Whether you are trying to improve your relationships, your finances, your health, or your business, the principles for improvement and mastery are the same. One of the reasons I read books, listen to podcasts, go to seminars, and try to surround myself with successful, on-purpose individuals is because the tips, principles and strategies that create success in one area of life are the same in ALL areas of life.
Since I was young, I would notice, and be intrigued by, those that stood out in a particular area, being exceptional at what they did. I also noticed a rampant problem that plagues most successful people. That problem, and it’s not a new one, is that they reach high levels of success in one area of life, but struggle in the others.
We all know someone who is super successful in business, yet unable to maintain their marriage. Or… super active in their church and spiritually strong, yet unable to manage their finances or build wealth. Or… a phenomenal parent and family person, yet overweight, out of shape, and loaded with health issues. Finding an individual who is successful in ALL areas is very, very rare.
There are reasons for this. They can range from where their interests lie to how much effort and attention they put on each thing, to what they believe is possible. One thing I want to emphasize here is that the quality of any area of your life is directly proportional to the work and attention you put into it. Often times, without realizing it, the work and attention you put into one area decreases over time. When this happens, the success you had in that area of life diminishes slowly… VERY, VERY slowly! So slowly, that you don’t even realize it is happening.
We’ve all heard the story of the frog jumping out of the pot of boiling water as soon as it hits the water. But if put it in a pot of water that then gets put on the burner and slowly comes to a boil, the frog dies. Why? Because the change in temperature creeps up slowly, it is unnoticeable to the frog. By the time the frog realizes what is happening, it is too late. The frog dies.
Have you ever taken a harder look at an area of your life and found yourself shaking your head in disbelief? Asking yourself… How did I get here? You got there over time. By letting the details that you used to pay attention to slip away… over a long period of time.
I say all this to encourage you to take time to examine your life in more detail. I mean really examine it. And do so in ALL areas of your life. It’s important to see things how they actually are…and an even better time to decide how you want things to look in the future.
What were the extra things you did at work that might have contributed to increased excitement and success but that you have stopped doing over time? What hobbies were you spending time on that you’ve stopped that brought joy and interest to your life? What healthy lifestyle habits have you let slip away that previously kept you at a healthier body weight, gave you more energy, and increased your self-esteem? And what kind of things were you doing early on in your relationship that you stopped doing that created more love, depth, and passion in the past?
I think this is a great exercise to help recognize where to start to reset and renew your energy, focus, and purpose. Note the things you used to do that got you the results you really wanted. Now… start doing those things! Stop accepting ordinary and strive for extraordinary!