The NEW YEAR isn’t a problem-solving machine.
It’s crazy how many people think that when a new year comes everything will get better.
As though it has the power to change your long embedded patterns of behaviour, the environment or your circumstances.
As though one day has some god-like powers…
It’s irrational.
That’s why, statistically, 97% of all New Year’s resolutions fail. Because New Years is NOT some life-shifting, cognitive pattern-changing machine.
It’s literally a day.
The same as every other.
And if you can not decide, COMMIT and follow through on any other day to create the change you want.
Then why would New Years really be different?
It won’t.
You might get motivated. Do ALLLLLL the things for a few weeks.
Like, reach out to 25 new people every day.
Change the way you show up for your employees.
Create content daily.
Then BAM!
1 month later
You have spotted fires everywhere, and you’ve let your new-found enthusiasm disappear out the door.
The TRUTH is…
You need to make the same decision, the same commitment and same follow-through…
EVERY. DAMN. DAY.
And if you can’t do that,
You feel resistant to it,
You procrastinate on it,
Even though you know these actions and changes are the key to creating your vision.
There are 3 things that you need, and most likely one (or all) is the answer for you.
1. CLARITY OF A VISION + PLAN
If I asked you to bake a cake, and you didn’t even know what a cake was, what it looked like, its textures and flavours. How are you going to start to put together the plan and actions to get there?
You can’t. You will just sit in confusion, frustration and chase ideas of what you think is needed. Rather than the simplicity of what is.
2. VALUES AND ACTION ALIGNMENT
If you stand in front of a fire for too long, your back, your bum and your legs heat up. You eventually move away when it starts to burn, but only far enough that the burning stops.
If you’re expecting yourself to do things that are outside your values, you will do so only when there is enough pain and/or pleasure attached to what it is you’re doing, then you will stop and stand still. You will reprioritise and start acting on your higher values again.
Some call this self-sabotage. I call it self-appreciation. Being called back to love yourself.
You need to learn to link these actions to your values, delegate it off, automate it or just get rid of it all together.
3. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS GAPS
If I gave you a picture of a cake, and you wanted to make it.
But you didn’t know the tools needed, the ingredients required, the order of construction or how to create it.
What do you think the outcome would be?
Procrastination, hesitation, frustration and chasing ideas and tactics that you think will get you to it, but may actually not.
Sometimes we just need to acquire the know-how, then work on our skills, to do the actions required to move towards our vision and make it possible.
It’s literally this simple.
You don’t need a New Year to be the catalyst.
You just need to have these 3 things.
And BOOM…
Away you will go.
Until next week,
Keep Smashing Growth Ceilings.
Justin Wiseman
