The 4 Killers of Consistent Action

Isn’t it true,

It used to be hard to find out HOW to do something (e.g. lose 20lbs, find your dream job, grow your net worth) but in this day and age, information is easier to find than any time in our history.

Today, learning the action steps to success is available at our finger tips (literally!).

But what stops you from taking action, and taking action consistently is the real challenge.

Even the best strategy, best seminars, best books and best of intentions don’t always lead to successful, consistent action. Heck, some days even going down the rabbit hole of “the best motivational speech EVER!!” on YouTube can’t get your engine fired up and your wheels turning.

Sadly, you also know there are many things you do, that are COMPLETELY within your control, that stunt your growth and success.

I call these the Four Killers of Consistent Action and here’s a quick overview…

1. OVER-EAGERNESS

When you’re over-eager you expect and demand results NOW! You start with a burst of enthusiasm and a flurry of excited activity thinking that going harder and faster will make it happen more quickly.

But all you get is impatience, inner conflict and frustration when those results don’t come just the way you expected.

You’re left disillusioned and disheartened and soon turn to the next shiny object or seek the comfort of distractions. You rarely see things to completion.

The worst part is that you start to develop a reputation for being “full of ideas” and “never finishing any of them”. Your wife doesn’t believe you’ll ever get it done and you don’t even trust yourself anymore.

2. OVERWHELMED

You tend to quickly fall into a state of overwhelm when faced with a big challenge, project or goal.

Where do I start? Is it even worth it? Everything feels like you’re climbing a big mountain without enough energy, will or skill to get to the top.

You find yourself constantly revising the to-do list, refreshing your email looking for additional tasks and not making any meaningful progress. You end up extremely reactive to the demands coming at you, operating with a VERY SCATTERED, short-term mind and easily get pulled in many directions…

You are left stressed, confused and disempowered on how to regain clarity. You are never present. Always anxious. Never at peace.

3. OVER-WORRYING

If you’re this guy, the action-stopper comes from you putting more energy into worrying about future problems or scenarios, than on stepping up and taking action on a solution to make progress.

This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as the story you tell yourself builds on what can go wrong, the stress that’s going to cause and dozens of other factors way outside your control.

The “worry monster” in you just grows and grows and ultimately steals your power, your motivation and your optimism to move forward. Similar to being overwhelmed, you rarely — if ever — can relax at ease with peace of mind. The toll this takes on your zest for life is palpable.

4. OVER-REACTING

Achievement is rarely experienced exactly according to the original plan. Even for the most successful companies in the world like Apple, Google, Starbucks, and Facebook, what drives their success today is a far cry from their initial business plan.

But for you, the first sign of not getting your desired result is interpreted as “failure”, and as a reason to quit.

You quit looking for that dream job. Quit trying to improve your marriage. Quit trying to get that business idea off the ground.

Your over-reaction to setbacks leads to disappointment and kills self-confidence. As you watch your goal drift further and further away you become filled with regret and sadness that you weren’t able to pull it off. It’s a punch to the gut and quickly erodes your self-image and self-esteem. From there it’s nearly impossible to rise to the next challenge or feel like your best years are still ahead of you.

Do you recognize yourself in these response types? In one more than others?

When you can identify your killer of consistent action – with accuracy and precision – you now know the most important problem to solve. Develop a better approach to controlling the things you can and you’ll have more energy, sustained enthusiasm to make consistent progress as you climb that mountain to your prized destination.

It is always worth the journey.