Do you find yourself daydreaming about traveling to Africa for a safari, Paris to visit the Eiffel Tower or to the Peruvian Andes to visit the ruins of Machu Picchu? Or how about leaving your day job to pursue an entrepreneurial venture working from home? Perhaps you’ve always wanted to pursue writing as a new career, but have never gotten started.
What’s holding you back?
Your “why” isn’t big enough to move you to take action.
“…if you can create a big enough why, your brain will figure out the how.” Tony Robbins
The simple fact is that if you have dreams and goals you haven’t taken action on, your reasons for doing so just aren’t motivating enough to compel you to do so.
There are two things you must do, if you want to overcome the initial resistance we all feel when trying to move ourselves in a new direction. You must get clear on what you want first. Then you need to create some big, bold “whys” to get out of your rut.
“Act boldly and unseen forces will come to your aid…” Dorothea Brande
If you’ve ever driven in a bad rut, you know that to get out of it, you have to turn the wheel hard to get out. This is a great metaphor for how hard change can be. You have to take bold action, based on clarity of purpose, with some compelling why, to get out of the ruts in your life.
Step 1
Define your what:
What are the changes you want to make in your life? A change in your diet to live healthier, a change in your career to be able to earn money working from home, or stepping out of your comfort zone to travel more and see the world. Whatever it is, you need to define it clearly so that you can measure progress.
Step 2
Write a paragraph “why”:
After you’ve defined your what, sit down and write your paragraph “why.” This must be compelling and personal. Think benefits here. Also, remember fear of loss is a more powerful motivator than the drive to gain pleasure. What will you lose if you don’t change. What will it cost you in time, health, unhappiness?
step 3
Make your plan and start taking action immediately:
Now that you know what you want and you’ve created some compelling, motivating reasons why you must make this change in your life, it’s time to plan a course of action and start today with some small action you can take to get the ball rolling. There is a mental law called the law of speed of implementation which states that the sooner you take action (bolder, outrageous action is better) the greater the likelihood you will achieve your end.
Your plan doesn’t have to be specific down to the most minute detail, but instead should be a framework and timeframe for the achievement of your goals. .
step 4
The last thing you have to do, and this is critical, is to commit to someone else that you will make this change. Committing to others can provide additional pressure to follow through and push through the adversity we all face when making changes. You’ve got to make it more uncomfortable to stay the way you are than it is to make this change in your life.
Well, don’t just sit there, grab some paper and get started now!
