IF I had the money…
IF I only I had the time…
IF I only had help…
IF I could go back and do it over…
“{This is the greatest IF of them all}….IF I had the courage to see myself as I really am, I would find out what is wrong with me, and correct it. Then I might have a chance to profit by my mistakes and learn something from the experience of others, for I know that there is something wrong with me, or I would now be where I would have been if I spent more time analyzing my weaknesses, and less time building alibis to cover them.” {Excerpt from Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill}
Ouch! The truth hurts but the reality is that any effort to improve ourselves needs to begin with being honest about our weaknesses and finding ways to turn them into new strengths.
- Get a pen and paper.
- Create four vertical columns with the following headings - MY GOALS, MY OLD EXCUSES, MY TRUTH, MY NEW RESOLVE.
- In your MY GOALS column, list your goals (include the small ones too). Example: Get Healthy
- In the MY OLD EXCUSES column, list the “reasons” you have been using to explain why you have not achieved these goals. Example: I cannot afford a trainer
- In the MY TRUTH column, identify the weakness that is holding you back. Example: getting healthy requires a lot of discipline and I am not prepared change my eating habits or begin a rigorous exercise program.
- In your MY NEW RESOLVE column, list the action you will take to achieve the goal and the date by which you will complete the task, it does not have to be huge, it can be small, as long as you are moving in the right direction. Example: Always use the stairs or walk up the escalator, remove junk food from my daily snacks, go to bed 1 hour earlier etc…
This will take you some time to complete; as you go through this process, it is crucial that you are honest with yourself and use this chart as a tool to move forward not to dwell on the past. Let’s stop the cycle of giving more time and effort to explaining our failures rather than finding ways to succeed. Go! Do! Be!
If you like this post but do not want to start here, try {The Booster Shot}. I look forward to your comments and feedback, please keep them coming!
{Photo Credit: Paco CT}
