Hero Habits

 

The universe doesn’t have everything we want, when we want it. 

You can want a newer car, but it doesn’t have that for you, right now. You can want a better job, more money, more time, slimmer waist, happier kids, whatever. Life doesn’t happen like the day John Travolta walked on Oprah’s stage in a captain’s uniform as Oprah shouted out: “We’re going to Australia!”

Nope, not going to happen. Wanting something is like reaching for the prize with one arm, while the other pushes it away.

A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW

There are lots of things I used to want:

I used to want my wife to change.

I used to want to be thinner.

I used to want to be richer, a faster runner, better guitar player, and better dad.

Not going to happen: one arm reaches out, the other pushes it away. 

The tough pill I had to swallow was this: “wanting” was like saying “I’ll try to exercise tomorrow” – ain’t going to happen.

I had to learn that I have everything I need, right now.

CREDIT CARD DEBT

Last week, a good friend shared how she finally got her finances together. She had reached a tipping point with credit card debt, overdraft interest rates, and being frustrated with careless spending habits. “I had no idea how much I was spending” she confided, “I just saw it and bought it.” 

She got clear on what she needed and got help. 

Within a month she had analyzed what she was spending (for two weeks she wrote down everything she spent money on), paid off high-interest debt with lower-interest debt, paid off her credit cards, and created a savings plan. She was on-top-of-the-moon excited. 

She had what she needed all along.

YOU HAVE WHAT YOU NEED

This is what I learned:

My wife is better than perfect, already. I had to change. And I did.

I lost weight by just walking my dog twice a day, instead of once, and recording my workouts (learn more about that trick here).

I am richer than I’ve ever been, because I: set a goal, got serious about my business, finally learned how to delegate, and got started.

I could go on and on, but I hope you get the picture. 

You have what you need, right now. You just have to believe it.

** A quick thought for you in this 2 min. video **

 

THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE

It’s easy to sit alone and tell yourself you don’t have what you want. It’s called the path of least resistance. That path is easy to slide down.

You hear your own whining, look around, notice what’s missing and think “Yup, things are pretty bad.” Then you sink deeper into your hole. That sucks.

Meanwhile, people who are less educated, less experienced, less talented and with bad hair are rocking it. 

You have what you need.

DO THIS TODAY

Instead of trying to change your whole world, start with one change and do it for two weeks. That’s it. No biggie – just a little change you make for two weeks.

Once you prove to yourself you have what you need, other changes will be a breeze. Trust me, that’s how our willpower muscle works. One commitment builds the muscle we need to make more commitments.

It could be:

• wake up 20 minutes earlier to: meditate, walk, read something inspirational, or write for your blog
• drink water as soon as you wake up
• walk at lunch time
• find one person to compliment everyday
• record what you spend money on everyday

• 10 minutes before you get home, stop thinking about work 

• record what you eat everyday
• spend 10 minutes everyday loading clothes you will never wear again into a box for charity
• spend 10 minutes everyday putting old notes, files, and paper from your office space into recycling
• go to bed 30 minutes earlier
• limit your TV, Netflix, Youtube, watching to 30 minutes a day

Once you select the change you are going to make, follow this routine:

1. write down the action you are committing to (you need to write this in the present and in the positive, like: “I am waking up at 5:30AM to drink water and then walk for 30 minutes.”) 

2. put that instruction somewhere where you will see it every morning. On your fridge, bathroom mirror, bedroom wall, forehead, or car dashboard.

3. follow the instructions, without exception. If you had a long day and didn’t get your walk or workout in, grab a flashlight and go do it. Don’t let a little slippage pull you off course.

4. finally, reward yourself.

When I come back from a run I pat myself on the back and say “Good one!”, you can record your success on a calendar, in Evernote, or in your journal. It’s important to acknowledge the success. The brain needs proof that the extra effort was worth it.

HOW IT WORKS

Big change always starts with a little change. If you feel stuck in your life, in any way, my guess is you need to learn how to make little changes stick. Choose one small change from my list, above, (or create your own) and make it stick for two weeks. That’s it. 

When you get into a habit of: 1) seeing a need, 2) committing to changing your situation, and 3) making the change stick, you will be powerful. 

You have what you need. You had it along.

Now, get started.

Let me know what you changed, I’m here for you.

 

Photo: Dan Culver on East Ridge, Mt. Logan 1992