Kritical Path

Dicipline: Making Decisions

Ξ January 12th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Dicipline |

Making a decision is a powerful process towards achieving something. By not making a firm decision you are just floating around the edges of any goal that you want to achieve. Too many people that want to lose weight approach it in an indecisive way. They may say things like:

I should try to lose weight,
I’ll try to cut down on bad food,
Maybe I should start exercising,
I could join a gym,
Perhaps I’ll try that new diet,
I’ll start in a few weeks,

None of the above are decisions, they are just fleeting thoughts or at best weak intentions, and frankly they will not get you anywhere. Making a firm decision can be very empowering because you are making a commitment. Try this for yourself:

Say to yourself ‘I suppose I should lose some weight’ and notice what happens in your mind. You may find that other thoughts attach themselves to what you have said. These thoughts may go along the lines of:

It’ll be too hard,
I don’t have the time right now,
I’ve always failed in the past,
I don’t think I have the willpower,
I can’t be bothered at the moment,

Once these thoughts have grouped together you will drop the idea of losing weight like a hot potato, although you may retain some guilt in the back of your mind for giving up so easily.

Now say to yourself ‘I AM going to lose weight’ and say it with some force and conviction. Now what do you notice in your mind? You may find that saying it that way makes the thought feel stronger. The negative thoughts that you had earlier seem weaker, they are probably still there but seem more distant. This happens because when you make a decision you are giving a direct order to your mind, and your mind has a firm instruction to follow instead of some vague thought or half hearted wish.

The next step is to write out 2 plans, plan A which is based on a decision that you will lose weight, and plan B which is based on a decision not to lose weight. You need to write out what each plan will offer you. Write out your own plans based on the example below.

Plan A

More Energy ,
Improved Health,
Higher Self Confidence,
Higher Self Esteem,
Feel and Look More Attractive,
Feel Happier about Yourself,

Plan B

Less Energy
Increasing Health Problems
Low Self Confidence
Low Self Esteem
Poorer Self Image
Feelings of Anxiety or Depression

Make your lists as long as possible and then imagine were you will be in 1, 3, and 5 year’s time with whichever plan that you decide to follow. Picture how you will look and feel in the future with whatever plan you choose.

Keep in mind that both plans are progressive, meaning that both plans will evolve and not stand still. Follow plan A and the benefits will increase. You’ll become more energetic, your health will continue to improve, your self confidence and self esteem will snowball. The fact is that the more you do of something, the better you will get at it and the easier it will become.

If you follow plan B you will not be in the same position that you are in now. Plan B will also evolve, your energy will continue to decrease, your health will get worse and you often find that one health problem leads to another and another. Your self confidence and self esteem will continue to drop.

At this point you have the choice as to which plan you will decide to follow. I’ve got no right to tell you which plan you should follow, that is your decision and nobody else’s. It’s all about what you really want for yourself. If you decide to go with plan B then there is not much more for you to do apart from stop reading. If you decide to go with plan A then you have already taken a major step towards losing weight just by making that decision.

Nothing ever gets done without some sort of decision first, the world is run on decisions, decisions lead to action, and it’s only by acting on something that we can achieve it.

Once you have made your decision, decide what actions you are going to take to reach your goal. Find out what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. Write out your plan and start following it; decide that you are committed to finishing what you have started. Don’t just sit and think about it, make your decision and be happy about it.

Technorati Tags: personal, development, decision making, dicipline

Credit: Paul Duncan

 

Lose the compensating

Ξ January 12th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Dicipline |

One of the most common excuses that I hear where people have failed to keep to a discipline they have set, is the use of compensating their behavior’s. Many people, when deciding to make life changes, will often do this at one point, for instance new year, This isn’t a problem, and for some people is very successful.

Take, for example someone who’s new year resolutions were to stop smoking, diet, and go to the gym every day, they almost certainly would achieve this on the first day, or maybe more. A few weeks down the line, and its snowing outside, or perhaps a stressful day at work, a habit starts to develop.

I haven’t smoked all month, so giving the gym a miss wouldn’t be that bad..

Compensating for one discipline, by excelling at another, which inevitably leads to

Ive been to the gym EVERY day for 2 weeks now, I deserve a cigarette

 I’m sure you can already see where this can lead to, and before long, every action and decision you make, is compensated by another decision. In fact, your whole decision making process, could be overtaken by compensation.

I suppose a lot of this behaviour could be driven by taking too many life changes on at once, and rather than suceed at just one, we fail at both. It may be that after a month we are not seeing any major benefits from either, and that a cigarette, and a night in as opposed to the cold snowy walk to the gym would make us feel a lot better.

We are motivated by what makes us feel good, immediately. Eating healthy, Exercising, and working hard all give a long term benefit, that will certainly make us feel better long term, but the over riding issue is that a Pizza, and a cigarette, whilst slobbed out on the sofa will make us feel better in the short term.

Changing our mindset and philosophy, to work towards delaying our gratification is becoming harder and harder in the modern world, and disciplines are becoming easier to break.

The key to sticking to a discipline is to ‘Program’ ourselves to carry out the task in question, for instance, going to the gym. Its just something that I must do, Every day.. As opposed to seeing this as a decision every day. The decision was made right at the beginning, when you decided to do what ever you did. To continue to do it is no longer a decision, its what you must do.

We are all capable of sticking to disciplines, just as we get out of bed every day, we wash every day (If not, you may need to start more basic!)

The best way to program ourselves to these disciplines, is to practise them, every day. Remove the emotion from the discipline, and treat this not as a decision every day, but an necessity, just as breathing and blinking is.

Technorati Tags: discipline, goals, gym, smoking, compensate, compensation, compensating