Sometimes the gap between where you are and where you want to be is large. It is comprised of several things: energy, knowledge, and perspective. But you have the most important ingredient – desire.
So how do you begin to bridge this gap? Sleep, learn, reflect and then take action! Let me unpack this.
Energy is absolutely the fuel for successfully getting things done. Whether you are disciplined or not in the area of taking care of your body, and thus your mind, let this act as an exhortation or encouragement. Sleep well, eat well, and exercise. Energy does not come from a bottle or a pill, it comes from a balanced and healthy life.
Learn. Every successful period in my life has come from the expanded capacity that has come from learning. It doesn’t have to be general; in fact, I recommend that it be learning specific to a hurdle you are trying to overcome. Maybe the hurdle is energy… so hire a trainer. Maybe it is how to use social media for your business… take a course or hire a coach. One way to break through a specific barrier is to learn through it.
Reflect. It is amazing how many people disregard this greatly quoted wisdom. This is one of the things that has reaped the largest harvest in my life. When I spend time reflecting on a subject and let other reading or learning inform my thoughts, it is amazing. It is somewhat equivalent to the concept I learned from the book “E-Myth” by Gerber, a great read on some of the issues facing entrepreneurs. We must take time to work on our businesses, not just in them.
Take Action. My personality is such that small incremental wins are very powerful for my motivation. For instance, figuring out how to do something today in Excel that will help a task tomorrow is a win. Finishing this blog post and posting it is a win. Buying a book I know I need to read and reading 8 pages is a win. These little things compound toward the goals refined through the third step, reflection.
The simplicity of this post is not to suggest that any of these steps is necessarily simple. My goal in passing on this advice is to identify these key areas that will help you move forward.