Albert Einstein said that the very definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
So what is standing in your way to achieve more?
The answer is YOU!
Ask yourself these questions:
1. There are things in your life that you have no control over and there are things in your life that you have complete control over. What do you focus most of your time and energy on?
2. You can let things happen or you can make things happen. What do you spend most of your time and energy on?
3. You cannot change the past, nor can you predict the future. You are only in control of the NOW. Where do you spend most of your time and energy?
Let’s talk CONTROL…
Chances are, like most people in our society, you spend too much time focusing on those things you have no control over (the weather, the stock market, other people, etc.). Do you want to change your life? Change your approach. Start to focus on those things you have total control over (yourself, your attitude, your ability, your effectiveness… ie YOU!).
We have much more control over our lives than we lead to believe we do. Get out of your own way and stop making excuses. You will never look back with regret!
Let’s talk about BEING PROACTIVE…
If you choose to focus on those things over which you have no control, you will inevitably live a reactive life. Then you will feel out of control, which perpetuates this vicious cycle. If you hear yourself saying things like, “I don’t have the time/money/energy to do that…” or “I’ll do it as soon as I get a raise/car is paid for/kids move out/blah blah blah blah” you can be sure YOU are getting in your own way by holding a stop sign.
We all know that those excuses allow procrastination. ‘As soon as’ is filled with some other minutiae before we make an effort to do something satisfactory. Stop lying to yourself. If there is something you really want to do because it has value, get clarity and either take action or don’t expect it to happen.
Let’s talk about NOW…
We tend to live unconscious lives in our society. Most of the time, we don’t really pay attention to what we are doing. We jumped on the proverbial hamster wheel and started running. We “go through the motions.” Have you ever driven somewhere you’ve driven dozens of times before only to arrive and realize you don’t remember driving there? Fascinating, isn’t it? Scary isn’t it? It’s because our minds are elsewhere. Maybe we’re thinking about something someone said yesterday and we’re trying to figure out “what did they mean by that?” (Sometimes we love to hit the rewind button over and over again!) Or maybe we’re thinking about what we’ll wear to a party tonight or on a trip we’ve planned for the next week. But, rarely are we thinking about what is going on in front of our faces at that very moment.
Again, do you want to change your life? Change your focus! Spend a day “in the now.” Make a conscious effort to really focus on what you’re doing while you’re doing it. Your mind will wander… that’s okay. Just bring it back and keep going. After all, it doesn’t matter how many times you fall, but how many times you get up.
Life is not a dress test. You either perform or take a seat in the auditorium and watch others perform. Do it or don’t do it… just know why and then take responsibility for that decision.
After all, you are 100% in control of doing it.