Thursday, December 20, 2012

What are you really Thinking, Saying and Doing? - 3 Pillars for living a more productive life.

Ok, So you want to live a better life.  Who doesn't?  The trick though, is to make sure you have a plan as well as a solid foundation for living that better life.

Too often, people set out on the road to change with great intentions only to be found discarded, spent and used up on the roadside covered in skid marks caused by the people who had a plan (think of all the "lose weight now fad diet sellers", "gym club membership sales teams",  "ShamWOW salesmen").  These people had a plan - GET YOUR MONEY!  How about you?  How are you going to insure success in your latest chapter of life?
A good start might be with thinking about how these 3 Pillars - Think, Say and Do can help you to build your success foundation.

Here is the formula to remember:
What you Think + What you Say + What you Do = Success (as long as they are all aligned and working in harmony).


Here is a quick little test that you can do in less than 5 minutes.  Get out your trusty Moleskin notebook (I never leave home without mine).

Step 1: Write down on one page of your notebook your next challenge, goal or intention that you want to achieve and keep that firmly held in your mindset.

Step 2: Ask yourself this question. Are what I THINK, what I SAY and what I DO in alignment with this particular objective? 

Step 3: On the opposite page to your objective split it into 3 sections and title each section "Think", then Say, then DO.

Step 4: Write in what you are Thinking, Saying and Doing towards achieving your goal and be BRUTALLY HONEST with yourself.  The key to this exercise is you must not say what you "intend" to do as you've been doing that your whole life, "I intend to do this, I intend to do that".   That cycle doesn't serve you but cripples you and doesn't help you reach your goals.  In this exercise you simply write down what you are actually thinking, saying and doing.

Here is a quick example -
GOAL - write a blog post about "X" everyday.

THINK - All the titles for upcoming posts, People who will read them, Expanding my reach, Gaining more followers, How my platform will increase with a successful blog

SAY - I tell people I write, I am all over the place with what I focus on, My self talk in my head is defeating, I share my "idea nuggets" before they are fully formed

DO - I start multiple projects at once, I surf the net instead of write, I stay up to late making me tired in the morning, I sporadically write, Network with like minded folks across social streams.

When you're finished take a look at the 3 pillars and ask yourself if they are in alignment.  What is out of sorts? If you are thinking one way and doing another you are not going to get anywhere.  The simple truth is that if you want to succeed these three pillars have to be working together.  If they're not then figure out why and make the adjustment.

As always, I welcome any comments and thoughts. If you are finding "The 365" interesting come say hi on Twitter @the365effect and share with others.

1 comment:

  1. Awesome work, Alan. I'm a fellow Trailblazer and just posted a reply in the forums, but I thought to also share some insight here (after doing the exercise). I combined it with my mindmap exercise that I shared on my Phoenix Zen blog, and it's really helpful. I did get a bit confused with THINK vs. SAY though... when I did it, I ended up writing all of the self-talk and doubts in the THINK portion. I guess think, for me, is more of an inner thing and say is what I tell others regarding my goal(s). I like your distinction better but am still a bit in the dark on how to fine tune it with my goals.

    Some things to also think about is whether what we think, say, and do are aligned with empowering talk. I found after doing this exercise that I was focusing a lot on disempowering thoughts, even though I was actively trying to complete those goals. That's probably why I've been having slight difficulty staying focused and with procrastinating-- I have to make sure my inner talk aligns with my goals, to increase motivation and energy/power behind committing to them.

    Thanks for sharing a simple strategy for identifying distractions and increasing focus. :)

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