3 questions to help you get out of your own way!

Albert Einstein said that the very definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

So what stands in your way of achieving more?

The answer is YOU!

Ask yourself these questions:

1. There are things in your life that you have no control over and there are things in your life that you have total control over. What do you focus most of your time and energy on?

2. You can let things happen or you can make things happen. What do you spend most of your time and energy on?

3. You cannot change the past, nor can you predict the future. You are only in control of the NOW. Where do you spend most of your time and energy?

Let’s talk CONTROL…

Chances are, like most people in our society, you spend too much time focusing on things you have no control over (the weather, the stock market, other people, etc.). Do you want to change your life? Change your focus. Begin to focus on those things over which you have complete control (yourself, your attitude, your ability, your effectiveness… I mean, YOU!).

We have much more control over our lives than we are led to believe we have. Get out of your own way and stop making excuses. You will never look back with regret!

Let’s talk about BEING PROACTIVE…

If you choose to focus on those things over which you have no control, you will inevitably live a reactive life. Then you will feel out of control, which perpetuates this vicious cycle. If you hear yourself saying things like, “I don’t have the time/money/energy to do that…” or “I’ll do it as soon as I get a raise/car is paid for/kids move in/blah blah blah blah”, you can be sure YOU are standing in your own way holding up a stop sign.

We all know that those excuses allow procrastination. ‘As soon as’ is filled with some other minutiae before we make an effort to do anything satisfactory. Stop lying to yourself. If there is something you really want to do because it has value, get clarity and take action or don’t expect it to happen.

Let’s talk about NOW…

We tend to live unconscious lives in our society. Most of the time, we don’t really pay attention to what we’re doing. We got on the proverbial hamster wheel and started running. We “go through the motions.” Have you ever driven somewhere you’ve driven dozens of times before only to arrive and realize you don’t remember driving there? Fascinating, right? Scary, right? It’s because our minds are somewhere else. Maybe we’re thinking about something someone said yesterday and we’re trying to figure out “what did they mean by that?” (Sometimes we love to hit the rewind button over and over again!) Or maybe we’re thinking about what to wear to a party tonight or a trip we’ve planned for next week. But, rarely are we thinking about what is happening in front of our faces at that very moment.

Again, do you want to change your life? Change your focus! Spend a day “in the now.” Make a conscious effort to really focus on what you’re doing while you’re doing it. Your mind will wander… okay. Just bring it back and keep going. After all, it doesn’t matter how many times you fall, but how many times you get up.

Life is not a dress test. Either you perform or take a seat in the auditorium and watch others perform. Do it or don’t do it… just know why and then take responsibility for that decision.

After all, you have 100% control to do it.