The Compound Effect, Ch 06 - Find The Line Of Expectation And Then Exceed It!

This is my son and Lance Armstrong.  Both share a bond, a certain health issue.

"There is a point in every race when a rider encounters his real opponent and understands that it's himself."  Lance Armstrong

Chapter 6
When you have prepared, practiced, studied and consistently put in the required effort, sooner or later you will be presented with your own moment of truth.  In that moment, you will define who you are and who you are becoming.  It is in those moments where growth and improvement live....when we either step forward or shrink back...

Hitting "the wall" is not an obstacle, it is an opportunity.

When conditions are great, things are easy, there aren't any distractions, no one is interupting, temptations are not luring, and nothing is disturbing your stride; that too is when most everyone else does great.  It is not until situations are difficult, when problems come up and temptation is great, that you get to prove your worthiness for progress.  When you hit "the wall" in your disciplines, routines, rhythms, and consistency, realize that's when you are separating yourself from your own self, scaling that wall, and finding your new powerful, triumphant, and victorious self.

In our attention-deficit, propaganda-saturated society, sometimes doing the unexpected is required to get your voice heard.

Find the line of expectation and then exceed it. 
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Summary Action Steps:

When do you hit your moments of truth?  Identify so you know when to push through to find new growth and where you can separate yourself from others and your own self.
---I face a moment of truth every night after 7 pm, repeatedly.  I face a moment of truth each day of each week of classes.  I face a moment of truth when I see negativity in others, and I then have to choose to "jump in" or "walk-away".

Find three areas in your life where you can do extra.
---Volunteer work.
---Extra effort in school work.
---Talking to others about Shakeology.
---More consistent and committed effort in my diet.

Identify three areas in your life where you can beat the expectations.  Where and how can you create "wow" moments.
---I can put more effort into "wow" school work, instead of getting by on minimum.
---I can go gung-ho on my diet plan and "wow" people with my progress.
---

Identify three ways you can do the unexpected.  Where can you differentiate from what is common, normal, or expected?
---I can pay more attention to my appearance, instead of just being comfortable.
---I can be uplifting, encouraging, positive and motivating.
---I can volunteer for more and make a difference.

The Compound Effect, pgs 102-113 (Establishing a New Routine)

"Rise & Shine"

--Think of everything you are grateful for.  Attune the mind to abundance.  The world looks, acts, and responds to you very differently when you start your day with a feeling of orientation of gratitude for that which you already have.

--Send love to someone.  The way to get love is to give it, and one thing I want more of is love.  Give love by thinking of one person and send them love by imagining all that I wish and hope for them. 

--Think about, focus on the No. 1 goal and decide which three things to do on this day to move closer toward reaching it.

--Set timer for 30 minutes.  Read something positive, inspirational and instructional. 

--When alarm sounds, for one hour, take the most important project and work on it for an hour of completely focused and with no distractions.

--Take 15 minutes to calibrate your day.  Review three MVPs (Most Valuable Priorities) for that day and ask self "If I only did three things today, what are the actions that will produce the greatest results in moving me closer to my big goals?" 

--Reward yourself.  You can open your emails now, check Facebook.

--Get to work.  Work on MVPs.

"Sweet Dreams"

--How did the day go?
--What do I need to carry over to tomorrow?
--What else needs to be added?
--What is no longer important?
--Journal the day.
--Read something inspirational.  Focus on something constructive and helpful toward making progress on my goals.  The mind likes to continue to process the last information consumed before bedtime.

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This is a format for something that I would like to incorporate into my day.
I may just do a daily or nightly journal post in this format.

Abandoning Excuses & Acknowledging Accomplishments....

Abandoning Excuses:

"I'll do it tomorrow!" ~ "I'll start tomorrow!"
These are a few of my favorite excuses.  All it is, is an excuse to put things off.  I'm a master at this.  I have all kinds of excuses to support them.  I justify my actions now, with excuses.  It's time for me to start doing "today", and stop avoiding the issues.  I need to stop putting off until "tomorrow", what I can do today!

"Why bother?" ~ This is another favorite of mine.  Instead of just hunkering down and getting it done, I divert from the issue. This goes along well with the previous two excuses.  Even if it seems no one else cares, deep down inside, I do care!  It bothers me!  When these kinds of things start building up, they affect my mental state.  No amount of diverting from the issue is going to make the issues go away.  I need to "bother", because tackling the issues is what is going to bring me to a healthier state of mine.

"Past" & Present"  ~ I simply have to stop transferring the blame to other people and past experiences.  These two words go along well with the other excuses.  I use events of the past and present, to excuse the other excuses.  Ultimately my poor choices and decisions of the past, have brought me to where I am today.  They are the root of my issues.  It's time for me to clean up my own messes and grow up.

Acknowledging Accomplishments:

I think it is time for me to start focusing on my accomplishments and the positives in my life, rather than dwelling in the mistakes and problems.  No matter what happened in the past, the future is mine to mold into whatever makes me happy. 

So what is there about me, that I need to be paying more attention to? 

First of all, I participated in the creation of five beautiful people.  One may have already passed on to heaven and be with God, but she has made a big impression on me, just as the others have.  The four who I have been blessed to spend time with, are my greatest accomplishments.  There are unique characteristics about each of them, that make me extremely proud of them.  I will always be thankful for the opportunity of being their mother.

Second:  I have three beautiful dogs who I have been blessed to have in my life currently.  These creatures are so loving, so giving, and give me so much joy.  I may not be able to save every dog from undesirable conditions, but when it comes to these three, I can give them my very best. 

Third: I stepped out of my comfort zone and enrolled in college classes.  I have maintained a 4.0 GPA so far, and my intent is to hold onto that for as long as possible.  This is building my confidence and a part of paving the road to a better future.

Fourth: I have the ability to nurture, and to destroy.  As time goes by, my desire to nurture and encourage people, grows.  I want to be a good person.  I want to be happy.  I choose to remain optimistic.  I am not a quitter.  No matter how heavy things seem to be sometimes, I persevere and I keep trying, hoping and surviving.

Now, for some minor accomplishments for today:
1- I cleaned out the front closet.
2- I un-assembled the Christmas lawn decorations, and returned them to their boxes.
3- I read Chapter 1 of the Compound Effect.
4- I am starting the Ultimate Reset today.

Goals for tomorrow:
1- Work on cleaning the back, storage room.  (Invest at least 1 hour.)
2- Scrub down the downstairs bathroom & change the shower curtain.
3- Bake 60 cupcakes for the band fund-raiser.

Additional Thoughts:
Little things like putting on music that I enjoy, motivate me and leave me in a better mood.
I will invest in my mental state, by turning up the music and enjoying myself while I work.

Don't Give Up!!!

Keep Going.

No matter what you do,

no matter how many times 

you screw up and think to yourself

"there's no point to carry on",

no matter how many people

tell you that you can't do it -

keep going.

Don't quit.

Don't quit, because a month from now

you will be that much closer

to your goal, than you are now.

Yesterday you said tomorrow.

Make today count.

Today was a rough day.  It's difficult to stay positive when you get hit with so many negatives.  It is empowering and it is depressing.  It's a challenge.  You have to choose to persevere.