Are You Willing to Do the Work?

You may talk a good game about how bad you really want to make some positive changes in your life, but are you honestly mentally prepared to do the necessary work to create those desired outcomes?

I recently spoke with my good friend Dr. TC North, a well-known high-performance coach, consultant, and professional speaker, about this very topic. When I asked TC what, in his experience, is required for success in reaching personal goals, he said, “You want to be more fit? Slimmer? Healthier? If so, the most critical factor is not exercise or nutrition. It’s how much you believe in and are committed to do what it takes to be successful. Ninety-five percent or more of all people fail at achieving and maintaining a lifestyle change because we have complicated minds. To be successful in achieving a lifestyle change, or any goal, you must align your beliefs, thoughts (both conscious and subconscious), and actions. And you must be fueled by lots of desire. If not, your beliefs and/or fears will sabotage your success.”

From my own personal experience, and my experience helping thousands of clients over the years, these words of wisdom ring true each and every time. Creating a positive mental attitude and belief in yourself is absolutely imperative in reaching any desired outcome. But, did you also notice the little word (with a BIG impact) he included along with aligning your beliefs and thoughts? That’s right: ACTIONS!

It seems that a lot of people these days are fascinated with the Law of Attraction, the idea that you attract in your life that which you put out there, so much that they miss the point and misunderstand how the Law of Attraction actually works. By itself, thinking about your dreams, no matter how hard you focus on them, is just, well, daydreaming. If you’re trying to manifest something without taking the necessary steps to make it happen, you’re just wasting your time. That’s not the Law of Attraction, that’s the Law of Inaction! You have to take that next step, which is correct, focused action, followed by repeat correct, focused action. Yes, first create your solid mindset, but then, it’s time for nothing but hard work, which includes pushing past the obstacles that show up to challenge you along the way. And, you must be passionate about doing it, as it will be a long, steady climb to attaining your goals.

If you want to develop the skill (yes, skill!) of following through with your best intentions and avoid being that person who’s always voicing what you WANT to do, but not actually living the dream, here are some action steps you can take that will help you to avoid failure when getting started on any life-changing endeavor:

1. Enough is enough! You must first make the decision that today, NOT tomorrow, life as you know it must change. It’s time to reinvent yourself.
2. There must be a deep, burning desire to take responsibility for creating change in your life; otherwise, any efforts you make will be short-lived at best.
3. You will have to confront your current behaviors with an openness to replace underlying beliefs and daily choices that no longer serve you. Creating a strong mindset must happen before any physical actions begin.
4. Do some research and invest in the right expert coach or strategy, someone or something than can help you define inspiring and challenging (but realistic) goals that you would like to achieve, and then take you where you want to go faster and more efficiently than you could go on your own. Your coach/strategy should provide you with the tools and structure needed to take a close, hard look at where you are currently and what you need in order reach your goals, understanding and accepting that it has taken you quite some time to create your current situation and it’s going to take time to change it. Without at least a small, out-of-pocket investment to confirm your commitment, and someone or something in place to hold you accountable for regular check-ins, you will more than likely fail.
5. Once you have determined what you would like to achieve, and by what deadline, you must then work back from the dates of those long-term goals, creating short-term, milestone goals that can help you determine whether or not you are progressing in relationship to your grand vision. Next, a detailed PLAN OF ACTION for hitting these short-term goals must be put in place before you even step foot in the gym or actually start making your changes.
6. Now you are ready to commit to your plan with every ounce of your will, and recommit to your goals each and every day. This means that each day, with each decision, you ask yourself, Is this choice going to get me closer to my dream, or is it a distraction that may derail my efforts? Otherwise, when life kicks in with its mental, physical, and emotional obstacles, you will be easily thrown off, even with the very best intentions.

It’s important to understand that both fear of failure and fear of success are common with any lifestyle changes and can be extremely powerful hidden obstacles to the achievement of your dreams.

The law of reciprocity states that you get from life exactly what you put into it. Maybe you’ll just continue to sit on the fence, watching time (and your dreams) go by. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll finally get serious and do something different, something significant to make a significant change. If you think it’s going to be easy and pain-free, you are absolutely mistaken. But the good news is, if you are willing to do the work, then anything (ANYTHING!) is there for the taking.

“One of the greatest plights of man is not that we become impoverished and unable to enjoy our brief experience on this planet, but that we KNOWINGLY choose an ordinary existence while we fully acknowledge our own extraordinary power within and yet choose not to use it.” -David Otto