We’ve just passed Memorial Day weekend here in the US. It’s a milestone that signals the start of summer. It’s a sure sign that we’re officially past “early in the year” and an opportunity to look at where you are.
Remember January?
Remember those promises you made yourself about how this year things would change?
Remember the plans you made?
How’s that going?
If the prospect of answering that question makes you uncomfortable, this post is for you. So, take a breath and read on.
First, stop beating yourself up for not following through on your plans. It won’t help you get on track.
Second, realize you can’t do anything to change what you did (or didn’t do) yesterday. Obsessing over the past won’t help you today.
Third, understand that every day is a new opportunity to do something differently.
What’s stopping you?
On the surface, it’s easy to say “I’ll just do it.” In reality, it’s not quite that simple. If you don’t address the reasons why you haven’t taken action, the “I’ll just do it” approach will be short-lived. Then you will have repeated the cycle you are trying to break.
Let’s look at few of the more common things that get in your way.
“I don’t know how”
A big stumbling block for progress is that you don’t know how to do what you need to do. Luckily, it’s the easiest one to overcome. In fact, you have a few options for doing so.
Learn
Virtually anything you’ve ever wanted to know about any subject is only a Google search away. The amount of learning resources instantly available for free is mind-boggling. At the very least, the search results will point you to paid books or courses on whatever topic you need to learn.
Find someone who does
Perhaps a better use of your limited time and resources is to find someone who does know how to do it. Here is one of the most difficult lessons for someone building a business to learn. You can’t (and shouldn’t) be doing everything yourself. A leader marshals the resources to get things done. Trying to do everything yourself will only hold you back.
“I don’t have time”
It’s common to get so wrapped up in the day-to-day stuff that you have no time or energy for the important work. That’s a problem and it needs to change.
There can be many reasons for not having time. They usually fall into one of these categories.
You’re spending too much time doing things you shouldn’t be doing. If this is the case, you need to learn how to prioritize and delegate.
You’re just not very efficient at getting things done. Take a look at how long you spend to tasks and work out if/how they can be done more quickly.
You’re procrastinating. You’re avoiding the important work by filling your time with distractions. Take an honest look at what is holding you back from doing the things you need to do.
“I tried. It didn’t work.”
So you’re just going to give up?
Most of the things you try in your business aren’t going to work. When that happens, you try something else.
Remember what Thomas Edison said about inventing the light bulb? “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
You try. You learn. You adjust. You try again.
If this mindset is a challenge for you, take a look at whether the goal is something you really want. Maybe the problem is that you’ve created goals you don’t actually care about.
If the goals are things you want, but you find yourself giving up easily, it’s time to reflect. Take an honest look at your beliefs. There is something in there telling you that you can’t do it. You need to find it and deal with it.
Breaking the Cycle
You’ve seen where doing what you’ve been doing got you.
Where, exactly, do you think you’ll be this time next year if you don’t change?
If you don’t like the answer to that question, it’s time to decide to do things differently.
What if you recognize a pattern? What if this isn’t the first time you’ve had difficulty making change stick?
Do you have failed diets or abandoned attempts at getting in shape lurking in your past? Old habits that stick around even though you know they aren’t helping you? Did you have the same realization about not building your business last year?
If you said yes to any of those, ask for help.
There is no shame in it. In fact, needing help makes you like most people.
Change is hard, but you have the capacity within you to do it. Sometimes it just takes a little help from the outside to get moving and to stick to it.
Are you ready to change? Are you ready to accept help to do it?
Schedule an appointment to talk about how that works.