For the first time in his young life, my son Miguel is playing
baseball. His team has their first scrimmage this morning.
Prior to this year, he never expressed any interest in playing
“pee wee” or little league baseball. Oh sure, we’ve thrown around
the ball with him in the backyard and played wiffle ball. And
he’s been to our baseball mecca, Fenway Park, to see a Red Sox
game.
Now he’s participating in a more organized way.
When he made the decision to sign up for little league, I told him
he would be at a disadvantage to some of the other boys who have
played already. But that should not deter him. The important thing
would be to work on the fundamentals and begin to learn more about
how the game is played.
Which means….
PRACTICE!
So, the day we signed him up, we started to practice.
We agreed to regular practice as a habit. Not only did Miguel
make the commitment to show up – on time – at every practice.
He’s also committed to practice on his “off” days at home.
I’ve insisted on this approach because it offers such a
wonderful tool for success, progress and transformation.
It’s part psychology, part discipline, part leveraging the
power of momentum: the momentum you get from the simple act of
making a decision to do something.
And the best time to act is…..immediately after you have made
that decision.
Engaging in genuine discipline requires that you develop the
ability to take action. You don’t need to be hasty if it
isn’t required, but you don’t want to lose much time either.
Here’s the time to act: when the idea is hot and the emotion
is strong.
When did Miguel and I go out back and start throwing around
the baseball?
The minute we got home from baseball signups.
Since then, we’ve not had to prompt or remind a single time.
Miguel has been the one asking us to go out back and throw the
ball, or work with him on his batting.
It’s become part of his routine now.
Here’s the secret: Take action as soon as possible, before the
feeling passes and before the idea dims.
If you don’t, here’s what happens:
You fall prey to what famous motivational speaker and successful
businessman, Jim Rohn, called the “Law of Diminishing Intent”.
As Jim said, “We intend to take action when the idea strikes us.
We intend to do something when the emotion is high. But if we
don’t translate that intention into action fairly soon, the
urgency starts to diminish. A month from now the passion is cold.
A year from now it can’t be found.”
So take action. Set up a discipline when the emotions are high
and the idea is strong, clear, and powerful. You’ve got to take
action; otherwise the emotion soon passes.
Unless….
Unless you apply it to a disciplined activity.
Discipline enables you to capture the emotion and the wisdom and
translate them into action.
The key is to increase your motivation by quickly setting up the
disciplines. By doing so, you’ve started a whole new life process.
Discipline leads to self-worth and self-esteem.
As Miguel continues to develop his discipline by practicing
and playing and keeping his commitment to show up – on time and
ready to play – to all practices and games, he will develop far
more self-esteem than any amount of praise or encouragement
we can provide as parents.
Of course, our praise and encouragement are important. But when
he sees the fruits of his labors, and experiences the satisfaction
of persevering through an activity, even when it’s not fun or
seems hard (which inevitably it will sometimes), Miguel will have
learned such an important lesson.
How about you?
Did you make the decision at the start of the year – maybe as
part of your New Year’s resolutions – to “finally” get in shape
this year? Then…did you do something about it immediately?
Did the new exercise routine or diet you started seem to just…
fizzle. Or did you not even really get started?
Have you been struggling with some not-so-good habits – habits
you know are sapping your energy, preventing you from reaching
your goals, stealing away your life – maybe even killing you,
bit by bit, which is the case with poor eating and exercise
habits?
Are you unsure of where to start? Do you feel overwhelmed by
everything you could be doing, or should be doing?
Well, you may be suffering from the “Law of Diminishing Intent”.
And I’ve got just the remedy – an excellent place to start, to
help you get the ball rolling.
First: Make the DECISION to get in better shape, to get healthy,
to recapture your energy.
Second: Take ACTION and get my new Special Report, “Ten Universal
Strategies for Optimal Fitness”. It gives you a well-rounded,
highly effective approach to exercise and fitness.
Third: As soon as you order your own copy of the Report, DO
something good for yourself? Stretch, do some pushups, go for
a walk….breathe!
Those seemingly small actions will help you get started on your
own path to self-discipline, self-esteem, and better health
and energy.
Visit http://www.bestbreathingexercises.com/fitnessstrat.html
to get more information.
You Can Do It!
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P.S. A good exercise routine can literally rocket launch you to
improved health and fitness, higher energy levels, better brain
and cognitive function, and enhanced productivity.
I wrote my latest Special Report, “Ten Universal Strategies for
Optimal Fitness”, to help you get started. I cover – in
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The information in this report will point you in the right
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results.
To read more about it, or to claim your copy today (plus a
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Copyright, Karen Van Ness, 2014