It’s the new year and maybe it’s time for a new you. Lose that pesky belly fat, make more money, find true love. We all have a “what’s missing” list in life, some are just longer than others.
In life, all things are created twice. First the mental creation, second the physical creation.
That thing that might be in your hand right now, someone thought of it first and then it was created. Look across the room – that chair in the corner? Same deal. Someone thought about it, then went about making it happen. All things are created twice.
If your intention this year is to refresh some of you, the place to start is in your mind. So let’s start with first things first: how you are thinking about the world and your place in it. To do that, let’s unpack three simple clichés.
Cliché #1
“A year from now you’ll wish you had.”
That’s a pretty powerful statement. It brings into context the notion that your life is an organism that’s moving forward against the backdrop of regret. You may not know this, but regret is a huge motivator. People will always do more to avoid pain than to seek pleasure. And yes, I’m talking to you about you.
You may not believe it, but there was a time when a parent could give a kid a swat on the but and not get 20 years for manslaughter. It’s true. Back in those days, everyone knew that sometimes a little “aversion therapy” was the best way to change behavior. As my dad used to say before breaking out the paddle, “This is going to hurt you a lot more than it will me”, and he was right. A giant welt on your ass really does help you remember next time.
What is one thing you will regret not having done a year from now?
Cliché #2
“What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”
This is another powerful idea that opens up your consciousness to another window of your consciousness: possibility. Possibility is the inverse of impossibility, and impossibility is your interpretation of risk.
It’s our interpretations of risk that often keep us from venturing into the unknown, and the unknown is the doorway to possibility. Sometimes we get that doorway only to have the monkey on our shoulder whisper to us… “It’ll never work.” “It cannot be done.” “You’ll die.”
Sometimes the Monkey does keep us safe, but for the most part the monkey sucks, and the monkey sucks because of the definition of crazy. You know how that cliché goes: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a new result. Crazy, right? The monkey tells you to stay stuck (or you’ll die) and that’s kind of crazy.
Let’s go back to the beginning: all things are created twice. First the mental creation, second the physical creation. If you know you couldn’t fail (and the monkey wasn’t trying to talk you out of it), what would you do that would lead you to a new result?
Cliché #3
“What is your bigger why?”
When we are stuck or quit it’s usually not because of our lack of ingenuity, cunning or moxy. It’s because we lack a “bigger why”. Your “bigger why” is something bigger than you. It could be your child, your lover, your church, even your dog, but your bigger why is something bigger than you that motivates you.
Think about all of those who have put a dent in the universe. Names like Ford, Gates, Jobs, and Roosevelt (I’m leaving off Carnegie because apparently I used the wrong Carnegie a couple of weeks ago and got a couple of swats on the butt from readers – who were right by the way), but you get it. Each of these people lived for something bigger than themselves. They didn’t just have a goal; they had a crusade.
The Fridge
“A year from now you’ll wish you had.”
“What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”
“What is your bigger why?”
These are worthy of a sticky on the fridge, or lipstick on the bathroom mirror. Maybe make them your screen saver, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you keep them in front of you. It takes 3 weeks to change a habit, so hopefully by the end of the month you’ll be on your way to skinny jeans, fresh love, and more money and power than you thought any level of greed and avarice could provide.
Good luck and have a good week.
Joe Still
2024.01.07
Cite
“If you flee from the things you fear, there’s no resolution.”
– Chuck Palahniuk