Getting Into Results and Out of Stagnation

When we want something bad enough, this may motivate us to make a decision. But it takes more than a decision to actually get up and take action. It takes an conscience choice to get moving.

At the beginning of the year, many make the decision to loose weight or change jobs or find a mate etc. However, often times our decisions or resolutions are so vague to begin with that before long we quickly loose our momentum to act.

In addition we may forget that once we've made a decision we must become specific. Unfortunately, being specific is scary. So we may resort to what may seem less scary such as purchasing an exercise machine or perhaps even a gym membership without having a clear plan as to how we will incorporate these things into our daily routine. Essentially we simply hope for the best with the thought that that our sincere decision of resolution to change would be enough.

I recently read an article which stated that often our decisions to change keep us in a state of simply focusing on wanting what we want really bad without taking the life-altering actions required to make it happen. The crucial thing to remember when seeking real change in our life is that our decisions however passionately and sincerely made, are always on a mental plain and are doomed to remain right there.

In order for “Making up our minds” to be of true value to us we must also make the often difficult choice to walk the path of the actual actions that will bring about desired changes into our physical world. What happens also is that we end up being in a constant preparation state.

So how do we begin to get out of this “preparatory state” and enjoy results instead of stagnation?

1. Once you make up your mind (a decision) about something, you must immediately make the choice to take serious action towards change. Don't be content with simple making the decision.

For eg. a)Talk to supportive friends and families about your intentions which may bring to you resources you may need. This will also help to make you accountable to yourself via the feedback and reminders you are likely to receive from people who care about you b)Do a quick Google search to see what others are doing in the search of similar results. Good places to begin are forums, blogs, meetups etc.

2. Identify the obstacles, people,self-imposed perceived limitations, and circumstances which may be preventing you from taking action now. Begin addressing them through self-improvement avenues. Here are some resources that can help. If you are choosing books, choose the ones which are the most compact and a quick read. Some egs are “The Way to Love” by Anthony De Mello and “The Four Agreements” (pocket sized hardcover) by Don Miguel Ruiz,

3. Take even the smallest action even if your feelings about yourself, your life or circumstances are not perfect right now.

4. Put an automatic appointment or reminder of your goals in your cell phone calendar and make it recurring monthly around the same date each month. Again this is to increase your accountability. Sometimes you need to hound your own self in order to get yourself to move and to keep on moving and to be reminded of the change which you want to make.

These represent a few real action steps that can really help begin to take you out of just wanting what you want.

In the next posting we will discuss further steps towards getting into results and out of stagnation to help you honor your decisions.



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