Stick-to-itive-ness
This week I had a great lesson in keeping commitments and following through even when I feel I have every excuse in the book to back out of those commitments.
This blog is going to be different. Rather than a well researched “article” on some health and wellness breakthrough, I’m going to share with you a few hours out of my day.
So grab a cup of green tea and get ready for story time with Dr. J:) I hope you enjoy.
Story time with Dr. J
It all started the night before. . . .
This year I’ve committed to researching, writing and presenting webinars.
Little did I know that most webinars require almost a full month to deliver.
I’ve been tracking my hours and (on average) it takes 25 to 40 hours a month to prepare.
It takes a lot of time, energy and focus to not only prepare, but it’s also critical that I deliver with enthusiasm.
So for a full hour I need to stay excited while I’m talking to a computer screen after a full day in the office:)
This week I delivered.
Monday night was a real energy drain, but for a good cause.
Monday night I was on my computer delivering my Webinar with as much passion and energy I could find.
All went well.
The next morning I was up early to get my girls to morning swim practice. I then went to the office for some prep time, ran off to a meeting with the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and then had a second meeting with a Corporate Trainer.
The challenge?
The challenge with this incredibly full morning is that I had a horrible night’s sleep. My energy from preparing and then delivering the webinar was completely drained.
My inside voice
I hate to admit what I was thinking as I dragged myself out of bed to get the girls to the pool but it wasn’t a winning attitude:)
Since I had made the commitment to these meetings I just put my head down and started showing up. Again, not wanting to admit to you, but I was full of “stinking thinking” and was expecting nothing — but just to “get through” these meetings.
Because I had committed I had a choice.
Interestingly enough, on the way to swimming I started a conversation with my daughters about their hard work and dedication and I reminded them that 90% of the athletes in our community were likely still in bed at this time.
I don’t know if anything registered with them but I can only hope.
I realized during that drive that I was committed so I might as well see if I could salvage the time I was spending. I was doing it anyway, I might as well make the most of it!
A pleasant surprise times two!
At my Chamber of Commerce meeting I met a guest that answered a critical question I had about some marketing we were doing in the office then less than an hour later my second win came at the meeting I had scheduled with the Corporate Trainer.
This meeting turned out to be one of the best meetings of 2016.
And that’s saying something, because if you know my schedule you know I’m fortunate to meet a lot of really interesting people each and every month.
This guy was incredible. If you’re looking for someone to build into your team and business then you need to check this guy out. Click here for a link to his website.
Thinking about my morning and what I learned.
So as I sit and type the summary of my morning I think, what if I canceled?
What if I bought into, “I’m tired, I did some amazing work with my webinar and and now I just need a break”?
If I let my “stinking thinking” rule me, I would have cancelled and missed these great opportunities.
I would have missed all the breakthrough the morning had to offer.
Thomas Edison once said “Many of life’s failures were people who did not realize how close they were to success before they gave up”
[ctt tweet=”Many of life’s failures were people who did not realize how close they were to success before they gave up — Thomas Edison” coverup=”73lri”]I don’t want to be one of those people.
Stick your priorities first, then commit.
My encouragement is first and foremost, make sure that your commitments are in line with where you want to go. Prioritize first.
If you’re having difficulty with over commitment, then pick up a copy of Essentialism by Greg McKeown. That book will help you determine how you can get your focus back.
Once you’ve determined what activities will help you reach your goals then make your committments stick by not missing them and you’ll be surprised at the results.
Share your stories
I’d love to hear your experiences with sticking with your committments even when you want to quit. Particularly when the results gave you some incredible rewards.
Leave a comment below.
Talk to you soon,
Dr. J
