Nothing moves until you move; if you want a different result in life, you would have to take a different approach. Doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Most of us wish to achieve our goals, but we hardly do anything about it. The difference between high achievers and non-achievers is that high-achievers decide, commit, and relentlessly execute their goals consistently.
There is a riddle I recently heard that perfectly describes the difference between deciding and taking action. There are five frogs sitting on a log, and one decides to jump off the log, how many frogs are left? The answer is not four frogs but five. Why? There is a huge difference between deciding and taking action. Most of us decide to go on a fitness regimen, read more books, save more money, listen more, and achieve our set goals. We do not follow through because we lack the commitment and self-discipline to take action consistently in executing our goals.
Without commitment, you’ll never start, but more importantly, without consistency, you’ll never finish
In his acceptance speech for winning the Most Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture at the 2017 NAACP Image Awards, American actor Denzel Washington gave a very inspiring speech on the value of taking action, following through and staying committed; he said:
Thanks writers of Fences
Without commitment, you’ll never start, but more importantly, without consistency, you’ll never finish. It’s not easy. If it were easy there’d be no Kerry Washington. If it were easy there’d be no Taraji Henson, (corrects himself) P Henson, it it were easy there’d be no Octavia Spencer. But Not only that, if it were easy there’d be no Viola Davis. If it were easy there’d be no Mykelti Williamson, no Stephen McKinley Henderson, no Russell Hornsby, if it were easy there’d be no Denzel Washington.
So, keep working, keep striving, never give up, fall down seven times, get up eight.
Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.
Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.
So keep moving, keep growing, keep learning.
Following Through 1
Following through is related to focus, self-discipline, action, and persistence, but it is not synonymous to any of them. Rather, it is a composite of all of them—a bit like how those big Japanese anime robots come to be formed by the fusion of smaller individual robot parts. Power Rangers, or Voltron, to be specific.
The Four Elements of Follow Through – focus, self-discipline, action, and persistence
The head: focus.
Following through involves having focus. It’s akin to the head because it is focus that keeps your head in the game and your eyes on the prize. Focus guides your thoughts in figuring out how to follow through and directs your actions toward achieving your vision.
Following through is not just about exerting effort; it’s about exerting effort that’s concentrated on a single goal
The spine: self-discipline.
The spine of following through, self-discipline, is what enables you to get your head down and work when you need to, even if you don’t want to. It’s the ability to control yourself so that you retain focus on what needs to be done, despite the temptations and distractions you may encounter.
If you are focused on what you need to do, self-discipline will naturally follow. Likewise, if you are self-disciplined, it will be easier for you to focus on what needs to be done and avoid distractions.
The hands and feet: action.
Action, the hands and feet of following through, means prioritizing execution and simple motion. This is what makes following through more than just having focus and self-discipline. Following through is an intention that’s been translated into action. It is action that will move things in the real world and take you from Point A to Point B—that is, from where you are now to where the fulfillment of your goals lies. It is the visible aspect of following through, the one that’s actually observed, measured, and evaluated against your goals.
Action is crucial to the execution of your plans and the realization of your goals, for without it, plans remain abstract and goals remain dreams.
The heart: persistence.
Finally, at the heart of following through is persistence. Persistence is firmly sticking to something for a prolonged period of time, even as you encounter things that try to unstick you. It’s the tenacity to adhere to a course of action even in the face of obstacles.
Many of the goals worth aiming for in life call for not just a sprint but a marathon. If your heart is not fit enough to run the length of it, then you will find yourself stopping halfway through and giving up before you reach the finish line.
Take the Stairs 2 is about self-discipline—the ability to take action regardless of your emotional state, financial state, or physical state. It isn’t about doing things the hardest way possible, but it is about doing the hardest things as soon as possible so that you can get whatever you want in life—as soon as possible.
In many key areas of life we are simply missing the mark. Central to all of these challenges is a lack of one value that is diminishing in modern culture: self-discipline. We live in a “get rich quick” society where we can “lose weight fast or cure our ailments by “asking our doctor about the next magic pill.” But there is a huge invisible cost to living in our shortcut society.
Self-discipline is a habit, a practice, a philosophy, and a way of living. Taking the stairs is a mind-set; but it’s not even about the stairs. You might not physically be able to take the silly stairs—but anyone can start making more disciplined choices.
If we take an escalator, then there is literally no physical change in our bodies once we’re at the top because all we do is stand there while a machine does all the work. However, when we Take the Stairs, a number of things happen, if only to a minor extent. We burn calories, we use (tear) our muscles and our heart rate increases as we climb. So, there are physiological changes that take place when we Take the Stairs as opposed to taking the escalator. The same is true in your life!
Success comes down to choosing the hard right over the easy wrong. Consistently.
Meditation
- Daily Calm with Tamara Levitt – Sound of Silence
- We can compare the silence between breaths to the silence between notes in music. In music, the silence we hear isn’t just a waiting period; silence contributes to the music.; it is a part of it, and it adds emphasis and emotions; it creates clarity and anticipation and removes the clutter. We want to create silence in our minds for this exact reason.
- A busy mind without periods of silence feels scattered and cluttered. We only see and hear part of the story; there is no room to anticipate what is next.
“Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything . . . It is the presence of time, undisturbed. It can be felt within the chest. Silence nurtures our nature, our human nature, and lets us know who we are. Left with a more receptive mind and a more attuned ear, we become better listeners not only to nature but to each other. Silence can be carried like embers from a fire. Silence can be found, and silence can find you. Silence can be lost and also recovered. But silence cannot be imagined, although most people think so. To experience the soul-swelling wonder of silence, you must hear it.”― Gordon Hempton
- Daily Jay with Jay Shetty – Primal Scream
- Primal Scream is an end-of-semester tradition at Columbia University. It occurs at midnight on the last Sunday night of the semester, after the first Friday of exams and before the last week of final exams. Students exit their studying holes, open their room windows, and release their stress with howls of anguish and frustration. The screaming lasts up to 5 minutes and can be heard throughout the campus.
- Strategies for releasing tension: Screaming and Shaking have been shown to calm and release the nervous system. They help you return to a baseline with more clarity and composure. Then afterwards, you can address whatever is causing the emotions.
All the best in your quest to get better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.
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