What Should You Work on Changing?

Gary Keller calls it, “The One Thing”

Jim Collins says its’ a “Hedgehog Concept”

Chip Heath and Dan Heath talk about it in their book “Switch---How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.”

This week’s question is, “Do you know what you should work on changing?” 

Last week I posed the question, “Are you busy or productive?” I challenged you to simply set one hour aside over the weekend and consider the question. Even if you thought, “Hey, that’s a good idea!” (This, by the way, statistics say would be 1 or 2 of you.) My guess is none of you actually took the time to sit down and complete the exercise. 

It is interesting; in yet another book I read recently on a trip, I learned that 95% of us once we graduate from school simply do not change our thinking. We stop considering the who, the what, the why. We are simply too busy living.

Maybe you’re thinking: “Carolyn, I really was busy this past weekend, I’ll do it next weekend.”  Guess what? Next weekend will come around and you’ll still be busy. We live very fast paced lives and change is very, very difficult.

Here in the United States I believe life’s biggest struggle is our “stinkin thinkin”. If you want to change, you have to stop and change your thinking! 

Go with me here: we plan vacations, we plan our children’s weddings; we plan our wardrobe, we plan  going to the grocery store so we have food to eat; and we plan to pay our bills, so we have air conditioning in the summer. If we consider ourselves good parents or grandparents, we plan time with the kids. We plan everything. We simply do not plan life. We’re holding out for a big break!

Big breaks don’t last! Lottery winners lose the money!! There are more losers on “America’s Got Talent” than winners!!!

Life’s little changes last.  Oh, just one more statistic: little changes implemented 60 days in a row create  habits.  Habits stick.

Habits take work, time, and discipline. 

So I am going to challenge you again this week. Plan one (1) hour this weekend for an appointment with yourself and ask these two questions: 

1.       Am I busy or productive?

2.       What should I work on  changing?

Last week’s offer is still on the table.  If you’d to like get some help, thinking the questions through---I’m here.  Simply email me at chubbard@azgat.com

Good luck. The process is very simple; however this will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life.