Whoops! We Fell Off!!!
It’s possible that last week, you said a word of thanks before diving into your large, over-mounded Thanksgiving Day plate. It’s likely that you ate, and then ate that bit more. And then with a sigh, you muttered your resolutions for the rest of the year, knowing that more indulgence just might be headed your way. As Black-Friday and then Cyber-Monday came and went, that giving of thanks from just a week ago seems to have faded away.
Are we not still thankful?
We all fall down sometimes, we get off track, and it’s what we learn as we correct that, getting back up that sets our course for the future.
Today I stepped on the scale before heading out for yet another flight across the country. The numbers that revealed themselves to me opened my eyes to a problem that we all face. Focus.
I Lost Focus
I was doing so well. Over the past year I shed 50 pounds and cinched my belt up eight inches. And in the last few weeks some of that crept back. But how?
And my projects – I had completed my book, The Significance Factor, and successfully launched it to #1 in three categories on the day of its release. I began pre-selling my online course and had desires to make the audio book version, too. While I continue to serve my clients, I intended on blocking time for the other “stuff” in my life. As I looked at the projects I laid out for myself in the next three months, some of the details that I had in my head seemed to evaporate. But how?
Good intentions are met with all kinds of distractions along the way. Unless you maintain your focus, you’re likely to find all kinds of intervening wants, needs, and demands of others that pull you from your original targets. I was on track when I was measuring and when I kept what was important in front of me. I began to get off track when a little of this or that took its toll. There is a compound effect for focus. You get s**t done. There is a compound effect for distraction… hey look, another cat video!
You Need Metrics
The same way that that the scale told me I need to regain my focus to hit my target goals, the planning sheet and the calendar I use reminded me that specifics are needed. I needed a back-to-basics plan of action. I have specific words that outline values and are the foundation for actions in my life. When I’m “in the zone,” I’m living in integrity with my core values. My actions match them. If I were to measure myself on a scale of 1-10, I could lay in bed at the end of the day giving myself high marks.
And I’d ask you, what values do you hold dearly? How intentional are you, every moment of every day, that you will live into those values? At the end of your day, reflect on your actions and whether they were in alignment with your values. Then, from a perspective of measurement, give yourself a grade of living into your values on a scale of 1 – 10. Doing so allows you to course correct or celebrate.
NOW is a great time to decide whom you wish to become or develop into. With just one month left in this year before we head into 2017, it’s important to recognize that you control your direction. Distractions (whether food or family drama or something else) can pull you from your original intention.
We all fall off from time to time.
How do you get back up and what will you learn?
What values do you need to live into to have success? How do you define success? How will you know when you’re off track (because you will be at some point)? And if you get side-tracked or fall down, what lessons are there for you as you get back up?
Those are key questions and I’d welcome your answers and comments!
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