Most of you know I’ve been following a self-development programme as alchemy for changing my life.
I’ve been mentored CD-wise by Tony Robbins, scarcely known in the UK but who has sold untold millions of tapes and stuff to those crazy wild Yanks who while mostly being larger in square footage than your average Empire States Building, do possess an uncanny knack of righting themselves for fulfilled lives.
I had the thunderbolt moment today when it all made sense.
It was never going to be a quick fix. In the nine years working at my old place, the motivation levels were consistently set to ’soulless’ and the opportunity for mental, spiritual and practical growth were tantamount to zero.
I want to share with you what I figured today, because I hope it can have a positive impact on your life.
It’s a little like this: every one of us craves more time. Every one of us has an excuse for sticking with the status quo.
It starts with “I can’t”, life’s most predictable cue card.
With a little gumption and some grumbling this is promoted to “I guess I SHOULD…” But it means the same thing. It will never get done.
There’s only one thing you need to do to hit your life’s goals and ambitions. Turning “should” into “must”. “I MUST do that marathon,” “I MUST write that book.”
You see, must is another word for motivation; momentum.
And once you’re clear on doing something, you can start having fun.
To get the MUST you have to forget all your little excuses and lies, and hit the road marked Self-Honesty. Stop believing you can’t, start believing you can.
Because you really can!
Once you’re in the land of MUST, here’s what you gotta do:
1. Shock yourself. I don’t want the HSE on my back here, so don’t plug yourself in at the mains. What I’m talking about is figuring out what you’re doing now, and visualising where you want to be. Big difference, right? Shocked the hell out of me! There’ll be some pain at this point, so relish it. Pain is the symbol of hidden pleasure. Attack your lack and start making a conscious decision to control your pain and turn it around to unmask your true potential.
2. Decide your future. What do you really want? Know EXACTLY what your life goals are. Make as many as you like. But be specific. Vagueness begets forgetfulness begets reversion to the old way of life. It’s futile. So set that objective: “I want to skydive by the end of the year.” That’s mine – but you get the drift.
Once you know what you want, you have to understand why you want it. And there have to be legion valid reasons. Ain’t no point striving for great riches if you haven’t got a plan what to do when you get there.
And don’t forget – VimportantPointHere: to succeed, you have to already be living the outcome, even if it’s in your head. Imagine what it would be like to step out of that plane (on second thoughts, imagine that bottle of Champagne on hitting the deck, lightly), or being a philanthropist after tithing 20% of your new-found wealth. When you’re in the zone, you’re halfway there. Embrace it: it’ll be yours sooner than you think.
Okay so you set your goal, and have a bunch of reasons why it’s important. Now you figure lots of ways to get the job done.
If you’re a big fatty and want to swim the Channel in the spirit of getting fit, but discover you have an aversion to water, you might want to start running instead. Or get some Neuro-Linguistic Programming to figure out your fear of becoming a water baby (recommended).
Ultimately your versatility can only help the cause. I’m figuring at this point you pick up a pen, and do what I said:
1. Get disturbed. Gathering momentum for change is easy: just get up and get out there first, and then see what happens next.
2. Define your goal. Be specific: use dates, write it as an elevator pitch or a 10-word unique selling proposition. Then flesh it out.
3. Be clear on what you’re after. Do something about it, every day. Half an hour will do – a positive affirmation that you’re heading in the right direction.
4. Make the plan. Set out the roadmap. Just fill a sheet of paper with your ideas. The greatest people in the world set out on a mission without knowing how they’d get there – so don’t stop just because something you need isn’t yet available. It’ll come. You want it – it’ll come. Be clear on your plan. Apply creativity and clarity. If you have the ‘whys’ for your goal, you’ll have the ‘hows’ waiting to be freed to get you on track.
One last point: find yourself a mate, mentor or new network of people you can work with to give you the consistent inspiration you need to hit your target. Surround yourself with positivity and you’ll be amazed how quickly you pick up your game. Seize the initiative: start searching the web for people who have already been successful in similar fields to yours. Read a blog. Buy a book. Start a club.
You want it? Go get it. It’s yours, and it’s waiting to be claimed.
Good luck!