Raise your hand if you have social media.
Raise your hand if you watch streaming shows on tv.
Raise your hand if you don’t feel focused on your goals because it’s covid, it’s hot out, it’s Friday, it’s too hard, it’s a holiday… blah blah blah.
You’re distracted. You’re procrastinating, and you are complaining. My hand is raised too!
We all do this in some form. We have a goal we want to make progress on, but the days keep turning. We have yet to make any real progress, and yet we wonder what happened to the fire we had on January 1? Why and how did I get so off track? It even starts to feel good to just glide through the days. You told yourself you’d just take this one day off, or the weekend off or you didn’t want to sacrifice your time to work too much. I hear those excuses, and I call BS.
Here’s the thing, if you want a better life, you better start using your nights and weekends to build the life you want instead of trying to escape the life you have. Yes, this does mean some sacrifice, but would you rather sacrifice 6 months of focused time and energy towards a life-changing goal or sacrifice a lifetime of unrealized potential? You have a goal on your heart for a reason and if you truly want a better life for yourself, your family, or your kids, then please quit bringing your excuses to the table. They are true. They are real. It really is hard to put the kid to bed and stay up an hour working on your business. It is difficult to get home at 10pm and get up at 3:30am to go to the gym. And? You can acknowledge that yes, it is hard and take the next step towards your goal. The problem isn’t really a sacrifice of your nights and weekends because what are you actually giving up? How much screen time are you using? Could you give up 3 hours a week to work on your fitness or professional goals? Could you pass on the new pair of shoes and put that $100 towards a credit card bill? It may feel hard in the moment but guess what, it’s supposed to be hard! If you didn’t feel the hard things, how would you measure progress and feel proud? How else do you build integrity if you do not keep the promises you make to yourself? I am not saying you should work 80 hours a week and forgo the time with your family to become a greed-driven tyrant. I am saying where are you wasting your time that can you actually focus on building the life you desire?
Secondly, you do not have to sacrifice your balance sheet. Spending your time and energy towards building a life of your goals will not make you a bad person, parent, or partner. You do not have to sacrifice your personal balance sheet for your professional balance sheet. No amount of success in your profession will make up for a failure at home so you must manage your balance sheet accordingly. Your goals should be built in an encompassing way that allows you progress towards the life of your dreams, while also knowing that it’s the days in which you are living, that ARE the dream. I assure you; you will not get a prize on the day you reach your goal. You might feel incredible for that day, you might celebrate, rejoice, and be proud. Do those things. But the sun will set and rise again, and you will have to find another goal.
In the past 18 months, we’ve faced more challenges than some generations face in a lifetime. If there ever was a time to fall prey to the excuses – now is clearly it. But I also would pose 2 final questions, isn’t now the proof that there is no time to waste? You should be running like your soul is on fire to the dreams and goals you want for your lives because if anything, we are not in control of tomorrow. Finally, why not?
