At the time of this writing there are less than 100 days left in the year. Shocking! They say time flies when you’re having fun, but let’s face it, time just flies. Period. And as we approach the end of something, like another year or a vacation or a deadline at work, the time seems to slip past us even faster. You blink and the day is over, then the week, the month. Before you know it, years can pass, a decade. When it comes to creating results in your life, time’s not going to slow down and wait for you to catch up. In fact, as that time is flying by, you’re creating results, whether you’re aware of it or not.
See, changes, and ultimately results, occur through consistent actions over time. Brush and floss twice a day and, most likely, you’re going to avoid expensive and painful dental work down the road. Do 50 pushups every morning and in six months you’re going to enjoy more upper body strength. And on the flip side, lay in bed all day watching Judge Judy and eating bon-bons, that’s going to create a particular result as well. Because when we talk about results, even inaction is an action.
Let’s say you’ve been eyeing a promotion at work. You know exactly what you need to do to get it, but there always seems to be a reason to put it off. You might even say there just isn’t enough time in the day. So in a sense you’re doing nothing, but that nothing is still going to create a result. Probably not the one you want. Or maybe you want to get into better shape so you sign up for a gym membership but then you never go to the gym. That’s going to create results. Not you getting into better shape, but results just the same. Because time is going to pass regardless of what you do or don’t do, and those actions and inactions (which are really actions) are going to accumulate into results. The question is, do you want to be in charge of creating those results or do you want to let the results happen to you?
The actions we take (or don’t take) are the byproduct of emotions we feel and the thoughts they drive. A feeling of unworthiness can drive thoughts like, I’m not good enough or I don’t deserve it. Those thoughts are going to justify not going for that promotion because, what’s the point? You don’t deserve it anyway, right? And the real kick in the pants is that missing out on the promotion then creates more feelings of unworthiness. It’s what we call getting stuck in an emotion loop.
If we trace our results backward, we can see that each result in our lives is the physical manifestation of an emotion. Think about that. Your romantic relationship is a byproduct of the emotions you've felt over time. The same goes for the state of your finances, the outcomes you've created in your career, the shape your body is in, the home you live in, how much shit has accumulated in your car or your closet. The state of each of those things, even the jumble of food wrappers in the passenger seat footwell, is the byproduct of emotions that were probably programmed into the nervous system when you were just a tot. And you’ve been carrying those patterns around with you ever since.
If you’re ready to drop those old patterns like a bad habit and start creating something new, there's no day like today to Get. To. Work! If you want new results, you've got to take new action. To take new action, you've got to think new thoughts. To think new thoughts, you've got to feel new feels. Period. There's no way around it, and there's no moment like now. Whether you know what you want to create in 5 years or you don't...5 years are still going to pass. It might seem a bit overwhelming at first glance. New feelings? New thoughts? New actions? How do I even get started?
Here’s how: Start today with ONE thing. Not all the things, just one thing that will make a difference. Pick the space in life where you want to see something new. Like that promotion, maybe. Right now the feeling around the promotion is unworthiness. Instead, name how you want to feel in that space. Empowered? Accomplished? Maybe Worthy for crying out loud? Now put yourself there and imagine feeling that way. What thoughts occur to you? What actions occur to you to take?
Or how about that gym membership? I mean, you took the steps to get the thing so we know you’re capable of taking action toward the results you want. But what happens when the idea of going to the gym comes up? What are the feelings there? Because it’s those feelings that are driving thoughts like, I just don’t have it in me today, and I’ll get after it tomorrow for sure. So we’ve got to change up that emotional pattern. How do you want to feel in the body? Strong? Vibrant? High energy? Put yourself there. What thoughts are present? What actions might you take?
Maybe diving headfirst into the whole gym experience was too big a bite to chew right now. Okay, not a problem. Instead, what can you easily do today? Right now? How about 10 pushups? Go ahead, I’ll wait… And there you go! 10 pushups, probably took you less than a minute. You’re not ready to enter the Mr. Universe contest, but you took an action that got you closer than you were yesterday. Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step. So do 10 more tomorrow, and 10 more the day after that. In a couple weeks, up it to 15. Maybe decide you’re going to hit the gym one day a week. Pretty soon, you’ll be up to two days, then maybe four or five. But it starts today. Now.
Are you picking up what I’m laying down? Great. Now get that shit done. Get out there and Carpe the results out of this particular Diem. Do it again tomorrow, and for the next month until it becomes a reflex...and then repeat. You can reinvent yourself in a year, one thing at a time. If you’re looking for a way to Carpe your Diem, you can start by clicking HERE and signing up for a Power Series Weekend. We’re all about making the absolute most out of every single day, and we have all the tools, techniques, and strategies for you to do the same in your life. So quit with the dilly-dallying, let’s tune up those thoughts and emotions, and let’s start taking the actions that are going to get you the results you’re looking for! I'm glad we had this little talk.