Most people like to spend the last weeks of December looking back at the year that was. Then, the same people spend January looking ahead at the year that will be.
I’m one of those people. Odds are, if you’re reading this, so are you.
During this time, have you ever looked back and wondered “What could I have done better?”
Did you stop working on an exercise program?
Did you procrastinate on starting that new business you always wanted?
Did you spend less time on the things you loved and more times on the things that don’t contribute much to your life (like, say TV or Facebook)?
Do you still have a lot of unpaid debts?
Did you leave any unfinished goals or unachieved dreams?
If you’ve ever started a year hopeful and ended it feeling like you could’ve done better, you’re not alone.
I know I could’ve done better. At everything. From making money to enjoying leisure time, and even updating FrugalPinoy. In fact, I feel like I’ve actually failed a lot in 2011. And I thought 2010 was terrible!
How does that happen? Why do we start out the year feeling optimistic about our high goals, but often end up falling short of our own expectations?
That’s because it’s easy to write down goals and resolutions. It’s also easy to plan and write down how we’ll accomplish these things step by step.
But, we tend to fail during execution. The actual doing.
So if we really want to make 2012 extraordinary, we have to be willing to do extraordinary things to get there. Because it’s clear that whatever we were trying before wasn’t working. It’s time to take ACTION.
And it’s not just about taking action, it’s about TAKING ACTION ON THE RIGHT THINGS.
To do that, we don’t necessarily have to work harder. But we have to work deeper. We need to start accepting our weaknesses and outsmart ourselves in a way that works around those weaknesses. Because trying to change yourself completely is hard. It’s like pushing a large boulder up a mountain. You are going against your own nature – and this means you are trying to beat forces that are more primal, more instinctive, and faster than your rational brain.
Ever tried keeping a budget for a few days only to give up midweek because it was too hard?
How about signing up for a gym membership only to visit the gym once every two months?
Ever started a healthier diet and slowly phased out of it just because you had to have “just one slice of cake” or “just one cheeseburger”?
If these scenarios seem familiar, you are not alone. Everyone, even those who seem so strong and determined, experienced their willpower faltering at one point or another. Because you can’t rely on willpower alone. There are a lot of strong psychological forces at work whenever you try to change something in your life.
So, to make any successful changes, to accomplish extraordinary goals this year, we need to think deeper about HOW we think and how we decide.
The next four weeks of FrugalPinoy will be exclusively devoted to that.
Here are the upcoming posts:
Lesson#1: Rewriting Your Inner Soundtrack
We all have an inner soundtrack, which can be constructive or destructive. It’s that little voice in your head that criticizes you and predicts failure, or reassures you that everything will be okay. How do you make sure that the voice stays constructive and keeps you going? In this lesson, we’ll evaluate the negative inner soundtrack that’s holding your back and challenge it head on.
Lesson#2: The Miracle Question
Instead of digging into the emotional or historical reasons why you’re not reaching your goals (you lacked role models, did not feel love as a young child, and other touchy feely stuff like that), there’s a more proactive approach you can take – and it’s just about asking ONE SINGLE QUESTION. This lesson will explore that question.
(Note: I promise you, it is not something cheesy or lame. It’s a concrete question to help you make small changes to achieve your goals this year.)
Lesson#3: Shape the Path
Since you can’t depend on your willpower alone to make drastic changes in your life, you need to start “shaping the path”. This means changing your environment and situation to make it easier to reach your goals and make it harder to give up. I’ll show you how to do that in this lesson.
Lesson#4: Rise Above Mediocrity
It doesn’t take much to be above average. According to a Nielsen survey last year, the average Filipino spends at least 13 hours per week watching TV. Now, imagine what would happen if one of those “average” people who watch TV 13 hours per week, reallocate 2 hours of that to any of the following:
- studying and practicing negotiation techniques,
- learning or reading about business concepts,
- doing online “raket” on the side,
- or maybe even learning a new language.
If the above materials sound good to you, stay tuned. You’re going to love what’s coming next. Sign up for the email newsletter below, if you haven’t yet, so you can receive the upcoming lessons in your email inbox:
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