Discomfort of Success

We’ve all seen it. We’ve all heard it. We have all actually DONE it! We say we want change or even success but we  keep repeating the same pattern. See if any of these sound familiar to you:

“Oh,  yeah. I have that diet book. You just can’t eat any of the good food.”

“I took that course. I just didn’t have time to follow through with all that studying.”

“Oh, I love that gym. I have a membership there. I just haven’t been in months.”

“Oh, yeah. I started those videos. I just got too busy to finish them.”

Change requires new habits. If we don’t start DOING something new, it is really foolish to expect things to change. Buying the book, watching the videos, checking out the class are all fun things to do but they won’t create change. Taking action on the things you buy, see, and check out will create change.

In my own experience, I was close to 300 pounds a few years ago. I had always known how to lose weight. I had always known how to get in better shape. The reality of it is that when I started going to the gym and eating cleaner, I lost some weight and got in better shape.

Ask anyone, including overweight people, how to lose weight and they can ALL tell you. But only those who put in the work and make the changes get to see the results.

When I wanted to start  making money from home and spending time with my family, I had to ADD TO MY ALREADY BUSY LIFE. I had 5 kids and a wife. I had bills to pay. I had things to do. None of that was going to stop so I could leisurely figure out how to start a home based business.

When I made the decision to learn how to make money from home, I spent a pretty good amount of time learning by reading articles, watching videos, attending classes and seminars, and then … I would get up in the morning to go work multiple part-time jobs. And when I got home from the last job of the day, I spent time PUTTING IN TO ACTION all that stuff I had been reading about, watching, and learning.

I recently had dinner with my oldest son (now 26 years old). He told me that he remembers what it was like to see the living room lights on when he was just a little boy. Even then he knew, “Dad is working like crazy so that he can be home with us and make life better for his family.”.

Here is my point: Whether you are thinking about starting a home based business, losing weight, getting in shape, learning a new language, or picking up a new skill, understand that you are going to need to start developing new habits. Feel free to start small.

Wanting to get in shape? Wake up a few minutes earlier and go for a walk in the morning. Instead of a donut for breakfast, grab a banana or apple. Drink more water.

Wanting to start a home based business? Check out the ads on this site and others. Get the information. Then CHOOSE a business and GO TO WORK. Yes… after you get back from that job, instead of sitting in front of the TV, learn some new skills and put those skills in to ACTION. Maybe you can wake up 30 minutes earlier or stay up 30 minutes later to get the new tasks done.

Will it be uncomfortable? At first, yes, it will be uncomfortable. You are used to things being the way they have been. Start by developing new habits. Start acting like you ARE the person you want to become. Begin doing what that person would do.

One of the things that helps me in both my fitness journey and my business journey is to imagine the person I want to be (healthy and professionally successful) and ask, “What would THAT person do with this time?”.

Today was a good example. I found myself staying in bed a little longer than I probably should have. I had almost convinced myself to skip the gym today. And then, I pictured the healthy man I wanted to be and knew HE would get his backside up and head to the gym. In this case, I imagined the impact of skipping a workout vs the impact of getting a workout in. I went to the gym.

I then applied that same logic to my business goals and asked myself, “Is what you are doing now getting you close to the goals you have set?”. Staying bed wasn’t going to get it done, so I got up.

It would have been much more comfortable to stay in bed. I had a late evening and have a big weekend planned. Justification would have been WAY easy. But I decided to take this same advice I am sharing with you, get a little uncomfortable and move closer to my goals by taking action.

My hope is that you are encouraged in some way to move past your own comfort zone toward whatever goals you have set for yourself.