adjust | thrive do it
November’s newsletter is all about ACTION as Do It completes the Above the Line virtuous circle.
‘JUST DO IT’
Created more than 30 years ago, Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ is still one of the world’s most memorable slogans. It works because it motivates people. Nike is about sports and working out, and ‘Just Do It’ sounds like a personal trainer, pushing you to get up from that couch and do the work to get results. In addition, the slogan is universal and intensely personal. “It was about the ultimate statement of intention,” the group said. “It had to be personal. It wasn’t about a company telling you what to do. It was a company telling you that you know what the right thing is to do”.
#DOIT
If you don’t get it done, you will never see the full benefit of achieving accountability – overcoming your circumstances and achieving the results you want. Despite the many benefits that you gain from applying the other three steps (See It, Own It, Solve It), results only come when you put all four steps together and passionately, proactively and persistently Do It! When you combine the notion of accountability with the objective of accomplishing better results, you create an empowering and guiding beacon for activity. This form of accountability comes after you have progressed through all four steps of Above the Line. By stopping at any step short of Do It, you may for a time, keep yourself out of the victim cycle and the blame game, however you will never fully achieve a permanent Above the Line position. Any effort that falls short of making it happen and getting it done simply indicates a lack of full acceptance of accountability.
WHAT NOW?
Staying Above the Line requires diligence, vigilance and perseverance. It also requires a willingness to accept risk and to take the giant leap that’s often necessary to get what you want. Fear of failing can debilitate many people that they build walls between Solve It and Do It. However, only by accepting the risk can you penetrate the walls and break down all the barriers to success. It is impossible to get to Do It if you cannot agree that there is a problem, and then take responsibility for solving the problem. You must also come up with a solution to the problem. Yet, once you establish those elements, it is not guaranteed that the Do It part of the equation will happen or continue to happen. It is easy to slip back into old habits or ways of doing things. Creating systems to help remind you to continue operating Above the Line is key to keep moving forward.
FIVE WAYS TO #DOIT
- Stop waiting until conditions are perfect. There is always something that is not right or could be better. Take action now and make adjustments as you move along.
- Take continuous action. Once you get started, continue to take continuous action. It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, just don’t stop.
- Use your action to overcome fear. Often the most fearful part of doing something is thinking about doing it, because once you’re actually doing it, the fear and anxiety disappear.
- Stop over-thinking things. We sometimes analyse things to the point where we can’t move forward (and analysis paralysis sinks in). Just start. Just do it.
- Focus on the present. Don’t be side-tracked by the past, or worried about the future. Eliminate all distractions and keep your attention focused on the here and now.
IN SUMMARY
In the end, personal accountability means that individuals choose to See It, decide to Own It, personally work to Solve It and then individually commit to Do It. Do It means fully embracing your responsibility for results and remaining answerable for your progress toward those results, regardless of how or why you managed to get into your current situation. At the end of The Wizard of Oz story, each of the characters have overcome their own difficult circumstances and achieved their objective. They got results because they asked themselves “What else can I do?” and then answered that with solutions that transcended their obstacles and demonstrated true personal ownership and investment. Each character discovered that they had all along possessed the power to move Above the Line and get the result. The message of The Oz Principle (the concept we first shared with you earlier this year) is that only when you assume full accountability for your thoughts, feelings, actions and results can you direct your own destiny.
TO PONDER
- What else can I do?
- How can I ‘Just Do It’?