Recently while working on narrowing my business focus, I was challenged by Brendon Burchard to clarify my message.  As you may know, the knowledge I share is widely used in just about every area of your life.  Unfortunately, that approach is not conducive to driving business results. I’ve had to take my own advice and narrow my focus.  I, of course, had the same mental push back that I get from those that I advise. Narrowing your focus always seems to be counter-intuitive.  Counter-intuitive or not, it is essential to getting results.  I’ve been preaching “focus” for years.  Now, more than ever is that message essential to our well-being.  As we yearn for simplicity, we are immersed in stimulus.  We spend our energy reactively.  As things fly at us, we react accordingly. The irony is, we as society, continue to grow exponentially with information, we just behave more and more like the rest of the animal kingdom as stimulus-response mammals.  How can we then channel our energy and get maximum results?

First we must recognize there are only 4 major energies that we all possess.  These four energies are not something you need to acquire, they are already in you.  The trick or course is to recognize them, nurture them, and condition them to a higher level.  Sound weird or too esoteric for you? No need to over-think it.   It’s a reality whether this is the first time for you or not.  If you want to get out of a dastardly rut, this is the simplicity of making that happen.

So what are those for energies? We all have physical energy, mental energy, spiritual energy, and emotional energy.  The truth is, they are all tied to each other and that most people try to drive all of them with one or two of them.  Wouldn’t you agree though that having four wheels turning under your car is more productive in terms of control than just one or two?  Let’s look at each one quickly.

Physical energy: This is the one that most of us associate to energy; our ability to “do” things.  Because this is the more tangible energy, this one is either over-emphasized or under-utilized.  If you think you can push through any obstacle just through physical energy, you will burn-out.  The suggestion here is to take heed on what your body needs. Be sure to drink fluids, eat appropriately, get active. So many people use their “tiredness” as a reason for not being able to get out of their mundane existence.  Take a few minutes a day to walk.  If your life is so consumed by outside responsibilities that make that an impossibility, then get creative.  Try parking at the back of the parking lot on your way into get groceries.  Pick up your physical energy while sitting at your desk or driving.  Just becoming aware of it will make a difference in your life. Sit up with energy. Stand while on the phone. Pick up the pace in your kitchen (with safety of course).  Do this routinely.  Get conscious about your physical energy.  If possible, get a physical trainer and kick your health into high gear!

Mental energy: The bottom line on this one is the need to harness our thoughts.  How exactly do we do that?  We exercise our mental energy by introducing new information and creating new thought patterns.  How do we do that easily? Read material that expands your thinking.  That doesn’t mean reading the comics.  Nor does it necessarily mean reading the Oxford Dictionary either.  Read something of interest to you.  Read something that is on the outer edge of your knowledge.  Another way to expand your thinking is have conversations with people that don’t have the same perspective as you do.  It is a great way to exercise new mental “muscles” as well as work some of the ones you already have.  One other thing you can do is take a class.  And in today’s times, you can do that online too.

Spiritual Energy:  There is no question of whether or not there is a spiritual energy. The question is just like the other energies, how strong is your spiritual energy?  The clearest way to measure your spiritual energy is evident in your ability to be at peace regardless of circumstances.  A shorter way of saying it is, how much faith do you carry.  So how do you exercise faith? Biblically it comes from trials. That doesn’t mean of course that your life has to be riddled with trouble for you to show spiritual strength.  Many times spiritual strength is displayed in our ability to just flow with what is happening. That can be the hardest things at times. That is why if we want to grow spiritually, we must pray, spend time alone with God, read spiritual material, etc…  Sounds insignificant to some, but few people experience true peace that comes from the spiritual strength created in those activities.

Emotional Energy:  This is the energy that most people live in a rut with.  As a matter of fact, when someone asks you how are you? We will first respond with an emotion, THEN we will give them all the circumstances to back that up.  The bottom line is, the quality of your life is measured by where you live emotionally. Do you live with enthusiasm, curiosity, sincerity, benevolence, etc…?   Or are you letting yourself be defined by frustration, hurt, anger, envy, etc…?  Emotional fitness comes from the ability to choose your quality of life.  If this seems too hard to imagine for you, I can understand.  I too have experienced my share of “negative experiences”.  Does that mean we need to let those situations rob our joy for living? Do we then define ourselves as a puppet to circumstances?  I think not.  If you would like to make significant strides in this area of strength, first try writing down five emotions you would like to live in more often.  Then, choose one for the day in front of you and focus on how to show that emotion.  What would you have to focus on if you were to concentrate on “playfulness”? What kind of perspective would you need to carry? How about true love? Wouldn’t that kind of focus cause you to look at the world a bit different?  Exercise the whole brevity of your emotions.  We have more choices there than we allow.  Don’t just live in the handful of emotions you live in day to day.  Shake things up.

As you may have noticed, all four of these energies work with each other. Can you think of a few people that are energetic? Can you see how all four of these energies are being maximized?  If your craving is to be a leader in your world, then you know what needs to be done here.  If all you want to do is just step it up a notch in your life, this is where you start. 

Let me make one quick note also about rituals. People who routinely exercise, read, pray, and laugh/cry are people who have rituals. My challenge to you is to make a decision right now to start a small ritual in your daily life that includes all four of these energy builders.  Don’t wait for a detailed plan to fall in your lap, start now. When could you get a little physical exercise in? Can I listen to an audiobook while walking? Can I make short prayers throughout the day that include praise and not just requests? How can I show empathy (or any other emotion chosen of your list of five) today? The hardest step is starting. The second hardest is maintaining.  Do this for about 21 days and see if your life isn’t “buzzing” by then.  Prove me wrong that your life will not be more worth living.  I can assure you that people will notice and you will attract a whole new level of results in your life. 

Do us a quick favor and share with us some of the things you have decided to implement or do more of in the comments below.  If you are already doing some of these things, share them with the community below so that we can all learn from each other.  Synergy is a magnificent propeller of results.  Keep well and keep moving forward!

·         A sense of security knowing what to expect and letting familiarity set in

·         Ability to connect with more people since the objective is to be average – herd mentality

·         A feeling of uniqueness by taking on an identity – such as “I’m not like those people”

·         Mitigating pain by not getting into risk – statements of concern about people being affected by stepping out of the rut.

·         Using a rut as a reason to stall by stating issues of time or resources yet needed

Can you think of more reasons for people to stay in the rut? I’m sure you can. Feel free to share them down below.  However, if you do share, be sure to also share your suggestion in getting out of it and why that reason is damaging long term. 

We are talking about the rut of mediocrity here.  If you are in a spot in your life where you are neither compelled to grow or you have no reason to contribute on a higher level, you are in a rut. So then the question arises… how do we get out of a rut? So many times the rut is familiar and welcomed.  I suggest a few strategies.

The first thing that must be done is to get enough emotional leverage on yourself to realize this rut is not serving me or those around me.  Ask yourself some of these questions:

·         Who else is affected by my inactivity?

·         How does maintaining the status quo go against who I really am?

·         Does making progress reveal a larger challenge? (this is a conversation for you and your coach)

·         Is this place in my life where I thought I would be at this point?

We could add more questions but the idea is just to get you more aware of the pain attached to the rut. The next thing to do is ask questions that engender a compelling future.  Here are some examples:

·         What could I be doing right NOW to create PROGRESS toward my goals?

·         How would moving forward create pride for me and those around me?

·         How is this situation and how I’m handling it going to leave footprints for those behind me? (family, co-workers, classmates, etc…)

·         What resources do I already have around me (people, technology, knowledge, etc…) that I can use or support to propel my life forward?

Can you think of any other questions? My guess is we could come up with many. The objective here is to drive your focus toward your future and have you emotionally connected to it.

The last step is to take some kind of action. Now here’s the deal. If you are not “motivated” to do huge things now, learn the power of momentum.  Realize that most things are not built for rapid velocity, meaning we need to gradually be brought up to speed.  Don’t think you will run a marathon if you have not already been training for one. Don’t assume that you will be a millionaire tomorrow unless you have been positioning yourself along the way.  High level results involve momentum and that momentum begins with consistent decisions of action.

When it comes to creating momentum, I would suggest shaking things up in your routine first. That will create some new thinking for you. If you are not currently active, go for a walk daily. If you are active and want to pick it up a notch, go with a friend or change locations. Go a different route to work. Change your screen saver or ringtone. Pull out an outfit you haven’t worn in a while. Call an old friend or relative just for the heck of it.  Join a club. Take a class.  I’m guessing you get the point.  Shake up your life, it will pay great dividends in helping you break the pattern of “the rut”. 

All of these ideas will help.  Share with us your thoughts down below and I promise to respond to any questions.  Keep well and keep moving forward!

Spencer

For starters, make sure that you are secure in the driver’s seat of your life.  The absolute most fundamental piece to creating and maintaining results is acknowledging the decisions you made so far.  To make the new start we want, we MUST rip the victim paradigm out of our head. Top performers recognize their own personal contribution to the status quo.  The people that get results define their circumstances and don’t let the circumstances define them. If you want the upcoming year to be different, don’t let any one person, establishment, group, system, or circumstance be the decision maker for your destiny.
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Be sure to have enough reasons to follow through.  There is a lot to it other than just a conscious or logical reason for making it happen.  For most people there is a disconnect between knowing and doing. If the disconnect wasn’t there, we would all be healthy, wealthy, and wise.  For simplicity’s sake, that disconnect comes from a lack of emotional connections.  We don’t act on what we know, we act of what we feel.  There has to be a massive amount of pain connected to not making the change and just as much pleasure connected to making progress.  There must be a compelling set of reasons that will drive you past the obstacles and challenges that will show up for you. 
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Start now.  You will not have to wait for a magical date.  The power of now is your most valuable asset.  Make a list of activities you will be doing and start now.  Delaying your start only delays the actual learning curve.  Many people like to have all of their stuff together before doing anything. That is faulty thinking however, because the learning is in the doing. 
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Set up some consequence and celebration points. This is actually an extension of the previous paragraph about creating reasons. Get an accountability partner or coach. Also set up some kind of reward system(s) for making progress. 
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Be sure that you focus on your progress not just the desired achievement.  Success builds on itself. If you stay focused on just the achievement and don’t recognize the progress, it can be counter-productive.   This is especially true if your goal takes an extended period of time. 
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Because the subject of New Year’s resolutions can be so vast, it is difficult to hit all of it here.  One thing is for certain, you either want to change what you are doing or you want to change how you feel about something.  Take your life back and set your direction forward.  Please take a moment and share some of your thoughts in the comment section here.  Let me know which one of these tips you found most helpful.  Also, feel free to ask questions.  I promise to read every response and question.  Keep well and keep moving forward!

Spencer

As a side note, be on the look out soon for our upcoming book “Get a Grip – the little how-to guide on taking your life back and creating results in a world of constant choices”.