You Said You’d Do It!
Follow through. Everyone has trouble with this at one time or another, some of us more often than others. When you fail to follow through on something that you promised, whether to yourself or others, you are actually hurting yourself. Every time you commit to something and don’t do it, it effects your opinion of yourself negatively, and your subconscious remembers everything you say. It’s important to always follow through or if it isn’t possible, to get permission from the other party, even if it’s yourself, to excuse yourself from the commitment. Here’s some ideas on how to make sure your follow through is a regular event.
1. Clarify your goals.
What is it that you want? What end result are you striving for? Why? What will this goal provide to you? The why is what will motivate you. Write it down and read your goals every day, or create a vision board to remind you of what you want and why. It’s easy to get caught up in the outside world and let your personal commitments fall out of sight.
2. Create a written plan of action.
What do you need to do to reach your goals today, tomorrow, next week, next month, over the next six months, over the next year? Planning ahead is crucial for success. Review the plan regularly to remind you of what needs to be done. Tweek your plan when necessary. If something isn’t working, find new creative ways to move forward.
3. Don’t give up.
The Wright brothers made many attempts at creating an airplane that would fly before they were successful. But they didn’t “crash and burn”. They dusted themselves off and got back to work. You can too.
4. Be careful what you commit to.
Many people say they have trouble saying no. If you are one of those people, learn to have trouble blurting out yes. Instead, ask if you can have time to think about it. Explain that you need to look at your calendar to determine if it is “do-able”. Then really consider all your current obligations and your desire to be part of this commitment. Is this new commitment going to steer you away from your own goals? If you decide that this obligation would negatively affect you and your goals, be honest with the other person. They’d rather know ahead of time that you can’t fulfill their needs than have you commit to something you might not finish.
5. Determine what your distracters are and remove them.
Are you tempted to play another game of Solitaire on your computer, or whatever your game of choice is? Remove that game from your computer so you can’t be tempted. Are you an email junkie, constantly checking your email or sending email to others? Decide on two or three times a day when you allow yourself to login and look at your email. Allow only a certain amount of time for each visit. Close your email down after each visit so you are not tempted by it.
6. Visualize your success.
Professional athletes use visualization as a method for achieving their goals. When you wake up in the morning and before you go to sleep at night, close your eyes and visualize reaching your goal. What would that success feel like? Experience it in your body as if you have it already, it’s real.
7. Celebrate successes, no matter how small.
Your celebration doesn’t have to be extravagant. It can be giving yourself an extra 10 minutes of visualization that day. That’s a celebration of more time just for you!
8. Need help? Ask for it.
Don’t be the lone ranger. If you find you are overwhelmed, ask for help from a family member, a friend, whoever is willing and able to help. Praying for tranquility, clarity or for the appearance of that helpful person can come in handy at this point too.
9. Get an Accountability Coach.
You knew this one was coming. ;0)
Seriously, a coach might be the critical factor in helping you get through your barriers and obstacles. When interviewing thousands of successful business owners, the one thing that they wish they had when starting out and trying to gain some traction was a coach. On going support is a key to overcoming the obstacles that might otherwise derail you from achieving your dreams. As America’s Accountability Coach™ I am committed to providing the kind of support and input that makes sense and dollars!
Too many people today take their dreams lightly, and are afraid to put a sense of urgency and commitment to them. We pride ourselves on bringing out the best in our clients, and therefore extracting a level of success that they have never experienced.
Give me a call at…. (Ray you can add to this one)





