Take A Single Step

Many people know what they do not want in their life. They can tell you all the things that are wrong with their life - often so well you wonder if they have it scripted and learnt it! I have found that when you ask “What do you want?”, many people have to stop and think. They say things like, “Ummm, that’s a good question.” How clear are you on what you want from your life? Have you ever written out what your perfect life would look like? 

Leap 12 months into your ideal future and look back reflecting on what amazing things happened to get you to this point. What changed in your outlook, your attitude, your approach to life. What opportunities did you see and seize? How did you direct your energy? Where did you invest your time? What was the first step you took? 

Make today be day 1 of your next 12 month journey. Pick one small change which you know has the potential to compound over the year to produce big results. I deleted social media apps from my phone. It gave me back time and removed negative news and distractions. 

Setting a start date makes it far easier to achieve. Starting is often 50% of the work. The secret to starting is to identify the smallest step that you can take. Focus on what you can do and what you can control. Look for small forward gains. Little and often can work wonders. Consistency usually outperforms sporadic actions, especially over the long haul. 

I am laughing at myself as I type this. This is an excerpt of version 4 of a book I have spent a year writing. I recently initiated doing excerpts to create as blogs which forces me to complete a section every week until this is finished. I am laughing because I know it works and it has taken me so long to apply it for myself!

Often the greatest thing holding you back is looking at the desired ultimate result and feeling overwhelmed. It is cliched, but the journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step. Knowing and taking a small action can give you a sense of achievement, which, in turn, releases dopamine. This encourages you to take more small steps, which gives you momentum and energy and the sense of achievement to take the next step. It is counter intuitive - Action creates motivation.

Look at what you want to achieve and concentrate your efforts on the actions you can take or influence. Focus on what you can control. Energy flows where your focus goes, so focus on what you want more of. You will, on occasions, have to wait on others. You are not responsible for the actions and reactions of others, only your own actions. Focus on your actions. Look for the areas where you need to leave your comfort zone in order to achieve a result. Leaving your comfort zone and going into your stretch zone can feel scary. Learn how to dip into your stretch zones for limited periods of time, then come back into your comfort zone to recharge. The more you go into your stretch zone, the more comfortable you become with that level of stretch and eventually, that becomes your comfort zone. This is how you grow.

This comes back to the previous point about knowledge without action is just information or entertainment and about change coming when you decide to act and you follow though.

It is important to note that not deciding is an action. An easy way out, possibly default decision, but a decision all the same. Your life is the accumulation of your decisions. You want to be deliberate. What you choose to do and not to do will create your future. Making the vision of who you desire to be and all you want to see, experience and impact can create a pull factor that is so compelling you find you must take action. The image and importance of it pulls you forward. Your “to-do” lists get upgraded to a “must-do” list. The urgency commands your brain to action.

I've often come across this with team members as they look to buy their first house. The concept of buying a house for the first time is fraught with the unknown, and many people find it scary and well outside their comfort zone. I encourage them to look for the smallest action they can take. 

A great place to start is to break the first step of approaching a mortgage broker down into smaller steps: for example, asking a friend who has just bought a house who a good mortgage broker is. Then you can email them, or call them if you're comfortable calling, and book an appointment. You can write up the questions that you have ahead of the meeting. In the meeting, go through your list of questions and find out what's required to take the next step towards getting a mortgage. Listen carefully, learn and discover what gaps you have and what your next action points are.

The first time for most big things is scary. Moving into the stretch zone is hard. It is also where growth occurs. We grow outside our comfort zone.

Which step, taken today, will put you on the path of your desired future?