I wonder what changed me from saying "I wish I could do that" to "I will do it". Few things immediately come to my mind.
- The people I do it with. The people who consciously or unconsciously keep me accountable
- The fact that I got little bit more wiser to know what goals I can and cannot possibly achieve with in the given time and with the resources I have
Yes it is very easy to say "I wish I could do that", but it takes planning, preparation and sometimes lot of commitment and discipline to do things.
Depending on the task/habit sometimes it might just be a simple tweak or change in perspective that might help us change our habits or stick to it. Sometimes it might require lot more planning and preparation.
As we come to the end of November when I self-reflect on some of the things I have accomplished during this month and over the past few years, the following things stand out
During the month of November
- I Successfully kept the habit of writing everyday and posted articles to my writing group to keep myself accountable (yes forming a writing group definitely helped me to be accountable)
- For the sake of Movember, I made peace with the fact that I look silly with my moustache but still dealt with it and didn't shave it off
- Started making progress on the ebook I plan to release, until this point most of my writing was random and for the first time my writing has a purpose and an end goal for which I am very excited that some of my ideas, thoughts and experiences are manifesting into an ebook
During the past few years, things that changed from "I wish" to "I will"
- Waking up early and working out (Thanks to NPSF group, yes I have been waking up by 5a.m most of the weekdays)
- Made lot of progress on my running and travel goals. Currently at 39/50 and 6/7 and as per my race calendar I plan to finish running a marathon in all the continents in January and all the 50 states and D.C by Nov 2016. Yes for the first time in my life I am not adhocly running or traveling. I have a plan and I am preparing for it.
- Made some good progress to getting close to Boston Qualification (currently at 3:18)
- Made progress on Writing, public speaking, improv, Swimming, hiking and other habits
I definitely have consciously made my effort to make progress and change my thought process from "I wish" to "I will"
I attribute my progress to the power of the pack (accountability groups), frequently reviewing and visualizing my goals, planning and preparing for my goals and habits.
No not everything in my life is planned or prepared. If that was the case I wouldn't be able to spontaneously go on a hike to Mt.Shasta and Summit it. Also I wouldn't be able to go on trips and adventures like
- Tough Mudder
- Ragnar Relay
- 2+ days of camping on Lost coast trail (and my lack of planning and preparation led me to dehydration and made me very hungry)
I am glad I am able to balance or atleast try to balance my life with deliberate plans and spontaneity. Living the life with intention while adventuring and rolling along with the things that come along my way.
Also one of the book that definitely had a significant impact on me is "The One Thing" by Gary and Jay. It definitely changed my thought process and influenced me to take action by prioritizing the things and eventually planning and preparing for those priorities with purpose. I highly recommend that book to anyone sick and tired of "Wish lists" and want to start taking action. I read it last year and again during the beginning of this year. I immediately printed a calendar, pasted it on my wall and started noting down "The One thing" that I did for that day.
It definitely helped me make progress and change my "I wish I could do that" to "I will do it" to "I did it".
I started the year by saying and writing down "2015 - Year of Doing" and glad that I made some good progress and soon I might release an ebook titled "I Wish I Could Do That" (still debating on the title)
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