"To change a habit, make a
conscious decision, then act out the new behavior." Maxwell Maltz
All men
of great character know the power of decision. It is a prerequisite for any
achievements in their lives. They became notable because they made decisions on
purpose. And more importantly, they remain outstanding because they stick
firmly to those decisions.
In this
article, you shall learn how to make a decision and act by it, come rain, come
sun. This simple lesson is the basis of progress in the life of anyone as the
business philosopher, Jim Rohn asserted, "You cannot make progress without
making decisions."
Now
let’s commit to progress by giving practical value to all our decisions.
Deciding and Planning To Follow-through From Beginning
“A schedule defends from chaos and
whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can
stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.”—Annie Dillard
Deciding
to follow-through from the start means steadfastness; it involves living on
schedule. It is about fixing a permanent time and a permanent place for a definite
task towards an important goal. It is how the great ones lead their lives and
it is how the weak ones can join their rank. It is an idea that can change
everything for anyone.
Extra-ordinary
humans are not angels but people who make decisions and follow their decisions
with specific plans for exactly what they will be doing, and where they will be
doing it at different moment of their days.
The majority
of people behave in a less effective way. They wish for a change, without any concrete
plan for what and when they need to do this or that. And as a result of this
fuzzy approach to living, they eventually get nowhere, even after many years of
intensive dreaming.
If you
belong to the later group, you have to change your approach. So, instead
of saying "I will work hard tomorrow."
Say, “I
will start my report in my office by 9 a.m. tomorrow and work on it for four
solid hours.”
The
previous instance was loose but the later was clear and definite enough to
inspire concrete action. And it is easy to verify just by asking yourself a
simple question: Did I start the report by 9 a.m. or not?
With
this method, there is neither a room for vagueness nor for meandering. It is
clear whether you are serious about your goal or you are just deluding
yourself.
To
dismiss the power of this method is to put your dreams at the mercy of your motivation, your
feelings and your willpower, which have all been scientifically proven to be unreliable
in the long run. Therefore, you will be wise to adopt a reliable strategy for your critical activity.
Read on
for the complete practical decision formula which can be applied to any
activity that you choose.
Decision Manifestation Formula
The template
for stick-ability goes as follow:
“EVERYDAY, I WILL DO (state the specific
action) BY
(state the
allocated time for the action in focus) AT (state the preferred location for this activity).”
To apply
this for any goal, just fill in the brackets.
For
examples:
Everyday,
I will write for thirty minutes starting from 10 a.m. in the library.
Everyday,
I will study English for twenty-five minutes starting from at 8: 30 p.m. in my
room.
Everyday,
I will do twenty push-ups at home for 5 minutes starting at 6 a.m. in my
bedroom.
This is
how you give your vision a fixed time and a fixed space to live in the physical
world of affairs. And with sufficient repetition of these carefully chosen actions,
they easily become your habits.
Habits
are things you do not just because you need to do them but because you really
want to, on any day. When you get to this stage; it is only a matter of time
for your greatest dream to become an amazing reality.
In
conclusion, stick-ability changes everything for you because it changes you at
the level of cause on the most important aspect of your life: the aspect of
effective decision making.
