7 Questions to Ask Yourself to Get Serious Results

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Change is the end result of all true learning. — Leo Buscagli

2019 is around the corner. Many people get excited and plan their New Year’s resolutions, but I’ll be the first to admit I’m a resolution skeptic.

We don’t have to wait for a new year; we can change our lives at any time, seriously. 

To get serious results, we need to get serious about our results. Year after year, people want to shed off extra weight, earn more money, or complete a new goal. We all have hopes and dreams we’d like to fulfill.  Our wants are unwavering, but our efforts are temporary. According to U.S. News, 80% of resolutions fail by February. How can we expect life-changing results if we quit trying after one month?

If we’re going to get serious about our results, we need to reflect and ask ourselves the following questions:

1. How much time will this goal take?

Everything takes time. Often times, we focus on shortcuts instead of investing time in the work itself. How long will this goal take in its entirety? One year? Five years? Ten years? Give yourself the appropriate time span.  Cut yourself too short, and it’s easy to give up. Give ourselves too much time, and it’s easy to procrastinate.

2. How much time should be invested on the goal each day?

Whether a goal takes one year or ten, make sure each day is well spent. How much time do we need to invest on a daily basis? Keep the plan realistic and compatible with your current schedule. We only have 24 hours in a day, use them wisely. 

3. When will I be working on this?

Don’t leave your task up to chance. If this will take 30 minutes every day, what time of the day will this be done? Will it be more advantageous to work on this in the morning or evening? Carve this time out in your schedule and protect it with everything you’ve got. 

4. What trade-offs am I willing to sacrifice?

Everything in life has tradeoffs. What are the tradeoffs for this goal? If we want to lose weight, we’ll need to exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. Our tradeoff might mean fewer trips to our favorite restaurant or fewer reruns of our favorite series. Recognize the tradeoffs, and remember the outcome you’ve set out to achieve.  

5.  What is the objective and what’s a distraction?

Focus on the objective. Forget the tools. Stop the busywork. Drop the excuses. There will always be something to pull our attention away from what we need to do. We can set our time, have all the right tools, but if we get caught up in other things, we’ll never get to where we want to be. Remember the essentials; forget the rest. 

6. What small wins can I acknowledge and celebrate along the way?

Walt Disney was fired at a young age for a lack of creativity. Oprah was fired from her first job as a television anchor. J.K. Rowling has been quoted saying she was the “biggest failure she knew.” Most of us have heard these stories, yet we still believe success is a linear path without setbacks and challenges. Along our journey, we won’t win every battle. Keep going and do what it takes to keep moving forward, even if it’s just a small win. The small, unpredictable victories help us reach the great victorious outcomes. 

7. What can I learn from others?  

Learn from those who have achieved what you would like to accomplish. Everyone will have a different recipe for success, but if we can learn and pick up valuable ingredients from one another, we can make progress. As the African Proverb states: “if you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” 

Remember, we are not our thoughts.

When we do face an inevitable setback, failure can quickly get the best of us. The negative voice in our head starts summoning negative thoughts and moments of failure from the past. Together, these thoughts and memories form a belief we can’t do anything right. A belief we are lazy, stupid, or inadequate. We are not our thoughts or the voices inside our head. Thoughts are temporary. Let the thoughts come, then let them go. Keep working away, and don’t let anything stop you from being the best version of yourself.

2019 is here, but if we can get serious about the efforts, there will be a serious payoff.

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Written by Andrew Rocha