Are You Willing To Do The Work to Make Real Change?

I did my first talk to a few hundred people this week (well, the first one since all the big changes).

It focused on where I was a few years ago, where I am now, and how I made the transition.

Summary: It didn't happen overnight, it definitely wasn't a walk in the park and it still takes daily work, but the results make it worth it. You can do it too.

1. Self-Awareness

I couldn't make a change until I understood why I felt how I felt and what was going on with me. Being data-driven, I did a personal scorecard (of sorts) so I could see what was working and wasn't. The results were an eye-opener.

So began the deepdive on getting to know me properly - values, beliefs, habits, my personality style, goals, how past events were impacting me, and the list goes on. I had to take a step back from a lifetime of learned behaviours to figure out what was actually serving me and what wasn't. I also had to be really clear on what my own goals were. Not what work wanted, or what friends and family wanted from me or for me, but what I really wanted. I couldn't do this on my own though, so there were multiple coaches along the way, plus lots of assessments (some of which I took with a huge pinch of salt).

2. Prioritisation

With quite a few areas needing work, I had to prioritise where to target first. At this point, I knew what the goal was in each area, but I didn't have the overall plan. I actually had no idea how I'd get there because the goal seemed very VERY far away. All I could do was decide what needed immediate action.

3. Mindset

Success relied on the mindset and the belief that this was possible. With the need for instant gratification, it takes work. It's really easy to talk ourselves out of things when it feels like too much. The challenge was to talk myself INTO small things every day.

4. Planning and Execution

Despite not knowing how the overall plan would play out to get me to where I wanted to be, I could (at least) come up with small steps to take me in the general direction. As I executed, the next idea popped up, which led to the next idea, and so on. It came down to doing the work on a daily basis, even when I didn't feel like it. Habits are crucial (thank you, James Clear).

It took a few years and my scorecard got worse before it got better. As a close friend (who got it from Dory) said "Just keep swimming".

The bottom line was the choice of whether I was willing to leave the comfortable space (but where I felt fundamentally stuck) to step into the space of discomfort, knowing that end goal would be so much more fulfilling.

Life's too short. Prioritise accordingly.

#HighPerformance #GrowthMindset #Coaching #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #PersonalDevelopment #Productivity #Leadership