Breaking Through

The hard thing matters. Mostly because it’s the quickest way to get to a result.

The problem is that there is a perceived threat of pain. Uncertainty of result. Expected failure.

That’s the way it is with challenges. It’s a challenge because someone already said how hard it will be, or how hard it has been. Let YOU be the difference.

Then go do it. Really…what is the WORST that will happen?

Understand Nothing Is Permanent

Uncertainty holds most people back. Uncertainty equates to pain. More specifically…the IDEA of pain. It’s the THREAT that is holding you back from doing either what you WANT to do, or what you NEED to do. Confident people understand that if things aren’t creating uncertainty in their lives, they aren’t growing. They understand that nothing is permanent. Therefore…pain…especially perceived pain…won’t last. Taste the pain, and get past it.

Get Real

If you find yourself in a situation where you have an opportunity to do the hard thing…take it. You are looking for more. And yet…you likely have: Fear…Doubt…Indecision. Why? Because this could make things HARD for you. You have equated HARD with PAIN or DISCOMFORT.

Hard is ok. Hard might make you sweat, but it won’t kill you. Discomfort is good for you, because in order to overcome it…you have to stretch beyond.

What do I mean by “Get Real?” I mean…be self-aware. Understand WHY you think it is hard. The answer is usually highlighting a GAP you have in you toolbox. Get Real…focus on the key gaps and acquire the skills to bridge them.

1. Take the class you think will be hard (it’s why you have the gap in the first place) 2. Do the activity you hate, because you think you are bad at it (you haven’t done it enough to get GOOD at it) 3. Focus on a weakness in your nutrition plan and put the time in to see results 4. Master the basics of your job and set the path to move beyond it 5. Take the time to find a plan that can break your free of your fitness plateau

Your life shouldn’t be a prison sentence — it should be a series of opportunities that you LIVE.

Master The Basics

Look at your job. Have you mastered ANY part of your role? If you aren’t doing ONE thing masterfully, you aren’t ready to progress. You are fooling yourself, or you are NOT interested in it. Most roles are comprised of MANY activities, but there are only a FEW things that really matter. Sales people need to produce. Marketing people need to create demand. Finance needs to maximize cash flow. Add yours here.

Each role requires mastering the basics in order to achieve success. This is actually great news…because the basics are usually the EASIEST things to master. The problem for most is that they are also the most mundane. That’s the pain you are avoiding. Better to master the basics before decisions ABOUT you get made FOR you.

Answer Your Own Question

What am I doing? Ask it EVERY day.

The easy answer is THE SAME THING. Life is happening to you. You hopped on someone else’s bus and let them dictate your destination. Because that’s easy? It’s not. In fact, it’s the reason people say bad things always happen to them. They hate their lives because they don’t have control.

The Hard Answer is: The Scary Thing. The Thing I Hate.

Walk the Walk

Making the decision to take control of your situation seems hard…until you do it. It’s just one step. The hard part is learning WHY taking control matters to you. Question why you are doing what you are doing in the first place.

That’s a hard look. You may find it’s not your passion. You may not even know WHAT you are passionate about. You are probably not being honest with yourself.

Honest is hard. Be honest.

Simplify

Life is complex. Making the complex simple is not easy. The problem is cause and effect. Every action has a reaction. So limit the amount of complexity in your life. What are the simple foundations of your life, career and family?

Focus only on those. Then just do one thing differently with each aspect of them and focus on these 5 areas:

1. Stuff — If you have too much of it…clean it out. It’s cluttering your life and getting in the way. Do this now.

2. Calendar — People have one of two calendars…one that is overfull, or empty. Both are bad. If you have NO time, you are not managing your commitments. This means you need to identify the important things ONLY…and put those down. Get rid of the other appointments to do not help you progress. If you have NO commitments — you don’t know what is important to you yet. Write down the things that matter in your job, life, fitness…whatever. And do the hardest things first. You need to put your life on track.

3. Goals — Get Real about your goals — what matters to you. Make this a short list. 1 Career, 1 Life. When you achieve the goal…make another.

4. Be Positive — Nothing will happen if you don’t believe it can happen. Take responsibility to build the confidence to do what you need to do. The more you do, the better you feel. People will respond…you will find opportunity.

5. Do One Thing — Forget about multi-tasking. It flat out DOESN’T work. Focus on one hard thing at a time. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.

Shift your view.

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