Pondering this question brings to mind several answers. It depends on what I want the end result to be. If I want money to make my car payment, I go to work at my second part time job. If I want money to keep the cash flow coming at our business I work on billing invoices. These answers seem obvious.
But what about projects of a more personal matter? I want to lose weight before my daughter's wedding in September. I want to build my coaching business into a full time job. I want to begin to balance my life in the areas of fitness, nutrition, spiritual growth and career. What's winning the battle here? Procrastination! I look at the calendar and think, "Oh, I've got time" It is a habit pattern that I have set. I tell myself, "Oh I work better with a deadline!" In college, I actually worked 24 hours straight, the day before it was due, to complete a project that I had two weeks to complete! I'm not telling you this because I am proud of this habit. It is just something I have noticed about my personal performance. I tend to put things off until the last critical hour. Sometimes that is too late!
So back to the question I posed earlier. I think it would be more truthful to ask the question why? Why do I want to lose weight? Why do I want to build my coaching business? Why do I want what I want? If I am honest with myself and answer this question I am sure I would begin to tackle my bigger goals. A wise person once said, "When your why is big enough, your hows will be answered."
I could go back to each challenge I mentioned above and write out a goal sheet and action steps to reach each goal. I might even begin each step with the mindset of 'I am gonna accomplish this if it kills me! I am going to stay on target!'. But after anything less than 21 days, (the amount of time it takes to change a habit) I will probably lose my motivation and quit. So instead I have chosen to answer the shorter question, why.
I took a piece of paper out and wrote out my answers to the questions above. I answered the tough question, why?. I found in this process, I became clear on what I wanted and the whys surprised me. I am not going to share my answers with you because they are really personal. I will share my conclusions. Everybody should give this a try. If you are brutally honest you will discover amazing things about yourself.
As a side note, I asked the question why more than once. For example: I want to lose 40 pounds before Sept 5, 2009. Why? That is the day that my daughter is getting married. Why? I know there will be lots of pictures taken that day. Why? I don't want to look fat in those pictures. Why? I don't like myself when I am heavy. Why? I don't feel confident when I am fat. Why? I think others will think I am fat and not like me. Why? I want other people's approval. Why? Because I get my sense of self esteem from how other people feel about me. OK that was heavy (pardon the pun) but at last I got down to the real reason I want to lose weight.
If the pain of being fat is enough, I will began the necessary steps to fix the problem that causes the pain. It is only through honesty that I will ever find the motivation to stay with a diet and weight loss plan.
So try it yourself. You can either write down your answers to the questions like I did or you can answer them out loud with another trusted partner. If you chose to do this soul searching out loud, the only feed back your partner should offer is the question, why. Typing it out on a computer doesn't have the same effect either. There is something about claiming your truth via the hand and pen and paper or out loud that removes blockages.
The truth will set you free!
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