Friday 7 December 2012

Stop Coasting!

Stop coasting!
 If you follow my blog, you'll know that I'm sharing some thoughts at the moment on breaking habits - habits that can really hold you back. Habit #2 is Stop Coasting ....

Be honest with yourself - could you achieve more if you were more organsied and had a bit more self-discipline? .... probably! Trouble is most people admit this but don't know how to address it.

So, if you're a 'coaster', my suggestion is that you take stock - you only live once.

This should help -

Approach the next 12 months differently. Really think about how you’re going to make the most of the time. There’s one sure fact – if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Like money, you don’t get time back when it’s spent.

Sit down over the next couple of days and think about what you want to achieve next year. Set yourself some clear personal objectives. Combine work and personal life. Challenge yourself to write down things you've been meaning to do for a while. WRITE them down, don't ruminate over them. Once you’ve done that, work out a plan. This should be a personal plan for you, not for others. That’s not selfish, that’s clever. Your plan should set out the things you actually need to do to achieve your objectives.

Of course, other people might be involved, but it's your plan, not theirs. Approach your plan incrementally and don't try to achieve too much at once. Challenge yourself but be realistic with your deadlines. Work out what you need to do month by month, then week by week and even day by day to succeed.
You’ll need self-discipline and you’ll need to bottle your gremlin for this. Your gremlin is out to get you – he’s no good. He wants the worst for you. He loves ill-discipline and laziness. He'll do his best to hold you back, just like he used to. (I have my gremlin but I'm glad to say he's looking very bruised).

Try this and, day by day, you’ll find a better balance to your life. You’ll feel more positive, more confident and more satisfied.

Give it your best shot.

Achieve more ....
Mike