It’s a Monday, it’s dark, miserable….
Been there, done that and know it’s coming again.
The alarm sounds and you’re in that nice warm bed, enjoying the comfort and not looking forwards to the trip outside that front door.
YOU have a choice:
- Press the ‘SNOOZE’ button and have another few ZZZZzzzzzzs
- Seize the day and get right into the FIGHT
There’s a lot more of us that go for option 1 over option 2 for sure.
Only YOU Choose
Now the thing about choice is that it’s down to you – YOU! It’s only you that makes choices – no-one else!
The circumstances around you can stack up anyway they like, but it’s in your head that the decision gets played out. Whether it’s a decision about answering the alarm clock, heading out into the cold Monday morning, making that cold-call to get a new client or how to react to the client in front of you that isn’t seeing things quite your way. It’s ALL YOU – You are master of you!!
Tough Love huh! Sorry about that, but get over it.
ACTION versus REACTION
The choice of how you react to things is always in your hands, it’s just not always easy to do the ‘right’ thing when you’re in the moment.
I’ve already told you that the decision is yours, and yours alone – right.
Well now let me explain how you can make that decision always count in your favour, regardless of how the scene is set.
There is a ‘golden gap’ that gives you the opportunity to think through the choices and your decision on which to choose. It’s the gap between ‘ACTION’ (the thing that’s happened to force a choice) and the ‘REACTION’ (which of those choices you go for).
You don’t have to ‘knee-jerk’ your decision on which of those choices you go for.
LIVE IN THE GAP
It was a revelation to me that this gap between my reactions to actions existed, I had to make a lot of wrong choices before I caught on.believe me
I now ‘LIVE in the GAP’ whenever I can. It’s not easy but I try and spot each and every opportunity to get into that gap and use it for my benefit.
When something happens that forces me to make a choice, I stop myself and just take a moment to consider and play back in my own mind what is before me.
- The Choices – those that I am presented with by the scene
- The Causes – what has made this situation happen
- The Factors – what’s limiting my options and therefore what decision I can make
Now this doesn’t need to take a long time – I’ve even raced through this process within 60 secs when I’ve had to – “the GAP” can be minutes, days or weeks. Either way knowing it exists is the important part.
And then – I make my decision!!
Yep – in my head with the choices I have (and the new ones I may come up with in the GAP) and I then take action.
TAKING ACTION
Heading back to the alarm clock on Monday morning…
Knowing about ‘the GAP’ and ‘your ability to make a choice your own’ and DECIDE is not necessarily going to give you that bed of roses. You see, armed with this you can still take that decision to ‘PRESS SNOOZE’.
No, the last piece of the puzzle is for you to ALWAYS want to and strive to TAKE ACTION.
You see, whatever it is that you’re aiming for whether it’s a new job, a new personal best, a new idea or invention or nailing that great new client…
…YOU NEED TO TAKE POSITIVE ACTION TOWARDS IT EACH AND EVERY DAY.
So the puzzle piece missing is to face the choices before you and DECIDE to go with the choice that makes you TAKE ACTION and move closer to your goal and success.
THAT’S IT – JUST DO IT!
P.S. Sometimes it’s just not that easy to see the choices that will move you towards your goal because it’s just too big and you can’t figure out how to get there! Well small-steps lead to HUGE things, check out this piece on motivation to keep you going.
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Richard
