Often times when we fail, we blame it on ourselves. We wonder why we're so pathetic, so weak, so incapable of getting things done. And over time we start to think that maybe we're destined to fail for the rest of our lives.
If you can relate to this in any way β then pay close attention. What you currently have is a belief that it's YOUR FAULT for failing. And what's dangerous about this belief is that it often sends us into depressive downward spirals β where we feel like something is wrong with us deep down inside β like maybe we're broken β maybe we're destined to be a loser for the rest of our lives β all of which cause us to turn to our bad habits more, as a way to cope, which causes us to fail even more.
If you want to break out of this loop and start seeing progress in your life β then you MUST replace this current belief that you have with a more constructive one. One that will empower you and help you succeed, even when you mess up. And that's what I want to do today.
I want to show you what this belief should be. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Now over the years, I've worked with hundreds of people, one on one β and over time I started to see a common trend. People that fail constantly β tend to act in the same predictable manner.
They almost always fail, then they mope around in self pity for a couple of days, and then they try again - hoping that something is magically different this time around. They hope that maybe, just maybe β the motivation that they get from watching a 10 minute YouTube video filled with scenes from various boxing movies - layered over epic music β allows them to stay true to their word this time around. When they fail yet again, it's to no surprise.
Because of one simple thing. They didn't think about their strategy. You see it's usually not a question of whether or not you are mentally strong enough.
It's usually a question of whether or not your strategy is effective enough. It's a question of how you do things. A question of who, what, where, when, and why.
What does this mean? Well β a couple of years back - I struggled with losing weight. I would tell myself that this time was different.
That I would quit eating junk food and start eating healthy. But after a couple of days the urges would start reappearing. I would start hearing voices from the kitchen - βeat me.
EAT ME. EAT ME. β And no matter how hard I resisted.
I would always eventually succumb to my urges and end up snacking. My strategy back then, was to rely on pure willpower to resist my temptations. I eventually discovered that a far more effective strategy was to remove all the snacks from my house.
So that they weren't even option I could consider late at night. I also decided to eat delicious meals that were high in protein and fat so that I felt satisfied after eating dinner and so I could stay full longer. The moment I started adjusting my strategy, was the moment I started seeing lasting results.
You must apply this same sort of thinking to all of the areas in your life where you're currently struggling. Yes β willpower and motivation do play a role. But your strategy is equally if not more important β when it comes to long term success.
If you're someone who can't seem to focus on studying when you're at home, then play around with different locations, the length of time of which you study, the time of day you study, who you study with, and even what you study if that's even an option. Try out multiple things, so you can figure out which strategies seem to produce the best results. Once that happens stop looking around for something new.
And just stick to what seems to be working. An additional tip to help you think about strategies is to ask yourself the following question. How can I increase my chances of success without having to rely on more willpower.
What can I do differently this time, in regards to who, what, where, when, how, and why in order to tip the odds in my favor? ___________________________________________________________________________________ And remember it's not a question of why you're not mentally strong enough. It's a question of whether or not your strategy is good enough.
Now it is important to note that mental strength and willpower do play a role to some degree. In fact there are some strategies that focus on increasing your base line level of energy such as getting better sleep and fixing your diet. That's something for you to experiment with as well.
___________________________________________________________________________________ This episode was brought to you with the help of the guys at Skillshare. If you're like me and you always struggled in school because you simply weren't interested in any of those topics that you were forced to study. Then here's a strategy that would probably work better for you.
Go learn a skill online that you're actually interested in, become exceptionally good at it, and make a living that way. And Skillshare is the perfect place for this. They are an online learning community with thousands of classes β with topics ranging from things like copywriting to animation.
Skillshare is giving away a free trial of their Premium Membership to the first 1000 people who click on the link in the description box below after that it's only around 10$ a month. Which is incredibly affordable compared to what you would have to pay to learn these skills in β an in person class. This week.
I've decided to take a class on non-fiction writing β Creative Nonfiction β Write Truth In Style By Susan Orlean - because I want to improve my ability to create content for the channel. If you're interested in creating value online to grow a following β I would suggest this course as well. And besides that guys stay tuned.
