A friend of mine said recently, “I hate exercise. I know it’s the right thing to do. But I hate it none the less”. He has opted for jogging as his discipline to drop some, 30 or so, unwanted pounds.
He continued, “The only thing I like about jogging is having jogged. When I’m done that’s the best part. I feel better about myself”.
We continued our conversation which turned to a discussion about discipline. Self discipline. I suggested it takes a lot of discipline to follow through with things that are difficult to do, things that we avoid doing, but know are good for us.
“No, for me,” he replied, “I just have to have enough discipline for the day, or really for the hour. That’s it. I don’t think about all the work outs and exercise I am going to do over the next several months. I only think about what I am going to do today”.
Great advice. You only need discipline or courage or focus or commitment for the moment. Take one moment at a time to get the things done you need to do to achieve your goals.
Here are some strategic action steps you could take to get moving.
Establish some specific goals and objectives you would like to accomplish. Ex. Get lead generation systems and process developed and documented, develop and produce the company communication systems, develop a team building program.
Determine how much time each day or week you are going to work strategically on your business. I recommend an hour per day for business owners to start.
Schedule your time on the calendar. No exceptions. This meeting with yourself must take place.
Apply the Level 7 Principle of Gotta Do It. This means you simply commit to following through no matter what.
Establish boundaries. Turn off cell phones, e-mail and ask your staff to not interrupt you during this time.
Set up accountability with someone else if you need it. It might be as simply a reporting to another person when you finish your work, or have them check your progress from time to time.
Monitor your progress objectively. Plan on a specific time, perhaps after 4 weeks to evaluate your progress in achieving objectives.
Readjust your strategy and approach as needed to ensure that you are hitting your objectives.
As simple as this approach sounds, it is a plan that works and will produce results when it comes to building a business that serves your life.