If you don’t make the effort, you would be silly to think you’ll get the results you want.
Whether you’re trying to bulk up or slim down, make more money or improve your relationship, you have to do the work.
Yea, that may be annoying, boring or frustrating. Too bad. No effort, no result. You’ve got to do your own push-ups.
Be the person that gets results rather than gives reasons. Make the effort. Daily.
It’s fun, enlightening and a great shared experience.
My new book is coming out soon! It will certainly feel great once it is published and available. I look forward to having a copy in my hands and turning the pages.
At the moment, however, I need to decide on the book cover design. Currently I have 6 options in play. I have posted these to my Instagram story for those curious to see them. They’ll be there until about noon GMT so go check out the story and have your say. Vote for your preferred book cover. You might get your favourite one selected.
It is a funny thing about getting feedback on the cover. We are advised that we shouldn’t be judging a book by its cover. Yet, I am pretty sure we all do something akin to that. I certainly assess wine, books and people by that first visible impression. It is hard not to. You see something and you apply your library of related visuals to it.
You may not judge it but you might assess it. That is natural. You would assess a wild lion or stray rhino. It’s a survival instinct.
So why not pop over to my Instagram account (@scottsthinking) and assess, or judge, the covers on display. Then message me with your preferred cover. Let’s see which one wins!
Choose your hard. It’s hard to start, continue, finish and fail. But if you don’t do the first three, you may have to settle for the last one.
Now we should get into the definition of fail, of course. It means different things to different people. Traditionally it means you did not succeed with your desired goal. Though it can be defined quite broadly. If you haven’t stopped trying then you may not have failed yet.
However, if there is a time limit, then if you’ve past the time allocated, you could say you failed. This is most accurate in a timed activity, project, match or game.
It’s not fun to think you failed at something. But you have only failed in the attempts up to now. Perhaps you will succeed on the next attempt!
Until then, it’s hard to fail. But it can be the only way to finally succeed.
Completing the task can be a challenge. Sometimes we get started and stay consistent. But completing the task, so it is all done, as we wanted, can get sidetracked.
We might get delayed, sidetracked, see goalposts move, never quite reach the goal or many other reasons. Being emotionally involved in the process or never feeling quite ready can be other issues to overcome.
You must begin with the end in mind. Have a vision of the completed project. Prepare a celebration. Have a timeline that you follow. Have some contingency and prepare for things to not go exactly to plan. You may need to be a little flexible.
It’s hard to finish but that’s where the glory, relief and calm is.
Starting can be easy compared to keeping something going. Pay for the gym and go for two weeks. We’ll check back in with you after week seven. Still going everyday? How about three times per week?
Quit smoking? Great start! Let’s see where things are after 60 days. Saving money to build an investment pot for retirement? Great! Let’s see where things are at in month four. What happened?
Starting has it’s challenges but so does keeping it all consistent. But since you started, keep the discipline every day. Save just one pound in your piggy bank or online bank. Do one push up. Push the smokes away one more time.
It isn’t easy. But it is worth it. So many benefits in building new, positive habits.
Do one thing towards your new goal each day. Have a solid reason why you’re doing it. Make it an emotional one, not just practical. Develop tenacity and discipline. Listen to, watch or read motivational material such as The Quote of the Day Show, YouTube channels, or my upcoming book (sent final typesetting changes back to the publisher today ?).
It’s hard to continue. But do it and build your pride, self esteem and better life.
Getting going can take some time. Top tip though is to write five key bullet points. Right now. Type in or jot down five key bullet points about the topic, the call, next steps, outcome desired or plan.
Cracking the seal makes it feel real. Which is great. But it is also part of the problem. You see, until you write something down, the points are just ideas in your mind. You can fantasise about the outcome, the amazing letter you’ll write or the results you’ll get.
However, once you start writing it down, it makes it feel real. You need to be more precise. Realism comes into play.
This realisation scares the dickens out of most people. It can feel like your head getting whacked when the reality sets in. But it’s a good thing. Because if you don’t start, you can’t continue or finish.
It’s hard to start. But it’s necessary.
When you’re tired, nap.
Have you ever felt momentum? Maybe you’ve felt it while watching a tennis match or other major sporting event. It is incredible to watch. It is palpable.
You can see heads start to lower and energy and focus disappear. Frustration can set in and then mistakes are made. This compounds with growing negative self talk. It can be hard to come back from it.
On the other hand, the energy can grow while focus gets better. You are in the state of flow and each decision seems to be right. You float over the opposition. Your heads are high and your confidence is too.
Use shifting momentum to your advantage. Be sure to relax, have fun and commit to each moment. Keep the momentum on your side.
Opportunities abound!
