As a metaphor, not as a 24/7 reality, treating your tasks like there’s a gun to your head is the best way to tell if you’re serious.
There is a big difference between I’m trying to lose weight vs. I’m going to lose weight no matter what.
If you can’t stick to a diet, or put in the cold calls you need for your business, it’s for one reason and one reason only, because you’re not serious. You’re not willing to absorb the pain today, to get the win tomorrow, and the next day and the next year.
For all those things you think you can’t do…
Think about if someone put a gun to your head and told you that you needed to lose 30 lbs. by the end of the year. You would eat 600 calories less than maintenance every day, I guarantee it.
The gun to your head is the ultimate clarification tool.
If you’re not serious, or you’re not ready to commit, that’s perfectly OK, just be honest with yourself.
And don’t put things you aren’t serious about in your task list.
If you follow my work you know I run my life management system through the Wunderlist task app. And everything that’s on my list for that day, I do.
I allow for a few exceptions (which I allow for in advance) when I’m travelling or on the 1st day of the year or quarter. And sometimes I will push one off tasks that crop up off into the future. But other than that everything is getting done.
My exercise and stretching is getting done.
My supplements are being taken.
My grooming is getting done.
My chores are getting done.
My content is being put out.
My business projects are being worked on.
In the same way you don’t skip brushing your teeth, you don’t skip getting your SH%$ done for that day.
If I’m not ready to go on a diet, I don’t put it in my task list.
If I’m not ready to cut my junk food intake down, I don’t put it in my task list.
If I’m not ready to take on another project, I don’t put it in my task list.
And if I am ready, If I’m really ready to commit, I take it seriously.
I don’t add things I’m not ready or don’t have time to commit to and I suggest you do the same…
Because you cheat yourself when you don’t follow through on what you said you were going to do.
And when you cheat yourself, you stop trusting yourself, in the same way you stop trusting a girl who cheats on you.
When you see 2 or 3 tasks that you don’t follow through on every day, and you let it slide, you stop believing in yourself.
And when you’re not accountable to yourself, everything else in your life will start to slide.
There is no neutral, gravity will bring a flat line down given enough time.
You’re either going up or you’re going down, but you can’t see it until it’s too late.
Make no mistake, cheating yourself is a slippery slope.
How you do one things is how you do everything else.
Now look, I’m not saying this to beat up on you.
I’ve failed myself a million times.
The difference is, now I understand the consequences of my actions, and you should too.
If you’re not serious about your goals, take them off your list.
It’s better to have 1 thing that you do every day, than 20 things you’re “trying” to do.
Don’t be afraid to be honest and take the things off your list that you’re not ready to do.
You can come back to them when you’re ready.
But everything you commit, to do…. you do, without excuses.
And if you slip up, stop everything, analyze what went wrong, and re-commit.
Do what you have to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
This is especially true if you’re an addict, because one thing leads to another.
It also means that you should be cautious about what you commit to.
Because your time is valuable.
But even more valuable is your discipline.
Because motivation won’t get you there, dedication will.
