It takes effort to get results, and not just any effort, it takes smart effort. You cannot expect to achieve anything without doing something. Unfortunately in our society today, people are making an enormous effort to keep themselves busy all day, yet for many they look at what they have done and realised that much of the time had been wasted. They review their day and wonder what they had achieved.

You need to plan, focus and take action on what you want to achieve to get the outcome you desire. You need to get organised!

My Story

Last year I was in a shop trying on a shirt and I asked a lady who was also in the changing rooms how it looked on me. (I never ask the sales assistant as they usually tell you it looks great regardless of whether it does or not). She thought it looked great and I must confess, I thought so too! Still, being a woman I like to have someone else to confirm it.

Now here’s what I found both flattering and interesting. The lady said “The shirt looks great, I wish I had the same body”. She was referring to my body! That got me excited! That’s the first time someone had said that to me. Mind you this woman was about 15 kg overweight and would probably think that about anyone who was smaller than her.

I replied “Thank you! (and then blurted out in a nice way) However, you could too, just exercise regularly and eat healthily”. I forgot to mention she had an open packet of potato chips in her bag. This lady probably thought I was born this way, one of the lucky ones who could eat and drink anything they wanted and walked occasionally for exercise.

It takes effort

What this lady didn’t know was that every morning I drag myself out of bed at 5.30 a.m. to work out at the local gym. And I do that regardless of how cold or wet it is, how tired I am, whether it’s summer or winter. I pay the price to get the results. I’m also particular about food, trying wherever possible to eat low fat, low sugar food and drink plenty of water.

If there’s an easier alternative, a magic pill which will miraculously keep the weight off, body toned and make me feel great consistently without harming my health, please let me know. Until then, I’ll keep paying the price and making the effort because the results are worth it.

Pay Yourself First

Having read the last couple of paragraphs you might say “why doesn’t she exercise later in the day?”. The reason I don’t is that I am a “morning” person and know that by going to bed earlier and getting up early I can get it over with first thing. Otherwise if I chose to exercise later, chances are circumstances would arise and I’d postpone it.

One of my coaching clients is a runner. He originally rang me because his work and his life was out of control. He runs 20 kms a day and has done so for many years. I asked him how did he manage to religiously run every morning before work yet couldn’t seem to leave the office by 5.30 p.m. each night. He answered “It’s easy to jump out of bed in the morning and run, there’s nothing or no-one able to stop me at that hour (5.30 a.m.). Yet when I’m at work there are too many demands on my time and they seem to always arise late in the day.”

Learn to pay yourself first. Just like George Classon wrote in his book “The Richest Man In Babylon”, take 10% of whatever you earn and pay yourself first. Use it to invest, otherwise there will never be anything left once you pay everything else. And I’m sure many of you can relate to that.

How to Pay Yourself First

You need to make yourself the first priority. Ensure you allow time each and every day to action your own personal agenda.

Here’s a couple of ideas to get you started:

Block out time each day in your diary for your exercise. Eg. Walk at 6.00 a.m. or lunchtime. Plan that first.

Block out time each day to follow up on your personal issues. Eg. Book dental appointment, respond to phone calls, contact bank. Do that early in the day otherwise you’ll run out of time and leave it

Make sure that you stick to it. Learn to say ‘no’ if other people want to make other plans for you during those ‘me’ times. You must take care of yourself first. You have the power to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to other people’s demands on your time. Treat yourself as your no. 1 priority.

The Final Word

When you decide (yes, that right), it’s when you decide to make yourself the highest priority in your life, you’ll find how much easier it is to live your life. When you decide you’re worth it, it will be easy for you to say ‘no’ to other people’s demands/requests. Of course, you’ll need to learn how to organise yourself so that you are effective as possible.