Life on Your Terms: Why We Are Afraid to Pursue It
We are almost halfway through the year, so let me ask you a critical question. How are your New Year’s Resolutions going?
Are you still working out each day? Still eating healthy? What about investing in yourself by reading, getting enough sleep, etc.?
There is a high probability that you stopped executing those resolutions by the end of January. (Now hopefully you have added these things to your non-negotiable list you created last month and you are prioritizing your self-care.) How do I know those resolutions didn’t stick?
Let me wager a little guess . . . it’s not because the resolutions are too hard, it’s not because you don’t really want the end result, it’s because you have told yourself things like, “I’m just happier when I eat chocolate than when I eat carrots.” Or “I am more successful when I skip my workout and get to work early.”
Am I right?
After we tell ourselves these things, we don’t feel bad for breaking our resolutions. As a matter of fact, we actually feel justified in NOT sticking to them. And we might even go one step further by telling ourselves that we were crazy in setting those resolutions in the first place.
Have you ever done that?
You see, we tell ourselves stories to convince ourselves that our decisions are the right decisions. Yes, maybe creating a resolution was the right decision at the time but upon investigation, we have come to an “even better decision.” You see, we don’t see ourselves as liars, that’s not our identity, so we must come up with reasons as to WHY we aren’t following through with our commitments. To ensure we live up to the integrity we expect of ourselves, we tell ourselves a story about why the resolution was bad (i.e. carrots) and the decision to eat chocolate is good.
That said, let’s apply this newfound knowledge of personal storytelling, shall we?
What’s the biggest mistruth we all tell ourselves when it comes to living life on our terms?
We all want the dream life, we all want to live a life of freedom and happiness, but we don’t go after it. Why?
Is it because we tell ourselves a story that sounds something like this: “If I could be confident that the changes I make would not put my career/business at risk, then I would make the changes. But because I can’t be certain, I can’t make the change.”
In other words, we want a life of freedom but we want it without the risk of losing our careers, our businesses, our financial livelihoods, right?
Now look, that’s a very reasonable perspective. We all need food, clothing, water, and shelter and our careers provide that not only to us but to our families.
But what if you could change that story? What if that story is really the carrot and the truth is chocolate?
Ready for the truth?
You can learn the one rule to keep your career safe and by doing so, have the knowledge, the certainty, and the security you need in order to live life on your terms.
You are an achiever, but you haven’t mastered the one rule of achievement that in turn gives you that certainty.
What is the rule?
In order to create security in your career/business, you must deliver VALUE.
Listen to next week’s episode where I teach you more about value and why this is the one rule that empowers you to create and live life on your terms.
Be Legendary!