Radical Changes in Minute Steps

This question came in from the blog post, “Why Do So Many People Fail at Self-Help?”

“When I focus on changing only one major area of my life, that’s unfulfilling and hurts the other areas.  But trying to change everything at once with a ‘balanced goals program’ leaves me running around like a chicken with my head cut off, getting nothing done very well and quickly running out of energy.  How can I become what I want to be without focusing on doing the right things?  Can Be and Do really be separated?  And I agree, just focusing on doing the right things isn’t the answer either.” AJ

AJ, Dad says, “You can make radical changes in minute steps.”  We got a question this week about what the number one discipline would be to achieving success, and Dad answered, “Consistency coupled with tenacity.”  I understand your frustration because real change does take time and often you can’t see or feel the progress while you are doing it.

The key to becoming the right kind of person is the combination of being and doing.  One of our team members, Bryan Flanagan, says success is “an inside” job.  In other words, you have to put the right information into your brain until it replaces and overwhelms the old bad stuff.  The good news is it doesn’t take hours and hours every day to accomplish this.  The bad news is it must be done consistently and daily, if possible.

The being part, or internalizing the right thoughts until they become you, is dependant upon where you spend your thinking time.  What you listen to and read, and who you associate with, will, to a large degree, determine your thought process.  Don’t leave this to chance.  The doing part should be an outflow of your thinking.  If you believe setting goals is important, then you are far more likely to set goals.  If you believe giving 100% is important, then you are more likely to give it your all.  If you believe finishing what you start is important, then you will finish far more things.  Unfortunately, these beliefs do not come automatically, they are really muscles that need to be exercised and developed.  And, until we believe they are worth the effort to develop, we are unlikely to exercise them.  This is why success is “an inside” job.

To simplify this, think of it this way:  In order to change and do new things, I have to believe it will work, or trust someone I believe in who says it will work.  In order for the believing part to take hold, I have to have the hope that by making the change I will be better off.  Without the hope part, there is little internal motivation to keep me focused.  Hope is created when your mind gets new information and says, “That makes sense, I can do that.”  If you never give your mind that new info, or if you stop feeding it the new info, the motivation to keep going dries up.  So, hope drives the reason to change the beliefs, the new beliefs result in the doing part.

Now, back to your question and a simple action plan.  Since consistency is the key discipline to achieving success, and you need to build your “success” muscles, I would suggest that you focus on two or three daily goals that each take you only five minutes or less, and do them every day for a week.  Then, on the second week, add a minute or two to each goal, and so on for the first month.  Make one goal either listening to or reading good information.  Make another goal a physical goal that replaces a negative with a positive, such as having a glass of water instead of a soft drink with your meal, or taking a five-minute power walk instead of a high-carb snack during the day.  Your third goal could be a professional goal like creating your daily priority list, or a relationship goal like writing a loved one a note of encouragement.  Remember, the key is consistency.

I hope you are seeing the hope in this concept, and the belief that you can do this.  In the second week of this you will start to think, “what if I could..?” and this is where it takes off!  When this happens, spend your reading or listening time with an expert who knows how to do what you want to learn to do.  Thanks for your great questions!

Great Question, Matthew!

We recently had a  Ziglar Success 2.0 Webcast and received over 150 questions from our audience.

“How can I stop getting distracted and stay focused and motivated to let myself succeed? I read books and attend seminars and then become motivated for awhile. However, it quickly fades and I find myself struggling through another meaningless job trying to get by from week to week. I sometimes write goals, but I never follow them through to the end.”  Matthew

As you already know, follow through is the key.  I have heard Dad say many times that “a big shot is just a little shot that kept on shooting.”  So how do you keep shooting?  Three things to do that will help tremendously:

First, clearly write your goals down.

Second, start every day 10 minutes early making sure that you begin your day right.  Start with reviewing your goals for the day, listing your top things to get done, and checking off what you accomplished from the day before.  If you really want to get crazy you can also end each day the same way.  Nothing like sleeping on what you accomplished and what you are going to get done the next day!

Third, plan at least 10 minutes a day of inspiration and motivation by either listening to or reading the good stuff.  This third thing is key, because in the end this is the reserve you draw on when you get de-motivated.  In fact, the more you feel “down,” the more critical it is to put the good stuff in.

Bonus tip for you — make sure you put a completion date on your goals, and celebrate them when you achieve them.  Many times we write goals that are so far off we never feel like we are making progress, so break them down into steps and celebrate accomplishing the steps.  This way you can honestly say, “When I write down a goal and work on it every day, I achieve it.”

Final thought – when you set your priorities for the day, ask yourself “will accomplishing these help me accomplish my goals?”  Sometimes priorities really aren’t!

When You Change What Goes Into Your Mind

Her is a letter of encouragement and triumph from a reader just like you:
Dear Tom

Thanks for inviting me to share your Dad’s impact on my life.

In late 2002, my daughter asked me the question I knew was coming, “Why do you smoke?”

Being the honest person I thought I was, I gave no excuses and said, “I really don’t know.”

So, with this in mind, she kept at me to give up.

I was very scared. To be honest, I thought I was not capable and would not last the course. That’s when Zig came in. Previous to my daughter requesting me being smoke-free, I had purchased a Zig’s Goals cassette.
I remember the story of Tom Hartman and his determination to lose his weight. When he saw himself as someone who could lose the weight, I thought I could use that example. I started seeing myself as a non-smoker.

It took a lot of effort.  Again, Zig, nothing worthwhile is easy and takes a lot of goals. This started with being smoke-free for 10 minutes, going to 15 minutes, and then gradually an hour, then a day. I have now been smoke-free since March 3, 2003.

However, that is just a start. You see, what goes into your mind really does affect the outcome. Through the tapes, CDs and books, I now know Zig is here just to help us all. My daily prayer is that I continue to seek and use Zig’s wisdom, stories and humor. He has sought a much greater wisdom himself.

And here’s my advice; Zig has to be used all the time. When you feel up, listen to him and read him. When you feel down, listen to and read him. If you are down, you can be caught up in a lot of things that are not your concern and could have a negative influence on you. You don’t drive your car and on purpose run out of petrol (gas) and place yourself at the mercy of others to help you. This is a Zig quote; however, I’ve only remembered it in part, not verbatim. More self-talk needed!

And it’s the self-talk that does it. Remember to talk to yourself in good, clean and positive language that will help you beyond anything you possibly hope for. “You put the good stuff in, you DO get the good stuff out.” Keep faith in what you do and hope the future can be even better.

To you Tom, again, thank you for the chance to share.

Regards,
Paul
Glasgow, Scotland.

Here is a challenge for you.  Whatever goal or project you want to accomplish in the next 30 o 90 days, why don’t you add into the mix listening to Zig for 15 minutes a day while you are driving or doing something else?  That’s what Paul did.  The best part?  There are no downsides to this idea!