Ready? Here comes The Question: What is the One Thing you could do that will make a difference in your life / relationship / goal / task?
This is the question my coach always asks me. She is as regular as clockwork on it. Every time she asks it, it makes me squirm, too. I know exactly what I should do. I just don't want to commit to that action. It is like she can see me from 800 miles away. I think she has a camera hidden in my office. When I start to waffle on a goal or task, she zings in there with The Question.
When faced with a stalled relationship, goal or task, most of the time I think we know what we need to do. Committing to do it is the hard part. These actions, no matter how easy (and they are usually quite simple), are never the comfortable thing to do. These actions take us out of our comfort zone and force us to reevaluate ourselves on different levels. Recognizing why it is uncomfortable is the key to improvement.
We improve most through adversity. To build strong muscles, we have to add resistance to our workouts. To build a strong network, we have to get out and talk to people. To advance in our career, we have to solve difficult problems. One of my favorite quotes from The Book of Mormon is "11. For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. " It goes on to explain how through opposition, we can experience the good things. We can't have joy without knowing misery or health without sickness.
We have to have trials to grow. Knowing that gets us past the first step: accepting there will be adversity to the new habit we are trying to create. Once we have this realization, we can move on to the next step: committing to the change. This is what is the heart of The Question. Once we determine the One Thing that can help us the most, we are already committing to doing it. Once we say it, name it, we have started on the path to accountability and success.
But what if there are many, many more than one thing to do to the relationship/goal/task? I have asked that question, both in sincerity and as a deflection from having to make the commitment. My coach always agrees there is probably more than one thing to do. But which is the One Thing that will make a difference? Pick one. The One. The most important One. There is always One Thing that makes the difference. Sure, there will be other One Things once the first one is mastered. But for now, forget the rest. Just focus on The One.
Say it out loud to yourself every morning while you look in the mirror. Write it on a note and attach it to your computer monitor or refrigerator door. Tell your coach or your kids. Now go and do the One Thing. Start today. Just Do It.
This is a repost from my personal blog: Dan In Focus.
Picture credit: Mark and Angel Hack Life