I’d like to invite you to follow along over the next few weeks for a 3-part series on self-improvement. We often find ourselves stuck in the mud, getting through our daily lives without focusing on our own growth. If you don’t know where you are, then you can’t get where you want to be. Together we are going to figure out where we are, and start to formulate the MAP to get there.
Are you willing to ‘Go All In’?
Are you Willing to ‘Dig the Ditches’?
Are you Wiling to ‘Burn the Ships’?
Don’t burden yourself trying to answer all three questions today. Let’s take them on one at a time and give ourselves the chance to evaluate where we are together. Let’s go!
#1: Are You Willing To ‘Go All In’?
The first thing you need to do is contemplate what ‘going all in’ means to you. Think about a time when you made a difficult decision. You had to choose between doing something difficult and potentially unpleasant, or taking the easier road. Now reflect on it. Why were you in that situation? What were consequences of each choice? Which did you choose and why? Be honest with yourself.
‘Going all in’ could mean giving it everything that you have from an effort perspective: focusing incredible energy and resources to accomplish something. It could also be a long-term commitment to something, or a sacrifice to achieve or attain a goal.
Do you possess what it takes to ‘go all in’?
Talent and skills differ for everyone. Beyond that, we are all emotionally different. Our fears vary in complexity and severity. So when it comes time to deciding whether to ‘go all in’ or not, there are many variables that we have to consider. Some may not ‘go all in’ because they are afraid of failure or believe that they don’t have the right stuff to do the job. We all have it; you just have to find it within yourself.
Do you calculate, debate, hedge and hesitate?
When you face a big decision, do you find yourself getting stuck to the how’s, why’s and what if’s of the situation? Do you find that you sometimes get ‘paralysis by analysis’? It is important to be thoughtful in making a decision, but you can’t let that train of thought bog you down and hold you back.
Do you trust/believe?
Confidence is neither a talent nor skill. It’s an emotion, isn’t it? Building up the right emotional response to difficult decision-making is difficult when we have our ego, our sensitivities and our confidence at risk. Our emotions come from the autonomic nervous system and are something we have no control over. All we can control is how we respond to those feelings. We can train ourselves, and re-wire our minds with things that positively affect our emotions. Believing that we can be successful is necessary for us to achieve success.
How do you relate?
If these questions have not yet stimulated some deep thinking on your part, consider again how “going all in” relates to you. Are you a ‘go all in’ person or do you wait for the right time and the safe play? Again, be honest. Don’t be critical. Whatever your thoughts are, you are not alone.
If you still need the inspiration to answer this ‘go all in’ question honestly, watch and listen to this YouTube video clip to see how you compare.
Next Week: Are You Willing To Dig The Ditches?