Sunday, October 9, 2011

LTM - 11. Our Lives Reflect Our Decisions


11. Our Lives Reflect Our Decisions
One of the most noteworthy and accurate statements of human
achievement ever articulated was a statement made by Jim Rohn.
Success comes from making a series of good decisions
over time, while failure comes from making a series of
bad decisions over time.
After more than ten years of thinking about this statement and watching it
play out in the lives of people I know, I am convinced that our lives are
indeed a mirror image of our decisions.
Every day we make hundreds of little decisions which I call ―Either–Or‖
decisions. Most of these types of decisions may seem inconsequential at
the time, but every decisionno matter how smallleads us closer to or
further away from our goals.
EitherOr Decisions
 Do you get up early enough to properly prepare for the day, OR
do you sleep in and then rush out the door?
 Do you exercise as you had planned, OR do you blow it off
because you don’t feel like it?
 Do you make food choices to improve your health, OR do you eat
whatever you want?
 Do you pick up the coffee mug sitting on the table, OR do you
leave it for someone else to clean up?
 Do you control interruptions to improve productivity, OR do you
allow people and things to divert your attention from your
responsibilities?
 Do you demonstrate respect by letting people finish their
thoughts, OR do you interrupt?
 Do you have a positive attitude even when things don’t go your
way, OR do you moan and groan?
 Do you genuinely apologize when you are wrong, OR do you
water down the apology by making excuses?
 Do you smile and say, ―Good morning,‖ to your co-workers, OR
do you pass quickly to your desk?
 Do you compliment someone for a job well done, OR do you
think they don’t need it because they are just doing their job?
 Do you think about what you want to say before speaking, OR do
you let the first thing that pops into your head pop out of your
mouth?
These little decisions and hundreds of others matter. Your life today is the
result of the quality of the choices and decisions you’ve made up to this
very moment. Our decisions determine our physical and mental wellbeing.
Our finances are what they are because of our decisions. Where we
work and what we earn are the outcomes of our decisions. The strength of
our relationships with friends, siblings, parents, and spouse is directly
related to the decisions we have made.
Bottom line: everything we have or don’t have and who we are as human
beings have been determined by our decisions.
Even though you may choose to avoid accepting responsibility for where
you find yourself today, the truth is that you are where you are based on
your decisions; there’s no one else to blame. You’ve been in the driver’s
seat. If you want to change your course, it’s time to take control and learn
to make different choices and better decisions.
Good Places to Start the Big Change
 Accept responsibility for your decisions and stop blaming others
for where you find yourself today.
 Become aware of the decisions you are making every day and
start making decisions consistent with the person you want to
become.
 Believe in yourself and your ability to make good decisions.
 Start small. Do the LITTLE THINGS right. Make good EitherOr
choices.
LTM Challenge
All positive change begins with awareness. If you find your ship in rough
seas, turn off your autopilot. Start being aware of all the little decisions
you are making. Remember, the outcome of your life will be largely
determined by the moment-to-moment decisions you make each day.
Don’t allow yourself to think something doesn’t matter. Everything
matters.
The hundreds of little decisions you make each day
will influence every part of your life.







LTM - 10. Stretch Your Comfort Zone

10. Stretch Your Comfort Zone
People are hardwired to search for comfort; therefore, much of daily life
is centered on familiar patterns and habits. While operating in your
comfort zone feels good, you are not going to advance your life forward
unless you have the courage to push yourself outside your comfort zone.
Think about it. Your comfort zone is where everything feels familiar,
safe, and secure, where you know what to expect, and where you are
content with the status quo. How can you reach greater heights personally
and professionally if you aren’t stretching yourself and growing on a
regular basis?
Best-selling author Brian Tracy said, ―Move out of your comfort zone.
You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable
when you try something new.”
Denis Waitley, another best-selling author and consultant, has trained
numerous U.S. Olympic athletes. He said, “To achieve your dreams you
must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable
with the unfamiliar and the unknown.”
It’s time to get uncomfortable. Let’s begin by doing some self-evaluating.
Do you avoid doing things you know you should do because they make
you feel anxious and awkward, nervous or fearful? What are they?
Contemplate how your life could change if you ventured into the
―discomfort zone.‖ Would you feel better about yourself? Would you
become more respected by your peers and colleagues? Would you have
more self-confidence?
Your first step on the road to greater achievement focuses on the LITTLE
THINGS you know you should do but don’t feel at ease doing. If you push
yourself to do the LITTLE THINGS that thrust you outside your comfort
zone, your confidence will begin to grow.
As you build your self-confidence in doing the LITTLE THINGS, you
slowly build your confidence to do the bigger things. It works this way
for all of us. We start, one step at a time, building our confidence by
successfully completing smaller tasks first.
An experience my son Jake had is a perfect illustration. Jake’s first job
was a bagger at a local grocery store. Jake is an introvert. He is especially
shy around strangers. One day I challenged him to start being friendly to
the customers whose groceries he bagged. The first day he talked to two
customers, the next day five, the next day ten, and by the sixth day he
talked to 50 people. Each day Jake told me about his results and I could
sense his confidence was growing. One day a head cashier told him he
was very good with peoplea compliment Jake thought he would never
hear anyone say.
Like Jake, when you first step outside your comfort zone you’ll likely
feel nervous and perhaps even fearful. But unless you are doing
something dangerous or risky, nothing bad is going to happen to you. To
the contrary, that knot in your stomach is your signal that growth and
opportunity lay ahead.
So feel the fear and do it anyway. Dale Carnegie said,
Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it . . .
that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered
to conquer fear.
LTM Challenge
Identify one of the LITTLE THINGS in this book where your growth has
been limited because you have remained in your comfort zone. Start in
just one area and as you build confidence in the first one, select a few
more LITTLE THINGS where you can break down your barriers and
improve. Then fire yourself up and do it without further hesitation!
The periods in life when you experience
the greatest growth and advancement are when you
do what you have never done,
go where you have never gone,
push yourself harder than ever before,
and do what’s uncomfortable.