When it comes to personal development, dreams are big and talk is cheap. Whenever you ask, all people "have plans" to travel the world, start a business, get 6-pack abs, and live a better lifestyle.
However, 99% of people on this earth never achieve their dreams. It is the real tragedy of the human experiment.
But not you, dear RVF reader. You think Outside The Box and have an insatiable penchant for self improvement. And with this simple method that I present, you will see gains and marked improvements in your life.
Why? Because your plans have dates attached to them. When you set a goal for yourself, you also attach a reasonable date of completion to that goal. Many people scoff at this method for its simplicity, others are put off by it, or become defensive and dismissive.
Why? Because it forces you to be real with yourself, your resources, and your capabilities as an individual. It forces you to think about Work and Play and Sacrifice. This scares people, because it breaks down the facade of “following your dreams” and “everything happens for a reason” and other cliches used to placate the masses. Most of all? It forces you to be ACCOUNTABLE to yourself. Find me 10 people and 9 of them have never been accountable to themselves for anything.
That is why this simple method works well in both business and personal development.
Let me break it down with an example.
Friend: Yeah man, I want to go live in Thailand for a year, the culture sounds amazing
Blurred: When do you want to go?
Friend: Sometime in my life man, I don’t care when
Blurred: Pick a date
Friend: Geez man, chill out. Um, how about July 1, 2015
Blurred: How much money do you need to go?
Friend: About $15,000 more than I will ever have in my savings
Blurred: So you need a second job to make more money
Friend: I guess I could ask for a raise
Blurred: No, you won’t meet your deadline. Get a Saturday job serving tables and put 100% into savings. In 6 months you will have the money you need
Friend: Ok, I can do that. What about my job, my car, my apartment?
Blurred: Notify your landlord on June 1st. Put in your 2 weeks notice on June 15. Sell your car the last week of June.
And so on…
As you can see, when you attach a date, it causes things to fall into place. It is an aggressive approach, because you have to make changes and sacrifices in your life in order to meet your goal. It pushes you to do things (like taking a second job, selling your car, etc.) that you normally never would have done. Before you know it, your plan is underway and you are taking concrete action toward something important to you and your character.
Some people say "A thousand mile journey begins with a single step." Bullshit! It begins when you pick a date.
Be wary of people who “plan to live healthier from now on” or “plan to get strong this year” or “plan to learn Spanish during my life.” They are often just dreamers and have no intention of acting on their plans in any organized manner, which means they will never realize their goals. If you can’t tell which type of person you are dealing with, simply ask them: “When?”
When are you going to learn Spanish? When are you going to start your own business? When will you compete in a marathon? They’ll look at you quizzically. It will shake them up. It might piss them off. But for some, it will set them in the right direction.
Without a date attached, you don’t have a plan - you have an idea. And ideas will never, ever take you anywhere.
Good luck RVF’ers. Try it out and report back.
However, 99% of people on this earth never achieve their dreams. It is the real tragedy of the human experiment.
But not you, dear RVF reader. You think Outside The Box and have an insatiable penchant for self improvement. And with this simple method that I present, you will see gains and marked improvements in your life.
Why? Because your plans have dates attached to them. When you set a goal for yourself, you also attach a reasonable date of completion to that goal. Many people scoff at this method for its simplicity, others are put off by it, or become defensive and dismissive.
Why? Because it forces you to be real with yourself, your resources, and your capabilities as an individual. It forces you to think about Work and Play and Sacrifice. This scares people, because it breaks down the facade of “following your dreams” and “everything happens for a reason” and other cliches used to placate the masses. Most of all? It forces you to be ACCOUNTABLE to yourself. Find me 10 people and 9 of them have never been accountable to themselves for anything.
That is why this simple method works well in both business and personal development.
Let me break it down with an example.
Friend: Yeah man, I want to go live in Thailand for a year, the culture sounds amazing
Blurred: When do you want to go?
Friend: Sometime in my life man, I don’t care when
Blurred: Pick a date
Friend: Geez man, chill out. Um, how about July 1, 2015
Blurred: How much money do you need to go?
Friend: About $15,000 more than I will ever have in my savings
Blurred: So you need a second job to make more money
Friend: I guess I could ask for a raise
Blurred: No, you won’t meet your deadline. Get a Saturday job serving tables and put 100% into savings. In 6 months you will have the money you need
Friend: Ok, I can do that. What about my job, my car, my apartment?
Blurred: Notify your landlord on June 1st. Put in your 2 weeks notice on June 15. Sell your car the last week of June.
And so on…
As you can see, when you attach a date, it causes things to fall into place. It is an aggressive approach, because you have to make changes and sacrifices in your life in order to meet your goal. It pushes you to do things (like taking a second job, selling your car, etc.) that you normally never would have done. Before you know it, your plan is underway and you are taking concrete action toward something important to you and your character.
Some people say "A thousand mile journey begins with a single step." Bullshit! It begins when you pick a date.
Be wary of people who “plan to live healthier from now on” or “plan to get strong this year” or “plan to learn Spanish during my life.” They are often just dreamers and have no intention of acting on their plans in any organized manner, which means they will never realize their goals. If you can’t tell which type of person you are dealing with, simply ask them: “When?”
When are you going to learn Spanish? When are you going to start your own business? When will you compete in a marathon? They’ll look at you quizzically. It will shake them up. It might piss them off. But for some, it will set them in the right direction.
Without a date attached, you don’t have a plan - you have an idea. And ideas will never, ever take you anywhere.
Good luck RVF’ers. Try it out and report back.
