To achieve this you need to improve your habits. I’ll explain why.
Years ago I was caught in the ‘lottery win’ mindset.
I convinced myself that overnight success was the result of some windfall. A brush with good fortune.
This was the reason people had aquired their life situation.
What didn’t help was that the media, movies and tabloids would all cement this notion.
But as time passed and I started researching, reading, experimenting. And speaking to the most revered in my industry (people who had achieved great levels of success). I began to form a different hypothesis.
One that was at the other end of the spectrum to ‘overnight success’.
That it takes a lot of time for overnight success to occur. It is actually the culmination of months or years of work.
It’s the small efforts repeated daily that led to a better quality of life.
I’m talking about the small actions that we don’t even think about, because they are habitual. The decisions we make in autopilot mode.
But these are the decisions that shape our future.
So how do we address them? And improve the quality of our lives?
Well, there are some steps, 4 actually. Steps that you can climb up to make change inevitable.
1. The first step is the unconscious incompetence stage.
This is when we’re making bad decisions and we aren’t even aware we’re doing it.
We just know that things aren’t working out.
Here’s were something as being cognisant can help. Bringing tracking into the equation. For our sleep, our diet, our exercise and our stress.
‘that sounds like a lot of time‘. I hear you say.
‘Oh contrare mon frère’.
It’s no extra time! – you’re already doing this stuff so you just record at the time.
After this you’ll then enter into the next stage which is
3. The conscious incompetence.
You start to look at the actual decision and data. It makes it clear.
This is where you are aware that you’re not making optimal decions
You can see that you’re not adhering to the plan you have, if you even have a plan.
You can see where poor choices are actually hindering you.
This is the ‘wow I didn’t realise I was having that many calories’
or ‘I thought I was getting more sleep than that’.
‘Maybe I could cancel my gym membership because I’ve only been once this month’
and the classic – ‘this app can’t be working right’.
It is, and they are! Your ego is just having a hard time coming to terms with your choices.
Remember our thoughts are not the truth but rather stories that we get caught up in!
This is the cold hard truth slapping you across the face, the reality punch to the gut!
An uncomfortable period where you realise things are not as they seem. Or rather as you ‘believed’
Quickly moving on to the next stage 🙂
3. The conscious competence stage
This is where your decisions are improving. Due to some changes you’ve implemented (through self or professional guidance).
You’re making better decisions. But they’re not automatic yet. It still requires effort and discipline to make these decisions.
This is a nice stage as you can actually see change occurring with your actions. You feel good from making better decisions.
4. Then you arrive at the unconscious competence stage.
After enough time in the previous stage. These new benficial life changing decisions become automatic.
You’ve likely amended or introduced a routine which makes actions habitual. And in this ascension you’ve form a new identity.
You see yourself as the person who eats healthy, goes to the gym, gets 8 hours sleep. And is relaxed from practicing mindfulness exercises.
You’re energetic and ethused. You have more clarity and you’re making better decisions as this 2.0 version of you.
Which stage are you in?