What You’re Really Missing To Succeed

The alarm clock reads 6:30 a.m. It’s a Sunday, but you decided you would get up earlier today to get some things done.

With a heavy sigh you heave yourself out of the bed and start your day.

Everything goes well for a while. You workout, eat healthy, and even get some work done before the rest of the world really wakes up.

However, once noon hits your discipline starts to fade.

The usual Sunday rut gets you and, before you know it, it’s 9 p.m.

You look at your plan for the day and regret starts to flow through you.

“Crap. Another missed day.” you think to yourself as you get ready for bed.

For those of us who are into Self-Improvement and those constantly trying to get better and push themselves, the story above may sound like an almost daily occurrence.

We want to do so much, are so motivated, and yet still fail when push comes to shove.

But why? Why is it so hard to execute?

When you read about this phenomenon you will hear various writers say it’s all about Motivation, about Scheduling the right way, about Discipline, Energy, about being accountable… and so on and so forth.

While none of these are bad to have, none alone can get you started.

But there is one thing, that, when you apply it, can get you to execute every single time.

The one thing you are lacking is Seriousness.

You wake up on time when you need to go to work, work your day and schedule around business meetings and important appointments, and even say “No” to friends and family when you have something going on you feel you must attend.

None of those are any more difficult to execute on than the commitments you make to yourself. You simply take them more seriously than the rest.

It’s that Seriousness that, when you bring it to your own commitments, will allow you to execute without fail each and every time.

Regardless of your motivation, of how well you scheduled, with no discipline, no energy and no accountability; if it matters to you you will still do it.

That is why you go to work on time and brush your teeth every day. To you, those are non-negotiable.

To bring this to your own commitments you must first accept the idea that, whatever you decided to commit to, is an absolute must.

Regardless of the reason, it is simply non-negotiable.

The less you think about it, the easier it will be to keep that idea alive that this truly is a non-negotiable thing, which means the best thing to do is to stop your thoughts immediately after acknowledging the commitment as a ‘must’.

You do not need a reason for why it is a must, and any attempt to find one will often lead to the realization that there are ways out of that commitment. Do not open that door.

There is a good reason for why you want to do this. Believe in yourself enough to trust your own judgement, even if, at the time, you do not understand it. You can execute regardless.

You have to do it. Period. Move on so when that time comes, your actions will work in a similar way.

If you are struggling with creating that level of Seriousness to your own commitments then think about similar things you do that you take more seriously and compare.

For example, if you wake up every day to go to work, then compare the thoughts, emotions, feelings and preparations you do for a workday to how you treat a non-workday.

If you can copy that attitude, 1-to-1, you will have a much easier time.

Remember that this is nothing new. We are not learning a new concept or developing a new skill.

All it is is applying something we are all already doing to another situation. That is what makes it so easy!