Of all the concepts that make up the Recipe for Weight Loss Success, the one that people have the most difficulty wrapping their minds around is the concept of effective action.
It Just Makes Sense
Obviously, it makes sense to think about what you WANT to achieve. Even though people rarely do this, the concept makes sense. Visualizing yourself as the New You, as someone who has achieved what you wanted to achieve, is another concept that makes sense.
Working toward your goals is obvious as well. Knowing what you WANT and discovering HOW you can get it makes a lot of sense. Also, planning your work and working your plan is a no-brainer even if people often skip this part.
Being grateful and happy for where you are in your journey, the successes that you achieve, and those that are on the way, can at times be difficult, but cultivating this type of attitude makes a lot of sense and will seem to only bring good into your life.
Identifying and eliminating cycles of doom, those triggers in your life that lead you down a path that, at best, is a major distraction, and at worst, can be destructive or painful, just makes sense.
However, when it comes to effective action, this is a concept that makes people scratch their heads. They don’t see the connection.
I Don’t Get It
I have defined Effective Action as doing what you have always done, better than you have ever done it. On a practical level, it really means getting your life, all aspects of your life, in order.
- Is your house in order?
- Are your finances in order?
- Are you effective and efficient in your job/business?
- Are you being the best spouse/parent/child/sibling you can be?
- Are you a good friend/neighbor?
With such a broad definition, it is understandable that this concept sparks many questions.
- Why? What is the point of effective action?
- Shouldn’t I just work towards my goal?
- Do I really have to clean my bathroom? Do better at my job?
- Do I have to be a perfect person before I can lose weight?
Well, there are very important reasons why you should clean your bathroom. #1 – It’s filthy. #2 – Because Success breeds Success.
When you take effective action in your life, when you get your day-to-day life in order, you are setting yourself up for even more success in the future.
The logical question is Why? Why does cleaning the bathroom, doing the dishes, answering an email, finishing that project, being a better co-worker, spouse, or friend, make you successful and how does it lead to more success in the future?
Effective Action in Action
Cycles of Doom are a bitch and it is difficult to know what triggers them. For me, becoming aware that being a Master Procrastinator was harming me wasn’t enough to stop the cycle. Knowing you are in a cycle is just the first step. What triggers the cycle? As you go about your day-to-day life, taking effective action, you will discover the triggers.
For me, I discovered that both big things, such as dealing with an idiot co-worker or experiencing a family emergency, and little things, like coming home to a messy house, were more than enough to kick off my Master Procrastinator Cycle of Doom. I would start feeling sorry for myself. Drown my sorrows with crap food and even crappier drinks. I would shift into “bare-minimum” mode at work and at home. It was all downhill from there. Eventually, I would snap out of it, but only temporarily. The cycle of doom had become normal.
Taking effective action does not require becoming the perfect person. You don’t have to have a spotless home or be a superstar on the job. However, you must realize that becoming thin, fit, and healthy requires much more than getting on a diet and exercise plan. You must discover your cycles of doom, find their triggers, and change accordingly. It is impossible to change an idiot co-worker or have the laundry get magically washed on its own, but you can change how you respond to these situations.
As you take effective action, you will find that your day-to-day life will become easier. You will become more efficient and effective at what you do. You will destroy the cycles of doom and be at ease. Ease is the symptom of effective action.
Taking effective action leads to ease in your life.
When you have ease in your life, you have an opportunity.
The Opportunity
Like many things, leisure can be both a blessing and a curse. Both procrastination and effective action lead to leisure. The difference is that one form of leisure results in anxiety and frustration while the other results in opportunity.
Taking effective action leads to ease. With ease comes leisure, but how you use your leisure is up to you. This is where you can take your weight loss success to the next level.
Use your leisure to think about what you WANT and WHY you want it. Use your leisure to study. Use your leisure to find your HOW and plan your future. Use your leisure to grow.
By taking control of your day-to-day life, you can grow into the person you want to become. You do this with effective action.
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-Nomo