How often do we know what we need to do to live better, but we don’t do it? One of my favorite quotes from Sean Smith is, “Knowledge without implementation is ignorance.” We have a habit of filling our heads with a lot of information and not doing much with it. We walk around headstrong, but have weak action muscles because we continually want to know more before we act.
We allow our excuses to drive the car. We hold on to them while also wanting different results in our lives. We’re reluctant to give up our comfort and convenience for our greater good. It’s an interesting dynamic, because we know that what we really want is on the other side of that thing that we’re avoiding, yet because we’re cuffed to comfort, if we try at all, we look for shortcuts instead of following the recipe that will set us on the path to reaching our goals.
Here’s the truth: you can’t be upset about the results you didn’t get from the work you didn’t do. You must do the work – whatever that looks like for you. The process is the process. And if you’re struggling during the process, ask yourself, “How can I show up differently in this moment?”
If you’re committed to following the recipe to reach your goal, you need to be in the process right. That means having the right mindset and the right motivation. Do you want to be the person who lets excuses take you down a rabbit hole of regrets? Or do you want to be the person who walks into a fulfilling life?
If you want to be the person who walks into a fulfilling life, I invite you to take a moment and think about what that person looks like. What does that fulfilled person have? What is he or she doing? How does he or she feel? Who is he or she being? Really visualize that fulfilled version of yourself.
Now, when you’re ready, I want you to bring yourself back to the present moment. Thinking about that vision of your fulfilled self, ask yourself, what is holding me back right now from being that person? Then thinking about what’s holding you back, ask yourself, what would courage do?
You have to stop demanding to know the unknown and be courageous. Be the person who follows the recipe. If you follow the right recipe, the results will take care of themselves.
Don’t wait to feel confident before you act. Have the courage to act, especially when you don’t feel confident.
Embrace the process, because again, the process is the process. And if you’re not willing to do what the recipe requires, that’s okay – but stop pretending that you want what the recipe produces if you’re not willing to do the work.
However, if you decide to embrace the process, I can promise you this, the more you embody what you want your life to look like, the more committed you will be to taking courageous action again and again, and that consistency over time will change your life.
I leave you with this question: Who would you be without your excuses?