Create the Willpower
“There is no traffic beyond the expected mile.”
As the words for today’s Victory Letter start to ooze from my brain I keep thinking what it is that actually happens to get us past the expected mile. In a world that can throw so much at us in a given day, the one human strength we each possess that rises us up past the daily grind - it is willpower.
The ability to move past the adversity and downfalls of our lives with the needed belief and faith, even when the cards seem stacked against us we head towards what matters most. I can think of so many examples in the last few weeks where I have seen willpower in action.
What is foremost in my mind (yes, even beyond the recent election) is the 11-day cleanse I embarked on a few weeks back to achieve some optimum health in my body. I have been working with a nutritionist (Sue @BoulderNutrition) for the past year and had up to this point managed to avoid the cleanse Sue had recommended on a number of occasions for so many reasons.
Finally I hit a wall and was tired of the pain I was feeling in my body. Enough was enough, and I scheduled the 11-day cleanse on my calendar during a time there was not going to be too many social obligations.
Four of the days were liquid only with supplements and drinks that took care of my required nutritional needs. Along with that came tons of water, following the protocol of nutrients and willpower not to eat or drink anything else.
No coffee, wine, or any of my other favorite things to eat. I had to keep my eye on the end result of my body feeling better and not let anything get in the way. Having a designated timeline of 11 days was helpful along with Sue’s coaching and support from my family.
I am not going to lie - it was tough – really tough. But just like any other thing we want bad enough you have to fight through the discomfort. For me, I achieved the goal and my body is now feeling so much better. In addition, I lost 10 pounds in the process as a bonus. ;)
While all these things were great the unexpected benefit for me was in the realization of the willpower within me that was right there ready and waiting to get the job done!
Seth Godin in his latest book, The Dip – A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick), shares the seven reasons why you might fail to become the best in the world at anything. And yes he says, and I agree, if you aren’t going to head out to be the best why head out?
- You run out of time (and quit).
- You run out of money (and quit).
- You get scared (and quit).
- You’re not serious about it (and quit).
- You lose interest or enthusiasm or settle for being mediocre (and quit).
- You focus on short term instead of the long (and quit when the short term gets too hard).
- You pick the wrong thing at which to be the best in the world (because you don’t have the talent).
When was the last time you did something you were really proud of because you became your very best and got beyond just thinking about the end result?
When our inner critic continuously is telling us that we cannot achieve the end goal, it’s time to get help. That first step can give us the support that we need to take us past our comfort zone. Just like Sue did with me during the cleanse process.
What I love about teaching workshops to help small business owners grow their business is when we tap into that willpower that’s needed to consistently move them beyond the resistance of getting their message out the door.
It's time to create the willpower and let the transformation begin!
To Your Successes and Victories,
- Cheri
Cheri Ruskus
Author, Business Growth Coach,
and Founder of the Victory Circles
www.VictoryCircles.com
