock out your presentation!
Are you thinking of working out? Stop thinking! START DOING! Drop to the floor and knock out ten pushups!
Do you need to make a cold call? Don’t think, just dial!
Do you need to write that important email? JUST START TYPING!
No matter what it is you want to accomplish, you have to just do it, and it starts with your attitude, your train of thought.
You have to want whatever it is you want so badly, so passionately, that it creates a burning desire inside of you.
Yes, it’s great to be motivated by others, but you must create that motivation from something within YOU.
You need to create the proper mindset, to instill action in yourself, so that you can reach or even surpass your goals.
Remember, thoughts without actions are just dreams. Now, don’t get me wrong, dreams are wonderful, but wouldn’t you like to turn your dreams into a reality instead?
There are some simple things to keep in mind that will help you have a much better chance of obtaining your goals and making your resolutions, your dreams, come true.
1. Believe in yourself. Anything you can see and believe, you can also achieve. Don’t just say “I want to do this” or “I can do this,” you must also say “I WILL do this!”
2. Visualize what you want to accomplish and be specific. Don’t say “I want to lose weight this year,” instead say “I WILL lose twenty pounds! In fact, I will lose two pounds a month, so let’s make that twenty-four pounds this year!” and literally visualize yourself twenty-four pounds lighter.
3. Plain and simple, NO MORE EXCUSES! There is a big difference between an excuse and a reason, so you have to be honest with yourself. You MUST hold yourself accountable. Your life, and what you want to accomplish in it is YOUR responsibility.
4. Make your goals attainable. For example, there is no need to jump right into working out three hours a day, five days a week. Start with committing to a twenty minute walk, three times a week, if that’s what you know you’ll do. You don’t have to say you’ll make 100 more cold calls a day if that’s not realistic. Start with twenty more a day and if you rock twenty a day, then bump that number up to thirty. When you succeed in accomplishing small goals, your medium and large goals will seem that much more reachable.
5. Make use of the 5 second rule. It really is a game changer.
So, no more excuses. Step up to the plate and swing the bat because the ball is not going to hit itself, and finish 2021 strong!
Just do it!
Your partner in success,
Claudio Capra II
CEO, Jasper Dynamic, LLC