THAT'S IT!… I'M CHANGING… I came across a great quote the other day from author and radio personality Dave Ramsey. He was talking about the "breaking point" when we get fed up and make a change. Dave said
"Not until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change will you embrace change".
This is a very powerful realization and like much wisdom is surprisingly fundamental. We put up with things in our lives for as long as we can stand it and then when we reach the "breaking point" we make a change. Example: If your car keeps breaking down and costs too much to fix, eventually you decide to buy a new car.
Here is your ACTION STEP… change is never easy but it becomes much easier when we have "had enough!". Some examples are: our clothes don't fit so we decide to lose weight, a relationship becomes unhappy so we terminate it, our income is insufficient so we work harder.
The question then becomes, How could you accelerate the process of change so your breaking point arrives earlier? Interesting concept isn't it? This would improve your life faster. Here's some ideas on how to speed things up:
1. Review your minimum standards… are you tolerating situations or conditions or individuals who do not "make the cut"? Should you "raise the bar"?
2. Consider the Big Picture. Is the way things are going today going to get you where you want to go?
3. Review your level of self confidence about making changes. If it is not strong enough, align yourself with a Mentor who can help you "build up your courage enough to escape your current universe".
4. Critical Point: Put a plan together with specific Action Steps that will move you forward. Perform these on a daily basis to help you introduce these all-important changes (baby steps work really well here). "Progress, not perfection".
5. Screw up your courage and get on with it! That's the difference between "breaking out" and just thinking about it.
Consider this metaphor… five birds are sitting on a telephone wire. Two birds decide to fly south. How many are left? Most people would say three. Actually, all five are left. You see, deciding to fly isn't the same as doing it. Don't just "decide to fly"… jump off the wire and start flapping your wings. Staying on the wire is not acceptable. NO Excuses