WEEK 105: USE PER TO REFLECT

Insanity...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.     Albert Einstein

REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions): This week I want to write about the equal opportunity we are given on a daily basis? 

YET...most of use unwisely on the path to achieving success and your dreams.

What is it? 

It is the 24 hour period we have to create everyday.

There is no distinction of race, gender, or social class. 

It does matter if you have 1 billion dollars or a negative balance in your bank account.

EVERYONE has this same amount. 

Although, everyone is given this equal 24 hour period, I have learned through my LYP that how you use this it determines how much you possess of the greatest resource of all.

TIME.

Earlier I mentioned how most of use this 24 hours unwisely, and I for one do the same from time to time. 

Yes, that is correct. 

Even after starting my LYP, I still had and have my moments where I have squandered this time.

The only difference now is I track and then analyze what inputs take me away from my ultimate outcomes. 

Now I have talked about measuring and reporting on your INPUTS, or daily decisions and actions, when you are frustrated with your results or at a place where you feel you are stagnant. 

This week was one of those moments for me. Now before I tell you what I did, let me tell you a story.

Now imagine you are Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movie series and you are sitting with Yoda on the surface of a barren planet.

You are deep within a meditation session when he poses a deep phrase to ponder.

"You say you do not like pain, yet you will welcome it over and over again."

Now if you are not a Star Wars fan, then let me tell you Luke Skywalker was a pupil of Yoda, a master Jedi, and was constantly given phrases to help him reach a new level of clarity of his potential.

Hopefully you were able to decipher the message here, but we all know what stands in our way of achieving success, yet we still complete those actions which holds us back.

To put it another way, it is like me telling you the burner of a stove top is hot and not to touch it, yet you keep doing it over and over again.

This ties into what Albert Einstein's definition of insanity, which is,

"...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

You are probably shaking your head in agreement right now, but how often do we, me being included, fall into this trap of self sabotaging ourselves?

Now, what did I do this week. 

Since I have started my LYP I have been able to finish a manuscript, find my passion in being an entrepreneur, and have lost 10 kilos on the way. 

Now, this has happened because I have been able to cut out foods and activities which do not take me closer to being in the best shape of my life. 

One of those activities is the over consumption of food and beverage. Actually, this was one of the biggest reasons I started my LYP.

I could not ever moderate and it was slowly taking me down a path of destruction. 

This is what happened this week, I indulged in both food and beverage. What was the result? Losing a night's worth of sleep, being sick for one and a half days, which took me away from being a father, husband, and my LYP.

Now in the past I would have berate myself and this would actually would lead me to going deeper down the rabbit hole.

Where as, now I have a natural mechanism to gauge what has worked well, what can be improved, and what can be avoided on a weekly basis (PER). 

As I reflect back, I can easily see what can be improved and avoided.

The LYP has given me purpose and I now know which actions take me away from the outcomes I choose.

More importantly, it has given me the ability to say NO.

Thus, by measuring and tracking my performance, lack their of, and using the Pareto principle I can identify not to over indulge in food and beverage as it takes me away from my ultimate outcomes!

To wrap it up, there will be times when you are taken away from your path. Expect it, but use the LYP to help you get back on course so you can take steps to achieve success and your dreams. 

What Went Well?

WT completed, even though it was a tough week of battling sickness.

What is something we can improve? What actions can we take next week?

Over consumption of food and beverage. Plan ahead and incorporate strategies before I am in situations which will test me in this area.

What is something to avoid next week?

Over consumption of food or beverage. 

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PLANNING (Implementation Intention):  You will follow through 2X to 3X more likely to complete your weekly task than you normally would just by filling in the following statement.

I plan to complete the weekly task [day] at [time] in [location]. 

A reminder you might have to use multiple Implementation Intentions in order to follow through.

EXECUTION (strategies used):  From week to week, I use a combination of many strategies. There are always some which are used more than others depending on what comes up, but I wanted to offer a link to all them at once. 

My advice is to identify the I CAN'T statement you tell yourself during the most. Then find a strategy below the statement which resonates with you, and then start using it. 

Enjoy!