Stop Riding the Roller Coaster
Is what matters to you moving you forward, or keeping you going in circles riding the roller coaster of life?
My daughter, Jessie, and I recently spent the day at Universal Studios in Orlando. We had just finished a 3-day leadership conference and, as we often do, we took an extra day to do something fun and exciting...often involving roller coasters. The faster and higher, the better!
A few years back, Jessie and I were in San Antonio and were surprised with tickets to Sea World and Six Flags for the same day. We met the challenge head-on, riding all the roller coasters at Sea World early and then on to Six Flags to repeat the process. 15 roller coaster rides later, we were on Cloud Nine!
An interesting thing about roller coasters. They go really fast, they twist and turn, they turn upside down, and sometimes they even go backward. But you never really go anywhere. You always end up where you started.
You wait in line, only to be strapped into a seat and then you're off. It is thrilling, an adrenaline rush, for a moment, but then it's over. You're back where you began. And then you get back in another line and do it all over again.
Life can be a roller coaster if we permit it.
We have the desire to learn, grow, and experience more success and fulfillment in our lives, but we seem to always end back up where we started and nothing has really changed. What's wrong?
All too often, we choose to live in an amusement park. There's a lot to see and do. Attractions to ride, shows to enjoy, junk food to consume, and lots of walking around, standing in line, and taking in the sights. We allow the magic of that land of wonder to distract us from the fact we're walking in circles, being entertained, but that's it.
We're busy doing things that are fun or entertaining, but it's not really productive.
Jessie and I spent hours in Sea World and Six Flags, but aside from bragging rights, nothing was accomplished there that moved us forward toward our personal and professional growth goals. The same thing happened when we visited Universal Studios. Lots of activity with not a lot to show for it.
So, are YOU living your life inside an amusement park?
My mentor, Dr. John Maxwell, says, "The secret to your success can be found in your daily routine." What does your routine say about you? What do you prioritize? What's important to you? Where are you spending your time and energy? Are you mindlessly going through the motions, walking around in circles, with nothing to show for it at the end of the day?
According to Timeular, the ten common time wasters in business include:
Unnecessary or redundant meetings
Multitasking
Doing other people's work (and not your own)
Online distractions
Email (up to 2-1/2 hours a day spent on personal and work email)
Interruptions
Disorganization
Bulky To-Do Lists
Postponing Difficult Tasks
Excessive Breaks
Many of these same time-wasters consume much of our personal lives as well. We spend our days mindlessly scrolling social media, responding to email, binging our favorite streaming channels, and at the end of the day we have little or nothing to show for it.
Time is a precious commodity. It is our most valuable resource.
It's finite.
If we waste today, it is forever wasted. We can't press the rewind or reset button and start over. Procrastination is the act of putting off until tomorrow what we know we should be doing today. It's a cancer to our productivity, our success.
C.S. Lewis said it well, "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."
In his classic book, "The Greatest Salesman in the World", Og Mandio shares the priceless wisdom of ten ancient scrolls that lead to a life of abundance, prosperity, and success. Chief among these pearls of ancient wisdom is the scroll that teaches, "I will persist until I succeed."
Black Belt Leaders understand that life is to be lived ON purpose, FOR a purpose. That requires that we be INTENTIONAL about how we live each day. A Black Belt Leader chooses to do what is necessary to achieve what is desired and to persist until success is realized.
So how do you stop riding the roller coaster so you're no longer going in circles but you're intentionally moving forward ON purpose, toward YOUR purpose?
You examine your daily routine.
For the next week, journal your activity throughout each day. From the moment you wake up until you lay your head on the pillow that night, track what you're doing, and your start and stop time for everything you do all day long. You'll likely be surprised at just how much time you're wasting, how many times you are interrupted, or you simply lose focus on getting things done.
Why a week?
By tracking and logging your daily routine for a full week, you'll start to identify patterns of behavior that you'll want to alter and change. You'll discover the time wasters in your life (and yes, that includes people). You'll recognize decisions you're making that aren't serving you well.
You'll also uncover how the quality of your thinking (or lack thereof) is leading to the quality of outcomes you're experiencing in your life, for better or worse.
You'll discover what truly matters to you right now, and what doesn't.
What you're spending the most time and energy on throughout the day comes from a decision you've made to focus on that. This, to you, is what matters at the moment.
Is what matters to you moving you forward, or keeping you going in circles riding the roller coaster of life?
If you want to stop riding the roller coaster, you've got to stop getting in the line.
You've got to change the quality of your thinking, reprioritize what is important (and WHY), to improve the quality of your choices that will in turn improve the results you're experiencing and the outcomes you desire.
This requires that you be intentional about your day, focusing your time and attention on the mission-critical things that help you learn, grow, and move you forward toward your stated goals.
Napoleon Hill referred to this as your chief aim in life. It's being candidly honest with yourself on what is truly important to you, your ONE thing, and devising a plan to bring that to pass in your life. It's about living life ON purpose, for YOUR purpose, as a Black Belt Leader in Life.
Need some help doing that?
In a prior issue, I discussed the importance of book-ending your day. You'll find that article HERE. This is a proven success strategy I've taught to hundreds of individuals over the years who have dramatically improved their focus and their intended outcomes as a result.
Roller coasters are a fun escape from the daily routine of life, but if riding the roller coaster IS your daily routine, you're going up, down, and all around at dizzying speeds, but you're not really going anywhere.
It's time to stop getting in line and waiting your turn to go in circles for yet another day with nothing to show for it.
Black Belt Leaders live their lives ON purpose FOR a purpose.
Remember, the secret to your success is found in your daily routine.
Successful people do daily what unsuccessful people do sometimes, or not at all.
Change your daily routine and you change your life.
P.S. I've also created some free resources, "Productivity Hacks" and "Organize Your Organization" (available in the courses section of my website), that can also help you stop going in circles as you keep riding the roller coaster of life.
You'll also find Goal Setting tips and tools, as well as a number of other content to help you stay focused and live an intentional life of Black Belt Excellence.
Want to hear this leadership lesson on Spotify? Click HERE.