Let’s talk about some ways you can stop being part of the statistic that says 92% never see the resolutions to a successful completion by the end of the calendar end or to any end at all! You can do this without a big pronouncement, a ball dropping in Time Square and spending money on a program that you do not actually believe will work and does not have a “magic solution” which will “fix” whatever it is that you need to fix.
- Where in your “Personal Life” do you feel the most
“PAIN?” This is a very straight forward, simple question. I know you had something come immediately to the front of your mind or jump out of your mouth.
- What as far as you are concerned can you do to make this one 25% better? Remember, this is about what you can do, not another person, situation, or thing, it is about what you can do. The truth is, when we change ourselves, things around us begin to change. They change very slowly at first, but if we do not shout or point and say things like this: “…look at me!….or…..hey, I’m changing….” others will begin to take notice and their reaction to you will soften, and change. If this has been going on for a long period of time, the longer it will be, before you will see, or feel the softening take place. Remember, you didn’t get here overnight, behaviors take time to change and feelings take even longer to heal.
Let’s take a look at another area, your “Professional Life”.
- Where do you feel the greatest “PAIN” in your “Professional Life?” The pain we feel here is usually of our own making. We fail to see, do, or plan and this failure has consequences. Eventually our decisions to plan, execute, calendar, close the deal, followup, or any number of other things leads to the “PAIN” we experience in the workplace. If you receive a some type of a “review” from your employer, instead of dreading the process, really take the time to understand the areas that you need to improve in, and ask how to improve in those areas. If you do not know where to go to receive this improvement, ask. If you would benefit from having a “mentor” or “coach” who is in your organization, ask. If your company provides training, get trained in additional skills. Keep your own skill set up to date. What you learned in college or trade school is obsolete in almost all cases in today’s business environment! Perhaps the PAIN you feel is not in this area specifically, but in your interaction with people. You may need something we call “Emotional Intelligence” coaching, in the coaching profession. This too is relatively simple to solve with some coaching behind you.
- What level is the “PAIN” you feel in your “Professional Life” and in what area do you feel it the most?
- What can you do to eliminate that “PAIN” from your place of employment?
- When will you do that? Who will hold you accountable for this action?
I seem to be hearing a few grumbling tones through the internet. You think this is hard, some of you? While others say; this sounds just too simplistic to actually work? Really? Both are correct. They are hard only if you think they are and you put them off; but is it worth it to keep living and working with the same PAIN, day in and day out? Yes, these suggestions are simple, but they are also tried, and tested, and they work because they are not complicated. We try to make things complicated and I do not understand why we do that. Perhaps we think it makes us look wiser in some way, but it doesn’t. If a plan, or solution is more complicated WHO actually reads every word? No One! And that is exactly why things like that do not work.
We do not try the simple because we do not want to keep repeating the plan of action until the desired result is reached and that is the simple answer. We want quick and done! This is simply not a realistic expectation. It never has been and never will be.Think of it like this: Have you ever really touched an open flame or a red hot electric stove top and received a 3rd degree burn? Yes! Then you know, that the time you had to shut down what you were preparing, the trip to the emergency room, the time you had to give to the wound, the healing, the inconvenience of dressing, bathing, and all the other daily activities that you simply had to either not do or try do figure out another way to do way very frustrating, BUT…….you had no other choice in the matter! In order to get the healing complete and your life back, you had to STOP and take care of the 3rd degree burn.
Now, let’s look at another example which is very similar, BUT you do not change your habits. In your possession you have an ATM card, and most likely several bank cards and several credit cards, all of which you use liberally and without checking on the amount you are charging, withdrawing, or what your credit limit is or what you owe on any one of them or all of them each time you use any one of them. Am I right? I know I am, very few have everything tied together so they can see it all at a glance. Many Americans have the mentality of the “head in the sand”, and when one card limit is reached, they simply, use the next one, not realizing that with each limit they have just received a 3rd degree burn! When all their cards are maxed out; all ten fingers and all ten toes have received 3rd degree burns and yet, we do not go to the emergency room, we do not get help, we do not put the card through the shredder,
we keep our head in the sand and just hope for a “Magic Solution” to drop with the ball on 12:00:00, 1.1……..