Monday Motiviation | You say you want to do it, but are you doing it?

Happy Monday!  Today I want to delve more into the topic of lifestyle design.  All of us have creative power to design the life we desire, it's about whether we chose to exercise that power.  Our days aren't only meant to be lived, they also serve as raw material for us to craft and create.

I often talk to people who wish to create a type of life for themselves.  They want to change careers, work for themselves, or whatever.  But, for some reason, they remain in Phase 2.  Phase 1 is when you desire something.  An idea pops up in your head and you can see it clearly.  Then you move into Phase 2.  You begin to share your inspiration with others.  You talk about what you want to achieve.  Phase 2 is important because words are powerful and help increase your level of belief.

But, if we aren't careful, we get comfortable in Phase 2 and start to hang out there.  We go on and on about what we want but there's absolutely zero forward progress.  We start to carve a very cozy comfort zone in Phase 2 because it feels like we're in action. But we're not.  Words become a false substitute for action.  Kinda like how we substitute an artificial ingredient for an all natural one. Tastes almost the same, but it's very different.

If we were to look into your actions, without giving any value to your words, your life looks nothing like what you claim to desire.  You may say you want to make a living online, but how many hours did you invest last week into creating your online empire.  You wish to write a best selling book but most writers set aside a specific time to day to write regularly. Do you do that?  You want to leave your job for something more inspiring, but what actions did you take (or will you take) that correlate with your internal desires?

Phase 3 is when we start bringing aspects of our desires and vision into reality.  It doesn't have to be a full blown jump, just a sprinkling of new daily actions.  That's all.  It's when you say to yourself "I want to have a fit toned body and people who have fit bodies eat healthier, so I'll make one healthier choice a day."   The more you design your day to look like that of those who experience what you want, the quicker you accelerate the creation process.

It's really simple, if your life absolutely looks nothing like the life you desire, your job is to import aspects of it into your reality.  Back when I worked in corporate america, I wanted out.  So whenever I took vacation time, instead of going off to some exotic destination, I'd stay home and execute "a day in the life."  I'd still wake up early and work online. Sometimes I'd work on my projects until late night. Maybe I'd visit some random place mid-day to signify the freedom I would soon enjoy to do whatever I wanted with my time.  While my coworkers traveled to far off places, I'd turn my stay-cations into dry runs of the life I wanted to live.  And it seemed to work!

Your homework for this week is to really listen to your conversations about what you desire. Then challenge yourself to do small consistent actions that align with your words.  If you choose to take no action, then stop.  Stop talking about it.  Stop being Leon. Stop saying you want it when you aren't willing to pay for it.  Save yourself the mental drain of saying you want to do something and not doing anything about it.

Doing something about is easy.  You don't have do anything drastic.  Small changes will lead to big ones.  Start small then gently push yourself out of your comfort zone as little by little.

*Book recommendations: The Slight Edge & The Compound Effect.  Both very similar in topic.  They discuss how small daily actions multiply and compound to create massive results.  Highly recommend!