Sunday Story...the Question

Sunday Story…the Question

I get the question every week if not every day.  It really isn’t the question that someone is asking.  Because the question they are asking is rarely the question that needs to be answered.

Usually the question is:

What do I need to do to lose 20 pounds?

How can I get in better shape?

What can I eat to enjoy better health?

How should I work out?

How do I communicate better with my spouse/child/significant other?

What do I need to do to be better at my job/career/school?

How can I make more money?

There is nothing wrong with these questions.  They are perfectly valid and they do need to be answered.  But almost each one is not asking the question that needs to be answered before the answer to these questions can be validated.

The reason for this is simple.  Each of these questions simply does not make sense until we start measuring where you are in the light of how you live your life. And where you are in terms of the commitment to getting where you want to go?

Context Covers a lot of Area

If we look at context, or the availability your life is going to allow you to do the things necessary to get the goal done we start realizing that certain limitations exist.

Want to make a million dollars?

Want to bench press 300 pounds?

Want to date a super model?

How is that going to work in the context of your life?  If I live in say, Fernley Nevada, which is not exactly the entertainment capital of the world, nor is it part of the fashion industry in any way shape or form, the likelihood of me even seeing a super model is pretty darn slim, let alone being able to date one.  The “context” of my life is such that the possibility of that outcome taking place is just not going to happen.  In another (maybe more realistic example) if I want to lose 50 pounds but I work 2 jobs, raise 3 kids by myself, eat crap food from fast food joints every day, don’t sleep well and have never worked out in my life and I think getting up from the couch for a glass of water is real exercise losing weight is simply not in the “context” of my life.

The bottom line on context is that if I have goals or quests that I want to achieve but they do not fit into the context of my life then they are not real and they are not achievable.  We call things like this “dreams”.  If I want to win the lottery but I never buy a ticket then winning is only a dream and not even a remote possibility.  I have not made the changes in the context of my life to win the lottery.  So if you want to do certain things you are going to have to shift some element of your life to get them done…you are going to change or shift or transform the context of your life to make room for getting the goal done.

Commitment is Compliance

You are going to hate this one.  You must be committed to not just the goal or the quest.  You have to be committed to the everyday, to the plan, to the nitty gritty, down and dirty daily work of implementation.  You have got to do the work!  Every day.  Every moment. Unerringly committed to doing what must be done each and every day.  If you want to lose 50 pounds but every Sunday you eat a large pepperoni pizza to reward yourself you have lost sight of your commitment.  Yes I understand the psychology of rewards and all the rest of that blah blah blah.  Guess what?  I don’t care.  Get a plan.  Stay on task.  Do the things every day the plan calls on you to do.  Don’t cheat.  If the plan needs to be modified, modify it but don’t quit, don’t take your eyes off the prize at the end of the quest.

So what’s the question?

If the question you are asking is not the question you should be asking then what is the correct question?  Let me put it this way…The magic is not in the plan.  It is not in the perfect diet, plastic surgeon or career, or work out plan.  There is no magic pill.  The magic is in how much you care.  The magic is in how much you are willing to do the 2 things you must do to complete your quest…shift your life to make the quest fit into it AND commit to doing what needs to be done to move forward everyday toward the goal.

SO…the question is this:  Are you doing or Have you done Everything you can do with what you have already?  When you read all the words before this we come down to this:  Are you doing enough with what you already have?  If you are not then get after it first.  Do the research, do the plan you already have.  Then if you can say yes, I am doing all I can with what I have then we can start there.  That is our jumping off point.  When your commitment and your context have shifted to accommodate the quest then we can get to work.  Want to lift 300 pounds off your chest?  We can make a plan for that if you have the context and the commitment.  Date a super model?  Same thing.  Lose weight?  Enjoy better health?  Same same. 

I can help but only to the degree that you are willing to work.  Not to the degree that I am willing to listen to your reasons for not being committed and contextual.

Want help?  Call me. 

Namaste

John

“Teaching Focus, Inspiring Transformation”

www.martialartsnevada.com

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