Overcoming the Resistance to Change

It has been said that people will do more to avoid pain than to experience pleasure. I would like the reader to consider a slight adjustment to the above phrase and follow the word 'avoid' with the word 'anticipated'. We never really know if something is going to be hard or painful until we actually do it. The only thing that actually stops us doing something is our minds idea about something built from 'False Evidence Appearing Real' or simply fear. We fear or anticipate the pain of attempting something new simply because to do so means leaving our comfort zone. Our habitual condition makes us feel safe and because the outcome of any new action can't be predicted we tend to fear the worse rather than expect the best.

This is not just something that happens on a personal level either. Anything you attempt that might be new or just 'out of character' can quite easily be undone by other people - often the people closest to you. Machiavelli captured it best in his famous quote "There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all who profit by the new order. This lukewarmness arises partly from fear of their adversaries, who have law in their favor, and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not believe in anything new until they have had an actual experience of it." Can you see why your dreams should remain private? It is fairly obvious that your dreams might well impinge on the comfort zones of others and if they do you can certainly expect some resistance!

This is not something to get concerned about though. You have a responsibility to yourself to do the best for yourself. You can only make the world a better place by changing what you do to become a better person. If the path to achieving your dreams makes you a better person then it has to be the right way to go. We all have to be willing to leave our comfort zones to make the world a better place and if that means we are doing it to fulfill another persons dreams whilst pursuing our own, then so be it. In fact, the quickest way to make your dreams a reality is to help other people achieve their dreams.

If you are skeptical about this innate resistance to change we all seem to have, think of the real pain and heartache that comes from repeating the same mistakes again and again. We are all guilty of this on some level whether it be our health, our relationships or our financial situation. Why do we choose not to suffer a little discomfort now for the sake of a whole lot of pain later? Equally, why do we choose short term pleasure over our long term well being? Is it because we have allowed the mind to control our lives rather than us controlling it? Of course it is! Our anticipation of any event that we have never actually experienced is more often than not based on false evidence from the past. This makes us choose the easy option over the better option regardless of the long term consequences.

One of the most effective weapons in fighting our resistance to change is to change our attitude to events as they arise. Look for the hidden benefits in every event, even if on the surface it appears things are going wrong. Just flip the switch and start to expect the best from any action you take. When you do this on a consistent basis you will find it easier to leave the comfort zone and choose the best option; the option that moves you closer to your dreams.

Setting Goals the SMART Way.

Today on Key to Success I would like to touch on setting goals the SMART way.

When you set personal goals what criteria to you use to set them? Most people just set their goals without giving them a second thought but is this really the best way to go about things? When you use the SMART principle you get the most out of your goals...

S = Specific and Stretching

The more specific your target is the more focused you become. A clear picture of what you are after makes it easier to plan for. When you stretch yourself you are forced to learn and grow. Your future success depends on it.

M = Measurable and Motivating

Progress is measurable by having a good plan. As each step of the plan is executed it is great to see some measurable achievement. The overall goal should give you motivation. If not, you need to re-assess your goals or for that matter, your work.

A = Achievable and Agreed

When goals are thrust on you without you having a say it can be very demotivating. Goals should always be achievable. If you are delegating always get agreement before a goal is set.

R = Realistic

Unrealistic work loads or schedules can make things worse than they are. Procrastination often results when objectives appear impossible.

T = Time Constraints (has a deadline)

Open ended goals are no good for anyone. Always put a time limit on the goal but ensure the previous criteria are adhered to. Remember this, we tend to overestimate what we can achieve in the short term but underestimate what can be achieved in the long term.

It is really important to include goal setting in your life. Its not so much the goal but what you become on the journey to achieving them!

Pay Yourself First

Today on Key to Success I would like to talk about a little known secret of the wealthy. That is, to pay yourself first!

One of the golden rules of the wealthy is to 'pay yourself first'. Before you pay any of your other monthly expenses you give yourself 10% to invest. No, this money is not for buying a new car or your next holiday, it is for long term wealth accumulation. You invest this money in real assets (this does not include your mortgage) that return an income to you. The income returned should be higher than inflation to allow the magic of compounding to work. As your money grows, the income returned increases and your wealth builds.

The wealthy use the income from their assets to buy the things they want. The average person will buy things directly from their source income or borrow it from a money lender. Can you see how this works? The assets of the wealthy keep on increasing because 10% of their source income is always used to purchase new assets. They are then free to spend the income from their assets without suffering any impact on their material wealth. As their income increases they are able to purchase more of what they desire.

Here is a great quote from Jim Rohn that says it all....

"The philosophy of the poor versus the rich is this: The rich invest their money and spend what is left; the poor spend their money and invest what is left.

Give yourself a boost up the ladder of success and pay yourself first!

The Importance of Decisions

Today on Key to Success I would like to talk about how the decisions we make now will impact our future.

Every moment of every day we are making decisions. Whether we are aware of this or not the decisions we make now will set us on a new course for the future. Even deciding not to do something is a decision and will somehow leave it's mark in the future. So, why then are our decisions rarely questioned when they have such a lasting impact? It's because our natural tendency is to go with the flow and follow the same decisions we made in the past. What we are actually doing is choosing the easy option over the better option!

When we choose the easy option we stay in our comfort zone, whether it's good for us or not. But, do you realise this is why we don't escape our current circumstances? The only way to become successful is to make decisions that take you down the road of success. It's just that these decisions tend not to be the easy ones. They often require effort and discipline but I'm afraid there is no other route. If we are not willing to change what we do, then life will not change for us either.

We simply have to question every decision we make. Is it the easiest option or is it the best option? The more you choose the best option the more successful you will be.

How do you determine the best option? You have to know where you're going. When you have made clear targets for yourself you will know what the best option is. The easy option will lead you away from your target or will take the form of a distraction. The best option will take you to your target quicker.

Leverage

Today at Key to Success I would like to discuss leverage.

All successful people use some type of leverage during their daily activities. In fact, the ability to leverage your time, energy and money is key to success. Both energy and money can be leveraged by the choices we make. For example, money can be leveraged through the magic of compounding. In turn, we can leverage our energy by the lifestyle choices we make.

Time itself cannot be leveraged as we can't produce more of it. However, we can manage it better and borrow some off other people.

Are you using leverage in your life? Are you aware for example that profits are better than wages? Are you aware how your diet impacts your energy levels? Do you take time out every day to see if you are making effective use of your time, energy and money? Or, do you consider it a waste of time?

Don't make the mistake of the vast majority. Time spent on yourself is always worthwhile. The little effort you spend early on, will repay itself in the future over and over again. We can only make changes in our lives if we change what we are doing now. The more effective we make ourselves the more successful we will become.

Taking Action

Today on Key to Success I would like to talk about taking Action.

A while back I heard the statement "Affirmations without action is the beginning of delusion." The truth in this statement is simple yet profound. So much teaching today focuses on the spiritual part of manifestation and leaves out the necessity of taking action. Think about it, we wouldn't have been given personal power as humans if we were not meant to exercise it. You see, taking action is faith in motion. By taking action towards something you are showing faith in the outcome. When you do this, you set in motion a greater force that will bring you the things you need at the right time. There is an old expression that makes this very clear and it goes like this "Synchronicity is God's way of remaining anonymous."

Affirmations do have their place and are a great tool to motivate us but it is through taking action we see the results!

When we take action we must question whether or not it is the right action. Is it helping us reach our goals or moving us further away? If we eat that extra desert, is it going to help us lose that 30 pounds or not? It is easy to become distracted by something or someone else, so keep focused on your targets and always question your motives. The key to success here is to take the right action at the right time! Throughout the day do what you can, do the best you can and go that extra mile. Take sufficient rest but don't let the weeds grow under your feet. Repetitive action with continuous refinement leads to excellence.

When you do more than you are paid for, with a higher quality than expected, you build value in yourself and become more valueable to the market place. Understand this and you will have grasped a fundamental key to success.

Self Discipline

Procrastination is the habit of putting things off. Self discipline is the secret weapon we use to overcome it. If we were to take some time out each day to look at what our habitual behaviour is doing to us we would truly understand the need to introduce self discipline into our lives. Have you ever wondered what opportunities you have missed because of procrastination? Do you understand the consequences of your eating habits on your health? It is quite easy to see how some of our habits actually move us away from our desires when we make an honest assessment of our current lifestyle. It is unfortunate that the stronger a negative habit becomes the harder it is to give it up. It becomes addictive and we make up all sorts of reasons and justifications why we should continue doing it. Now let me ask you this. What if you were to replace one daily error or negative habit with one daily discipline on a week by week basis? Do you see how you could turn your life around? You see, the introduction of new disciplines has a sort of compounding effect. Not only does it become easier to introduce a new discipline but we are also able to introduce major changes that previously we would of thought not possible!

Imagine if you were to cut out that chocolate bar and replace it with some fruit each day, if you took a walk each lunch break rather than sit at your desk. The impact on your health would be noticable in just a few weeks. Your energy levels would improve and so would your confidence. Every new disipline would affect all other disciplines and before long we would have very little room for the negative habits that once controlled our lives. Self discipline is a major weapon on our road to success. Don't settle for a life of mediocrity use self discipline to become extraordinary.