Success is inevitable to ANYONE who is willing to put in the effort, and it takes LESS effort than you might think!
We have a tendency to OVER-estimate what we can get done in a WEEK, and we UNDER-estimate what we can accomplish in a YEAR. It’s just the way we are ‘wired’!
“Quick fixes”, “Crash Courses”, and “Hacks” are what make our brains light up. We find these kinds of ideas incredibly irresistible.
Unfortunately, as you already know from experience, these don't produce LASTING results in our lives.
The legendary Jim Rohn said “The formula for Success is: A few simple disciplines, practiced every day.”
“That’s it?” you ask? “How can it be so ‘simple’?” “Why isn’t everyone wildly successful then?” (and more specifically) “Why aren’t ‘I’ successful?”
Imagine what your life would be like if you DIDN’T feel stuck?
Imagine if you were able to turn off the limiting beliefs and replace them with empowering thoughts that motivated you to take inspired ACTION, and really LIVE each day to the fullest…and knowing that you truly CAN become and DO anything that you want to in your life. Just start with a ‘few simple disciplines, practiced EVERY DAY!”
Here's an example of how I did just that.
When my father passed away, I found out for the first time that my older brother and sister both had Diabetes. They hadn't mentioned this to me before! (Our mother passed away from Diabetes in 1999.) I'm the third of six kids, and I thought to myself, “I'm NEXT!” It was right then that I decided that I would DO something to improve my health.
When people see me now, and know that I went from weighing 220 lbs to losing 70 lbs… and have KEPT it off since then … they always ask me “What did you DO?”
I don't tell them!
Instead, I ask them what they “THINK” they would do if they wanted to lose weight…And, you guessed it! They already KNOW what needs to be done.
There are a bunch of problems…
1) People automatically think about all of the things they will have to GIVE UP! And then they decide “No, I could never live without chocolate!”
2) It takes persistence to lose weight (and to achieve ANY goal).
3) They then think that they don't want to be ‘controlled by a diet.'
This is funny to me, because if you cannot walk past the dessert table without HAVING something, then you are NOT in control of your diet. Your cravings and habits are in control of you.
Darren Hardy said, “Self-control begins in the Grocery Store, NOT in your pantry or the freezer!”
If you have the culprit IN YOUR HOUSE, you will not win the battle. IT will win over you. So, don't do that to yourself. Over time, once you have toned down these cravings and sugar addictions it gets a lot easier!
Here's a mindset switch…
People who have consciously chosen to live a healthy lifestyle don't say “I can't have that!” They say “I don't EAT that.” There's a big difference. They know that they CAN eat whatever they want to but they are in control, and they CHOOSE not to, because they know it's not good for them, and it doesn't make them feel very good. The temporary enjoyment and satisfaction (the few seconds while you are actually chewing and swallowing) does NOT outweigh the long term effects.
So, when people ask me how I did it, I tell them that I lost 5 lbs. a month and I just started out by walking EVERY DAY. The trick it to NOT miss a day. Even when you are not feeling well, and even when the weather outside is really miserable.
Keep the momentum going! Once you miss a day, it's easy to give up completely.
So, even if you aren't feeling up to it, and just tell yourself you are going for a 5 minute walk today, at least you didn't MISS a day!
Start with ONE thing…and do it EVERY day!
NO excuses!
When you lose 5 pounds a MONTH, that adds up to 60 pounds in a YEAR. That's a LOT! And even if you lost only half of that, you would still feel so much better. That time is going to pass anyway. It will be a year from now before you know it. Why not make the most of it?And then once you are in the habit of doing this one thing, you can add on one more small thing such as cutting down on bread or alcohol. You will be feeling so much better, it will be easy for you to do!
Jim Rohn had it right! “The Formula for Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced Every Day!”
You can DO whatever you decide to do!
Forget about quick fixes, and just start doing SOMETHING! The ‘Compound' effect of doing one small thing adds up to a LOT over the long term. Celebrate your PROGRESS. Even the small wins. Keep doing your best.
So… what are you waiting for!?
Make a decision, and take action.
What's the one small thing you are going to do, that will have the biggest impact on your life?
Start on it right now!
