- You haven’t set your aim.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars, suffocating in space, because there’s no oxygen.”
Really though, it’s unlikely you’ll end up hitting something you don’t aim at. If you do, congrats, it was luck, and I’m taking you to the casino with me.
But since I doubt you want to count on luck, you have to pick what you will aim at intentionally. You do this by *short-casting a vision.
You’ve probably read about the importance of having a vision. But many never experience how powerful this tool is because it doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and it can take time. My business vision took three days of being away from people, getting lost in the woods, and finding myself. But not everyone is into nature or peyote, so I recommend short-casting.
How to short-cast: Provide Short and honest answers to the following four questions.
What: What are you going to aim for? Get vivid and granular with it.
Why: Why is this even a thing for you? Why does it affect you SO MUCH that you are reading this article and trying to solve it? Dig deep. I’ve done over a thousand interviews with this method and tell people, “if you don’t want to cry a little, it was probably B.S.
How: How will you be different when you reach this vision and as you’re building this vision. You need to know when you’re making headway and when you’re getting distracted.
When: Finally, when are you going to get there? You have to install external motivation. “It doesn’t matter when I get there” isn’t good enough. Neither of us is that zen.
Ex:
What: I want to be 32 lbs lighter and be off meds and insulin for my type 2 diabetes.
Why: I’m going to actually feel healthy because I don’t feel healthy now. I’m not going to feel the pinch from putting a needle in my skin. I’m doing this so I don’t have to inject in front of my kids and explain why when they start getting more curious in the next two years.
How: I won’t be carrying the weight, but I’ll also need less and less medication. I won’t be thinking, “how did I get here?” every day. I’ll be able to play sports with my kids and not have to opt-out when they want to because I physically can’t.
When: I’m going to be at this place one year from now on October 16th, 2021. I’ll be down 16 lbs in six months and may still be on meds, but I won’t need as much. In three months, I’ll be down 8lbs and working out 5x week. In one month, I’ll be eating better, moving often, and be seeing the first changes.
Write it down and put it on your computer screen.
Print it out really small and tape it to the back of your phone. God knows you need to get off that thing anyway.
When you wake up and “just don’t feel it,” read your vision. Losing xx lbs will not motivate you. But your vision for why and how you’ll do it will motivate you and remind you to aim at your target and not just hope you get there somehow.
Write it down. Read it daily. It’s more powerful than drugs, and it’s free. It’s so much of a difference; it’s almost like cheating.
