So how are things going? I can say that, for me, some of my goals have been going really well, and some have fallen flat. At the start of the year, I watched a ton of motivational videos to set the tone for the year to come. The one message that really resonated with me was the idea of leveraging the Compound Effect. This is essentially the act of repeating positive actions over and over again for the purpose of reaping the multiplied benefits of being consistent. It's like earning interest on your actions.
I committed to being consistent no matter what so I can leverage my actions to the utmost. I chose this commitment because this is where I struggle the most. If I had to grade myself in that area, I'd give myself a C+. On the one hand, I struggled to do the most basic things each and every day like meditation, exercise, writing down goals, etc. But, on the other hand, I've maintained the ability to keep moving forward on the bigger goals I set for myself. This is quite exciting. But, at the same time, I realize that I'm missing out on a huge opportunity when I fail to do the fundamentals over and over again. The fundamentals are the things I know I should be doing on a daily basis but I don't because there aren't any immediate consequences. This brings me back to the insight given to me during a coaching session a couple of years ago. The guy told me that I was motivated by pain (avoiding a negative outcome) versus pleasure (seeking an ideal outcome). Whenever a situation is uncomfortable or undesirable, I move quickly into action. But when things are going well, my intensity slows.
This yo-yo cycle is something I was ready to give up which is why I fell in love with the compound effect. If utilized effectively, I would be nurturing the part of me that moves towards pleasure (a desired outcome). Essentially, I'd be doing something daily even if there is no perceived benefit for taking action at that moment. That builds the kind of character that I want to possess. Good news is that I can start anew beginning now. I've decided to focus on visualization/mediation because that one simple action only requires a few minutes a day and, if done consistently, will elevate many other areas of my life & habits.
Instead of getting upset at the areas where I made no progress or even had setbacks, I will acknowledge the current outcome and simply take the steps to move in a new direction. There's a lot of ground to cover between now and the end of the year and the results can be outstanding if I remain consistent. I just have to practice the habit of honoring my word of visualizing and meditating each and every day. I know that there will be days when I wake up and have absolutely no desire to do what I said I would. On those days, I'll remember the definition of a commitment. I said I would do it, but I never really was committed to it. When someone is committed, they understand that it must take place no matter what. This type of thinking is a total different mindset than I had at the beginning of the year. I hope that 6 months from now I'll be expressing my joy over how I was able to maintain my commitment no matter what.
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