Eliminating the need for self discipline

Jim Ryan is an American track and field athlete who won a silver medal in the 1968 Olympic Games. He was also the first high school athlete to run a mile in under four minutes. In a recent interview, Jim revealed his take on “getting it done.” Here is his key statement: “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

This ties in very nicely with this piece of good news: Habits in place eliminate the need for self discipline. Why is this good news? Because when you set up a series of easy-to-implement habits you end up with a routine. This routine has a lot more strength than the typical interruptions that throw everyone off track. No more self-discipline!

Here’s a short list of morning habits to get you started:

Getting up early every morning, same time Monday to Friday
Having a healthy breakfast
Writing out your personal goals (see below)
Exercising for 30 – 60 minutes
Practicing your scripts and dialogs with a role-play partner
Prospecting a minimum of two hours each day
30 minutes of lead follow-up

What’s on your list, what should you add? Get a series of good habits in place. You will be amazed that once your routine begins to flow you will no longer have to struggle with staying on track. Self discipline be gone! No excuses.

Why bother writing out my goals?

“Why do I have to bother writing out my personal goals every day? I already know what they are.”

It’s a common question. Look at what business philosopher Jim Rohn had to say: “When the WHY is strong the HOW becomes easy.”

It’s important that you are very clear about why you are doing what you are doing. I have been writing out my personal goals every morning for years, filling up book after book of journal entries. The “writing out” part is critical.

The experts tell us there is a definite physiological connection between writing out your goals and the impact this creates. Guaranteed this will change your focus and your ultimate success – the same as it has for me.

Here’s how to get started. There are two parts to this exercise:

Take a few minutes and write down two personal goals for each of the following three categories: my health, my family, my finances. Just pick two each to get started. What would you do to inspire your life?
Keep these goals front and centre. Never lose sight of your motivation. It’s more powerful to write them out than it is to just read them every day. Make sure you look at them every 24 hours so you never forget what all your hard work is aimed at.

Staying motivated is easy to do. It only takes five minutes every morning and it pays off big-time. When things are going well, it’s easy to be motivated. When you lose a real estate listing to a competitor or when a home buyer backs out at the last moment, you need to be crystal clear on your big goals.

Studies have shown that only three per cent of the population has written personal goals. The other 97 per cent say, “I know what they are, they’re in my head.” Be one of the three per cent. Exceptional people do exceptional things and they lead exceptional lives! Why not you? No excuses.