Clearly Define Your Enemy to Growth
38. On the road of change there will be many tempting places to park; clearly define your enemy to growth.
In our blueprint we are setting goals for the next 21 days that we hope to achieve. We are doing so in this 21 day format because we now know that it takes 21 days to instill any habit. We also know we can lose any habit as well in 21 days. So along those lines we want to try to identify the pitfalls that we seem to run into that keep us from doing the things we need to be doing. We need to find the things that keep us from building. Knowing where we don’t want to go is just as important as knowing where we are headed.
So what are the landmines you encounter when trying to reach your goals? For many it is wasting time. We play on the internet too long or watch too much TV. One thing I find when trying to use this Tool is you can ask anyone and they know what their weaknesses are right away. And when they tell you what they are, they will get a little smile on their face because these weaknesses have been around for so long. They laugh because they know what these little buggers are.
If you are working on improving your nutritional intake, you already know the tempting places you like to park. Things like sweets, late night eating and fast food are just a few of the trouble areas we all have. If you are trying to improve your exercise habits, what are the stumbling blocks that keep these activities from happening? By identifying these markers, we can try to avoid them and eventually make them non-issues over the next 21 days. By knowing them we can make a choice to do our best to limit our exposure to these roadblocks to success. If you are a snacker, then don’t have treats in the house. If you struggle with drinking too much, avoid situations that may bring up that choice. If you find that you are not making it to the gym because once you sit on the couch you’re not getting up, bring your workout clothes to the office. The ride can be less bumpy if you just keep an eye out for the potholes. But you can’t avoid them unless you know what they look like.