Recently someone said to me: “Your tips and lessons on your blogs, podcasts and videos seem so simple and are just common sense.” Well, I thanked them for the compliment of course and asked: “Why do I feel there is a but coming?” There was. They replied: “I am trying to put them into action, but I am not getting the results that you talk and write about.” My reply, as I have had this question, in one form or another asked, was: “It doesn’t surprise me at all.” All I got was a confused, befuddled and questioning stare.
To begin, as long as all you are doing is, ‘trying’ then there is no commitment to the process. If you are not committed to the process, then there is no discipline in action to see the process through and, therefore, you do not trust the process or yourself. Committed is defined as: ‘feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity, or job; wholeheartedly dedicated.’ If you are only trying, then how committed are you really to the process?
Another critical word in the above paragraph is, discipline, which is defined as: ‘a rule or system of rules governing conduct or activity.’ In other words, if you do not have the discipline to follow the system 100% and are only ‘trying’ to do it then how could you possibly get the results that you want? It can start very easily by eliminating one word from your mind, as well from your vocabulary; ‘try’ in all of its forms.
Your commitment and discipline come from how much you ‘trust’ the process. ‘Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength or truth of someone or something.’ is how trust is defined. What is evident from the people I have this conversation with is that a lot of the ‘trust’ issues are in the trusting of themselves. They are leery of the process because it is outside of their comfort zone and completely alien to what they have done in the past. Of course, it is. After all, Albert Einstein said it best when he stated: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Therefore, staying in your comfort zone and doing what you’re doing is insane if you want a different result.
Lets put it all together, notice ‘not try’, but rather ‘put it all together.’ If you were ever coached by someone, be it sports or a discipline like music, drama etc., your coach or teacher at one point or other asked you to do something a little different. You as the student/player trusted that they knew what they were talking about. You were committed to getting better and therefore, you further developed the discipline to put the suggestions into action.
We commit to all sorts of things all the time; lose weight, go to the gym, get the report in early, spend more time with your family, etc., but if we are not disciplined to see the commitment through we will likely not accomplish what we committed to do. It could be trust; this diet does not look good, I don’t have the proper workout, the report can wait till tomorrow, etc. In other words, you start to question the trust in yourself or the process. If you trust the process and are disciplined enough to take action on your commitments, then, it is easy and common sense.
“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” ~ Zig Ziglar.
in otherwords keep putting the effort in & the results will arrive. the challenge is when the effort continues & the results aren’t there. ok i will keep with the effort & be committed to it.