I hate dieting. Requires a LOT of self-discipline; a word that is usually associated with Nuns and flogging. To me, eating good food with an excellent vino is one of the great pleasures in life…and I do mean GOOD food…not the factory-made mystery meat, intestine-clogging cryogenically manufactured corn products, or the anti-freeze dipped mock-vegetables Taco Bell tries to pass off as food. But, if you’re like millions of other people, “losing weight” is probably one of the New Year’s goals you have. So is “saving more money” or “getting out of debt.” If you’re an entrepreneur, I’m sure you have certain goals you want to hit that are tied to personal income, business growth and profits.
But are you REALLY serious about these goals, or are they going to show up again next year with very little progress made? And were these the same goals you made last year that are now showing up again, little to no progress made?
If you were sitting at your desk on December 31st looking at the final numbers, disappointed because you didn’t make your goal, what were you doing the morning of January 1st to make sure 2012 is any different? If you were sleeping off a hangover, you’re not serious about acheiving it. And if you’re not that driven to acheive great wealth and success that’s fine…but stop whining about not having any money.
If people were truly HONEST with themselves, they’d admit the reason they’re not achieving a key goal is because they lack sufficient motivation to achieve it. They want it, but they are desperately, eagerly (and foolishly) hoping they can find some easy way to make it happen…some simple solution. An “easy button.” And they reject doing anything that appears to be out of their comfort zone or learning something new. (By the way, trying to get your plan “perfect” or “right” before you take action is a form of procrastination too. Don’t kid yourself).
If you were really serious about losing weight… you’d stop eating a daily diet of sugar and carbs and you’d start exercising in some form, be it walking, joining a gym or buying an exercise tape. Not complex. Check out bodyrock.tv if you want a short, simple and very effective workout that is FREE and can be done in your home. It’s not like you don’t know a half a dozen or more things you could do RIGHT NOW that would move you toward that goal – so why aren’t you doing them? If you were truly serious about getting out of debt and building wealth, you’d cut up the credit cards, move into a cheaper home, drive a beater car and learn to live on less than you make. There are dozens of FREE web sites and resources online to help you craft a simple budget. If you were truly serious about growing your client base and increasing profits, you’d be a serious student of marketing – and last time I checked, the library is still FREE.
Of course, constantly looking back at what you didn’t accomplish and where you failed is no good either, UNLESS you look at it as an opportunity to learn by asking yourself the question, “Why didn’t I follow this through?” and then using your answer to change your plan the next time. What you don’t want to do is look back at your failures and use them to reinforce negative beliefs such as, “I’m just not good at (fill in the blank),” or, “I’m just a screw up.” In marketing, we call our failures “tests,” which is a much more productive way of looking at things. If our “test” didn’t work, we simply chalk it up to experience and learn from it, changing our approach and moving on to the next new idea or “test” quickly.
I’m happy to report that I’ve lost 18 pounds since the baby was born. LOTS of things had to change and it’s a battle I have to THINK about and fight every day. Progress has been slow…but I’ve hit my first goal and now I’m on to the next one of 5 more pounds. Why? For me, it’s a valuable lesson (and practice) in self-mastery, which is far more important and far more valuable than the result of fitting into my skinny jeans. Don’t let this last comment be lost on you.
So as we wrap up another year and move into 2012, have you truly defined what you want to achieve? And more importantly, do you have the passion and the drive to truly achieve it…or are you just giving it lip service?
