The Biggest Step is the First Step
I was struck by a quote that I read recently by George Jung: “Life passes most people by while they’re making grand plans for it.” It really hit me, as I spend many hours talking to clients that have big plans and grandiose visions of what they are going to do. I have been in this position myself: talking a great game but failing to take action and more importantly, failing follow through until the goal is reached. My Mom used to say, “Don’t tell me what you’re going to do; tell me what you’ve done.” When she would say this to me, I would get annoyed because I wanted someone else to buy into my story. Now that I have moved past the days that I tell myself “stories” I see the validity of her point.
Many of us talk a good game, but it never goes beyond talk. We need to ask ourselves WHY? Is it that we simply don’t want something badly enough? Is it that we are lazy and don’t want to do the work involved? Is it that we are somehow afraid of success and the responsibility that it will bring? I personally can vouch that I have fallen into all of these mental traps.
It’s not enough to want something; you have to want it so badly that you can taste it in your mouth. If you don’t want to do all the work involved, adjust your attitude. Greatness does not come easily. Be prepared to work while others play and be prepared to sacrifice. If you are intimidated by success because you know that more will be expected from you, get over it. If you want a life where little is expected of you, move to an island far away and sell sea shells by the sea shore. This is LIFE and it is hard sometimes. In fact, it is hard most of the time.
For many, getting started is the real challenge. You have to take the first step. Usually, this first step is fighting the battle that is going on in your own mind: a battle in which old tapes playing in your head threaten to destroy any chance of success that you may have.
After conquering my own tremendous struggles with my body and more importantly, my body image, I know this for sure: what you think about and the way you think matter far more than which diet or exercise plan you choose. Nothing will work until you make this connection.
When you have a real shift in the way you think, all the other details will fall into place. The most important choice that you will make is how you choose to think about yourself and your life. Based on this, you will then make choices about habits and behaviors. It is here that you will ultimately seal your fate.
On a recent trip to visit my family in Florida, I spotted a marquee at a karate school as I was driving. It read, “Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.” These are such simple, yet such profound words.
Today is yesterday’s tomorrow and tomorrow’s yesterday. What are you doing today to contribute to your future?
Live with Simplicity,
TMS
