We are into the second week of the second half of 2018. How are things going at halftime? The beginning of the year and any goals or New Year’s resolutions set may be nothing more than a grainy image in the rear-view mirror. The plans to lose weight, read regularly, worry less, and turn off screens occasionally may have derailed. You feel like you are stuck in a ditch rather than driving down the road of good intentions.
The FIFA World Cup has been exciting to watch. At halftime of game broadcasts, experts discuss each side’s performance in the first half and what must be done in the second half to come out on top. We, too, need to perform a halftime analysis on our performance. Unless we are dominating in every area of life, the midpoint of the year is an ideal opportunity to refocus and reset.
This week’s One to Grow On quote is a timely halftime message. Entrepreneur and personal branding expert Chris Ducker knows us too well. Ducker suggests if we want to find the key to making things better simply look in the mirror.
Confront the Brutal Facts
Wait a minute, my shortcomings so far this year are not my fault. My main competitor launched a killer new product, my boss does not appreciate my value, or my significant is more interested in Instagram than me. I’m not getting what I want, but I am a victim of circumstance. Sound about right?
Instead of looking externally to assign blame for performance failures, we must confront the brutal facts, a concept made popular by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great. To confront the brutal facts means we make an honest assessment of our current situation—the good, the bad, and the ugly. If there is a gap between our reality and a desired state, chances are the cause for the gap is contained in the brutal facts. Some examples:
Desired state: Write an article for my blog two times a week
Actual state: Failure to consistently set aside writing time means no articles some weeks
Desired state: Lose one pound per week
Actual state: Inconsistent monitoring of food intake means no net change
If I want things to get better with blog productivity and weight loss, I need to get better at exercising the discipline needed to overcome my current reality. My failures in these areas are not attributable to anything or anyone other than me. I resumed the path to those outcomes only after I confronted the reality that I was the problem. If you are unable or unwilling to confront the brutal facts, you can stop reading now. Nothing is going to change.
Don’t Wait for Motivation
If you’re still reading, I will take that as a sign you were willing to confront the brutal facts of your reality. You have set the stage for change by pinpointing the source of the problem. Now how do you go about effecting change? Do not wait for motivation to kick in, or you will be in the same place January 1 when you think about what you will change in 2019.
Conventional wisdom is motivation spurs action. I will write articles for the blog when the inspiration hits me. The discipline to make better food choices will come to me when my pants become a bit too snug. In these cases, I am waiting for motivation to prompt action. One small problem: If the motivation does not come,neither does the action.
Instead of waiting for motivation to come into your life, understand that action fuels motivation. We can help motivation find us by taking action. The satisfaction from completing small steps and seeing progress energizes us to do more. For example, if I waited to have sufficient motivation to write a book, I would never get around to it. Thankfully, I did not wait and have written four books.
As I looked back through notes on my latest book writing project, I observed that the chapters were written in 27 sessions over a 10-month period. Research for the book occurred in another 25-30 sessions. In total, I estimate spending 100 hours researching and writing this relatively short book.
The thought of spending 100 hours on such a project would be daunting, but what got me through it was momentum created by the progress made from researching and writing a single chapter. Completing one chapter excited me about moving on to the next topic. In short, make it easier for motivation to find you by taking action.
Second Half is Underway
Do things need to change in the second half of 2018? Do you accept that if you want things to get better, you need to get better? It can be painful to confront the brutal facts and acknowledge our role in our current situation. That said, we should be happy that: a) we have the ability to recognize our part in where we find ourselves, and b) we have the ability to do something about it.
I need to change in order for things to change in my life. I am ready—bring on the second half.
