These 4 Truths Are Preventing You From Having The Life You Want
"Facts are stubborn things." - John Adams
Consciously creating your life is the single biggest gift you can give yourself.
Unfortunately, most people are trapped, paralyzed, and won't act on what they know will make the difference. Or, they try a million different things, without actually knowing what they want.
Getting clarity on what you want is essential.
You have to go deeper. Some effort is simply not enough.
You have to play full out.
Leave nothing behind.
Give it everything.
These are the things preventing you from giving it everything. This will be short but to the point.
To have it all, you must give it your all.
1. You Probably Know The Next Step But Haven't Taken It
"There's so much information on the internet. But people don't need more information, they need 'aha moments,' they need awareness, they need things that actually shift and change them." - Jack Canfield
You probably know at least one thing you want.
More money, more time, better family, more fit, yes, we've heard it all.
So why aren't you already at the top?
Two things are preventing you from getting there:
- Internal: fear, trauma, old criticism, uncertainty, and the fear of looking foolish.
- External: you haven't made the next behavior automatic through triggers, pre-frames, planning, and appointments with yourself.
2. You're Not Willing To Apply New Skills Differently
Arrogance prevents learning.
Lateral learning is the ability to transport vast amounts of information and mastery in one field and apply it to another.
This is how Josh Waitzkin became both a master at chess and then Tai Chi. This is how successful athletes apply mental toughness principles from sports to create successful companies.
People with this power of jumping between ladders astonish others.
What holds you back from learning this way?
Arrogance.
"Success is a lousy teacher." - Bill Gates
When you've succeeded in one field, you think you know it all. This feeling may even be subconscious, so you don't even recognize your own arrogance.
You don't have to reinvent the wheel. You just have to re-use it.
Adapt your old experiences to provide leverage for the new. Don't copy them, and don't ignore them. Both paths lead to frustration.
Humbly recognize where you can make powerful connections.
3. You Haven't Paid The Price
"Nature cannot be tricked or cheated. She will give up to you the object of your struggles only after you have paid her price." - Napoleon Hill
When you declare a large goal, a massive vision, you instantly open the opportunity for large failure.
You've created all the obstacles that now stand in your way.
Most people hate looking at those obstacles. This is why they play smaller.
Which is the greater failure: to have played full-out and come short, or to have never even tried?
Not trying is the worst form of failure, because unlike failure from playing full-out, you can't recoup any lessons from the experience.
You can't run from your dreams. They're there. You know what you must do.
Go full-out. Put all the cards on the table by opening up the possibility of completely failing.
You're so focused on where you're going, everything else is irrelevant.
4. You Haven't Removed Everything That Is Not A Result
"When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results." - Ken Blanchard
Richie Norton, a world-class business coach and author, repeatedly tells entrepreneurs one simple thing.
The only thing that matters for your book, course, podcast, article, or anything is that it gets your clients results.
That frees you from needing perfect software, training, experience, degrees, logos, and other fancy things that most people use to their detriment.
Can you get a result?
That's it.
When you choose to live in the results economy, you embrace a new playing field.
You're not tied down by irrelevant things. You're not going to fall for sunk-cost bias. If something doesn't work, you realize it, fix it, and move on.
Results simply demand an outcome.
Holding yourself to the standard of results is powerful and vulnerable.
But worth it.
Conclusion: How Badly Do You Want It?
Going back to the glory days is not only impossible but will unlikely serve you.
As Scott Hamilton says, nostalgia is dangerous. It prevents you from reaching higher and truly becoming the person you could become.
Be aware of yourself. Examine what needs to change. Embrace these truths you may have heard before, but didn't implement.
Where will you be?