I don’t want you to quit on yourself or your goals. In fact, I’m taking you on a journey to crush your goals, and in order to set yourself up for what you need to start, we need to talk about what you need to quit first. Evaluating the negative influences in your life is just as important as taking inventory of the positives that you need to add to it.
I dare you to quit letting others dictate your life
One: I dare you to quit procrastinating.
Yup, I said it! Procrastination is the killer of all goals. Putting it off until tomorrow, or until the timing is right, or until you feel ready, or until you have all the resources you need is just as good as saying you’re NEVER going to start. Don’t put off for tomorrow what you could do today.
In last week’s video I shared three ways to crush your goals in the New Year, and one of those ways is to pick two small actions you can do every day that will move you toward your goal.
If you commit to this, procrastination will be lessened. You’ll be prepared and can attack in small ways. As you consistently take these small action steps, the more you will want to do because you’ll see the impact they make in your life. Just because they are small steps doesn’t mean they don’t have a huge influence.
Another way to eliminate procrastination is to make a list of 1-3 things you WILL accomplish that day and choose to not allow yourself to do an activity you like until those items on the list are checked off. Maybe one of the reasons you procrastinate is that you feel tired when you get home from work, so you sit in front of the TV for a short break, only to find that a couple hours flew by and it’s now time for bed. Choose to reward yourself with a show only after your short list is checked off. Creating this habit will help you to get in the action mode and nip procrastination in the butt.
Two: I dare you to quit making excuses.
I’m sure you’ve heard this saying … Excuses are like armpits. We all have them, and they all stink! Yup, I said it, you stink … or your armpits do. Excuses stink more than armpits. Excuses make me cringe, and, to be honest, I use them plenty myself. I’m not exempt from making them. Excuses will continue to try seeping into our lives, but we have to figure out a way to overcome them when they do try to creep in and steal us away from our goals.
You all know the excuses I’m talking about!
“I’m too tired.”
“I don’t have enough time.”
“I lack the resources.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I don’t feel ready yet.”
“I can’t seem to get it all together.”
Can you see what all these excuses boil down to? Our feelings. They stem from how we are feeling at any given moment, and, ultimately, they stem from a place of fear. If you let your emotions dictate your actions, then you will be no further along come Dec. 31 than you are right now.
Your feelings cannot have a say in your game plan. You need to execute whether you feel like it or not. We go to work even when we don’t feel like it. We pack lunches for our kids even when we don’t feel like it. We do the laundry even when we don’t feel like it. We take care of our day-to-day responsibilities even when we don’t feel like it. Why shouldn’t we treat our goals the same way? Aren’t they important enough to us?
Three: I dare you to quit letting others dictate your life.
Who are you allowing to speak into your life, and are you letting them decide what you should and shouldn’t be doing?
Take an inventory of who those people are and what motivations they have in your life.
Are they lifting you up and encouraging you?
Are they supportive of your goals and the decisions you make to go after them?
Are they moving in a positive direction in their own lives?
Are they where you want to be in life?
If you answered, “Yes,” to these questions, then they are good influences and positive role models to have in your life. You can lean on them and draw wisdom from them. Keep them and cherish them! But, if on the other hand, you said, “No,” to any of these questions, you need to evaluate if it is worth them being a key player in your life.
Take an inventory of those people by asking yourself the following questions:
Are they dragging you down?
Do you feel worse off when you leave them than when you came?
Do they speak negatively or complain most of the time?
Do they try to steer you away from your goals?
If you answered, “Yes,” to any of these questions, it may be time to let those people go and steer away from them having an influence over you. Sometimes that’s a hard thing to do because it could be a close friend or family member that you don’t want to hurt, but they are hurting you by being Negative Nellies in your life. You don’t have to drop them completely, but you may need to spend less time with them, and you definitely cannot take advice from them. Choose your association wisely.
FINAL STRETCH
I dare you to quit! I dare you to quit procrastinating, making excuses, and letting others dictate your life. You’ll never truly go after your goals unless you are willing to quit these three stumbling blocks.
If you’re not a part of it already, this is the perfect place to start for support and encouragement as you work toward your New Year’s resolutions and goals: Check it out here. Are you ready for a more specified game plan and coaching? Head to my products page to learn more about different programs and coaching available.
Dream huge, and remember, you are a winner. Just run YOUR race!
I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and let me know, which of these three habits will you be quitting this year?
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