Want more control over your will power? Ever notice that you know what you should be doing but are not doing it? Do you wish there was a magic answer?
Well, I may have found it. I’m calling it: Awareness of The Concept of “Sometimes.”
People often comment about how well my dog listens and behaves. As a person that loves dogs, I had learned about dog training and since getting my own first dog at the age of 14, a cocker spaniel named Sampson, I have always worked with and trained my dogs from the first day we meet. I enjoy interacting with a well behaved best friend and it seems they enjoy interacting with me. Currently, Zoodles, my Australian Shepard and I travel that country and are together 24/7. She is my best friend.
The real secret about training a dog: I had read and learned that because dogs do not understand “sometimes” you can never allow flexibility of a “rule” or “command.” It’s yes or no, on or off, black or white. Never “sometimes,” once in a while, only this time or any shade of gray of the “rules”and/or “commands.”
As a student of human psychology, it occurred to me that when I truly desire to achieve anything, I never allow myself to venture into “Sometimes Zone” because as soon as I do, (for me) it’s usually game over and I start making internal excuses for allowing more and more exceptions to my own “rules.”
For the past few months, I have been running an experiment (on myself) and it’s so simple yet surprisingly effective. I am training myself as I would my dog. I am not allowing myself to break my own rules. In essence: There is no “sometimes.”
How it works. As soon as my inner chatter starts to confabulate an excuse to put off whatever it is, I flip the internal dialogue switch off and take immediate action to do whatever it was I was creating an excuse for to allow myself an exception “this one time.”
The Instant I recognize what my mind is doing, I implement my internal overwrite phrase: No “Sometimes” Allowed and take immediate action.
For the past few months since implementing (and enforcing) my newest internal rule, I have been able to accomplish some pretty amazingly difficult personal challenges that I have been struggling with for a very long time because they were so complex and difficult.
This article is an example of my process in action. As soon as I read the schools are closed and there is no meeting today, I instantly thought, “good, I don’t have to create content today, no meeting.” In less than one second, I was at the keyboard writing this article. My internal rule is: I create real, useful, relevant content (that, hopefully, helps people) at least once a week for BreakfastClubKC. No Excuses.
Try a “No Sometimes Allowed” internal sequence. You may find it simple and effective.
Wesley Harrison
816-482-3755
