October 21, 2010

Are You Serious?

You have brains in your head
and feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own
and you know what you know
And you are the one
who'll decide where to go.
-Dr. Seuss

If you could do just one simple 5-10 minute thing every day that would exponentially increase your chances of getting to where you are going, what would you say?

Umm, yes please!

I am personally involved in doing this, not just for my weight loss and fitness goals, but for my family relationships, my business and for my involvement in the community. And, it works!

It requires only three things:
  1. A pen
  2. A piece of paper (or computer)
  3. Commitment (i.e. being really, really serious)
So, nobody is left out here. I can do this. YOU can do this. Anyone can do this if they want it bad enough.

Here it is. Nothing extravagant or even terribly original, just very simple and extremely effective:

Every night before going to bed,
make a list of the 5 tasks
you will do tomorrow.

That's it. The guiding factor is that you will not go to bed the next night until those 5 things are done. Think of it as your priority list. It doesn't mean this is ALL you will do tomorrow...it's just what you MUST do tomorrow if you honestly, truly want what you say you want. Not that hard. It's the small, consistent actions that all add up to realizing your DREAM!

You will soon find, even if you are not a list maker, that the sense of accomplishment you get will provide the momentum you need to reach for bigger and better things! And, when the going gets tough, you will dig deeper and find a way to accomplish these things. The road to success is not easy, but it is simple . . . it's taking action every single day. Every. Single. Day.

There is something about getting up in the morning and knowing exactly what you are going to do that sets the wheels of success in motion! But, if you find that your 5 are easily set aside for an immediate or short-term pleasure, here's what you do next. Yes, it can be a little scary, but if you're serious about what you want, this works:


Examine your why.

Sometimes we want things for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong reasons. Only you can determine that for yourself, and it takes raw honesty with yourself. If you want to get past all your false starts toward changing something or reaching a goal, you have to get brutally honest about where you are now, where you want to be and why.

Because if your why isn't strong enough,
it just ain't gonna happen.
No if's, and's or but's about it.

Have a little fun with this by making yourself a vision board!  Gather pictures from books, magazines, photos, etc., little representations of your goals. There are tons of helps for this online and you can get very creative or just go really simple. Here are a couple of links to get you started:

Dream Board: Envision Your Best Life

How to Create Your First Dream Board

When your dream board is done, place it in a prominent place where you will see it . . . above your desk, in the bathroom, by the fridge, you decide.

With a daily visual of why you do what you do every day, and your list of 5 things to do today, you will rock your day....day after day after day!!

Are you a list maker? Do you have a dream/vision board? How have these things helped you to stay in touch with your goals and even better, reach them!? Do tell!

Dreaming with you,
Cheryl

P.S. The links provided above are not an endorsement of those websites nor any philosophies represented there. The links are included to give examples of and help for creating your own dream or vision board only.

6 comments:

  1. I need to do this -- the dream board and the daily lists. My problem is knowing which dream/goals to focus on. I feel like I need a separate board/list for all my different endeavors.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice job on this one Cheryl!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a great idea, thank you for sharing Cheryl .. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. It is true, it will give me so much more direction. Today i didn't have work and i had a million vague ideas of things i want to do, but couldn't bring myself to do any of them as i hadn't really decided what to do.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Jen - Boy, I hear ya on that! Sometimes we have to prioritize even our dreams!

    @helmetorheels - I've got some great mentors, you know!

    @anonymous - Hope you try it!

    @Jessy - I love it when at the end of the day I still have a few of the 5 on the list...shows me where my priorities REALLY are. Hope you give this a try!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I do the three things list at night. It really helps me stay on track.

    ReplyDelete