Start With Why

As any of you who have been around small children know, kids are curious.  Their favorite question is “why?” Whatever answer you provide inevitably leads to another question.

They beg for you to “tell me more” regardless of how ready, willing, and able you are to dig deep into the subject of their inquiry.

Over time their questions may wear you down and you may tend to treat all questions as irritants rather than clues that unlock the great mysteries in life.

Questions like, “How much?” ,”By when?”, “Where in the world?”, and “What the heck?” often hint at answers that may be just as tiresome as the questions.

As a naturally curious type and a firm believer that the right questions asked at the right time can change your life, I invite you to not give up on questions.  (In my last post, I asked you a whole bunch of them!)

Just keep it simple and start with why.

If you are making New Year’s Resolutions this year, why do you want your life to be different?

I’m sure you have a compelling answer.  I’m also sure it’s not the first one you will come up with.

If you stay as persistent as a child and let one answer lead to another question, then you might discover why it really matters.

And then you are on to something.

The reason most resolutions fail is not because you don’t have the discipline, willpower, wisdom, strategy, or support to achieve them.  The real reason resolutions fail is because you don’t have a clear and compelling reason to work through the challenges that will present themselves as part of your journey.

What you’re resolving to do is difficult.  It’s the reason you haven’t achieved or been able to sustain your success before.  So what’s different this time?

If nothing has changed and you’re not willing to do anything different, then don’t waste your time making the resolution. It just leaves you feeling bad about yourself.

But if you are willing to do something different, whether that be to hire a coach, take a class, or join a support group, then write your goal down and take at least ten minutes to imagine what it would feel like to achieve it.

Then grab a pen and paper and write this down at the top of the page:  THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT & I WILL DEFINITELY SUCCEED BECAUSE.  And then list at least 10 reasons it is  different and why you will most definitely succeed.

I recently did this and came up with 25 reasons I will be able to create a thriving business doing what I love, with people in love, in places I love.  And let me tell you, it was one of the most empowering things I’ve done.

I got the idea from Mike Dooley’s book, Playing the Matrix, where he talks about creating results based on how you want to feel instead of focusing on what he calls the “cursed hows” and attaching to the results of getting what you think you want.

If you are resolving to be a better version of yourself in 2018, give yourself a boost by writing down the reasons you will succeed.  This is something you can look back on any time you are tempted to give up.

Here are a few of the things on my THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT & I WILL DEFINITELY SUCCEED BECAUSE list. I  hope this helps you jump start your list:

#1 – I’ve prepared for it and have a strategy.  I’ve invested an incredible amount of time, money, and resources to make this happen.  I’ve taken lots of baby steps, tested the market, and had consistent, small successes and epic failures.

#2 – It has become my #1 priority.  I have given up many things so I can spend time building my business.  I invest any extra time I have and money I make back into my training so I can work with great coaches, be a part of a supportive community, and continue mastering new technologies. I follow my fascination and never stop learning.

#3 – I get by with a little help from my friends.  I have been actively building my community for several years. I now have an amazing tribe of peers, mentors, and clients who do great work and are willing to collaborate, support, participate, and play along.

#4 – I’m not attached to the specifics of how it needs to happen. I step into the flow of my life and focus on feeling good, staying healthy, being creative, trying new things, doing things that make me feel alive and energized. Of course, I’d love for this to yield certain results, but I’m not so focused on those results that I limit myself or miss even better opportunities. I celebrate the smallest successes as I keep the big picture in mind.

#5 – I show up.  Every single day I take one small step in the direction of my dream.  I stopped hiding. I shed my invisibility cloak so I can do the things that scare me (like make a lot of videos), and keep putting myself out there in fun and creative ways.

#6 – I live in a loving and abundant universe.  I am connected to source energy.  The only lack is a lack of imagination. My life supports me, my tribe has my back, and the universe conspires on my behalf. I’m grateful to get to do this work.

#7 – I own my throne.  I stand in my power and attract fabulous clients, co-creators, friends, mentors, opportunities. I’m done apologizing.  I want what I want.  This is who I am. These are my gifts. This is what I charge. This is how I work.  This is the time I have available.

#8 – There is enough for everyone.  My success inspires others. My fearlessness, my failures, and my willingness to take action encourage others. We’re all in this together.

#9 – I fire on all cylinders – or all 7 chakras, as I prefer to say.  I am grounded in my body as well as open to spiritual assistance and worldly wisdom.  I love to think and create and spend  my time with heady stuff.  That makes it tempting to ignore my body. I’ve learned to embody and bring my ideas into my body and get grounded. When I eat healthy foods, get outside in the sunshine and play with the dogs, and get some body work when I need it, everything goes much smoother.

#10 – I honor  my lineage.  I stand on the shoulders of giants.  I value the teachers, mentors, coaches, shamans, spiritual teachers, and students I’ve had the good fortune to work with. I honor them by continuing their work in my unique way and value all of us by charging enough that I can support my business and continue to share the message.

Here’s to you being wildly successful in 2018.

I’d love to see your list and learn about your dreams for the New Year.  Please leave your comments below.