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The 18-year-old starts her day with a slice of toast and a jog
around the block. She burns 200 calories. She then walks the varsity
corridors from one end to the other, three times, while carrying her
backpack. 400 Calories. After varsity, she wants to cut loose and relax,
so she goes out with her friends and winds up dancing. Not a planned
activity, but it knocks another 500 calories off her total count.
The 38-year-old who lives two blocks away drives to work and sits in an office all day. She made it to gym twice last week and she's quite chuffed about the fact (that she burned 100 calories, twice). The weekend arrives, and because they live in the same neighbourhood, they cross paths at the mall.
The 38-year-old glances sidelong at the lithe youth eating a slice of pizza, and thinks, 'If I was her age, I could also eat anything I wanted and stay thin.' She genuinely believes that she has been trying. She just doesn't seem to be getting results.
And this is how humanity fools itself. We've been doing it for eons and we're very, very good at it. In a straight choice between truth and the warm waters of an easy cop-out, most of us will break out the bath-salts. We will defend even our feeblest efforts and laud them as crusades. We see our results as a tragic skewing of reality, not a true reflection of our input.
Numbers Don't Lie:
Discipline - real discipline - is not a half-hearted dabble into the shallow waters. Real discipline is a numbers game, measured on a daily basis.
If the 38-year-old was burning the same number of calories as the 18-year-old, her results would be vastly different to what she is currently experiencing. If she exercised the same number of hours, she, too, could gobble the extra-cheese Four Seasons sans noticeable effect.
But mental scapegoats are easier to swallow than an honest appraisal of numbers. And so she falls back on external blame, citing Gluten-intolerance, her age, stress, the kids, a thyroid problem and the recent solar eclipse for her results. In her own mind, she honestly believes that she should be able to achieve the same results as the 18-year-old, without putting in the same numbers. This is a mathematical impossibility, at odds with the laws of physics. In this sense, the world is, in fact, extremely fair.
Numbers don't lie. The good news, though, is that we can use that truth to our advantage. Put in the numbers, and you will get the results.
Your Future in Enumerated Commitment:
Let's talk about the desires that flit around in your mind and weigh them up against the reality of enumerated commitment: What do you want? A university degree? That requires a number of hours of study per day. Weight loss? A measurable amount of exercise burning a measurable amount of calories. Mastery of a musical instrument? Hours of practice. To write your own book? Only a daily commitment to producing a minimum word-count per day will ever turn you into an author.
The same applies if you want to make your target as a salesperson, or start your own profitable business. These are attainable goals. They are desirable goals. But like the 38-year-old observing the 18-year-old, we can't look at those who have made it and begrudge them their success. We have to acknowledge their hours of effort and do likewise.
Just as they have, we must write down a number of business-generating activities to achieve each day; a predetermined number of prospects to call upon; then set that alarm clock for an early start...
Passion gets these projects started. Discipline, and discipline alone, adds them to your life story. And discipline is a game of numbers.
Numbers as a form of fire:
To encourage yourself, try this: Keep a document detailing the numbers you have notched up. If you've completed three business-generating activities in a day, write them down. If you've amassed a word-count toward your new book, keep a log recording your progress. Note your sales calls.
Numbers are not just aspirational. They are a wonderful reflection of how much you have put in so far, which can be encouraging. Watch the numbers increase on your document, and you'll feel the satisfaction of a growing, provable mountain of input. Grow your mountain sufficiently, and a landslide of results is inevitable.
Above all, don't lull yourself into believing that you're trying when the numbers don't bear it out. They don't lie, but they can be your ally.
The 38-year-old who lives two blocks away drives to work and sits in an office all day. She made it to gym twice last week and she's quite chuffed about the fact (that she burned 100 calories, twice). The weekend arrives, and because they live in the same neighbourhood, they cross paths at the mall.
The 38-year-old glances sidelong at the lithe youth eating a slice of pizza, and thinks, 'If I was her age, I could also eat anything I wanted and stay thin.' She genuinely believes that she has been trying. She just doesn't seem to be getting results.
And this is how humanity fools itself. We've been doing it for eons and we're very, very good at it. In a straight choice between truth and the warm waters of an easy cop-out, most of us will break out the bath-salts. We will defend even our feeblest efforts and laud them as crusades. We see our results as a tragic skewing of reality, not a true reflection of our input.
Numbers Don't Lie:
Discipline - real discipline - is not a half-hearted dabble into the shallow waters. Real discipline is a numbers game, measured on a daily basis.
If the 38-year-old was burning the same number of calories as the 18-year-old, her results would be vastly different to what she is currently experiencing. If she exercised the same number of hours, she, too, could gobble the extra-cheese Four Seasons sans noticeable effect.
But mental scapegoats are easier to swallow than an honest appraisal of numbers. And so she falls back on external blame, citing Gluten-intolerance, her age, stress, the kids, a thyroid problem and the recent solar eclipse for her results. In her own mind, she honestly believes that she should be able to achieve the same results as the 18-year-old, without putting in the same numbers. This is a mathematical impossibility, at odds with the laws of physics. In this sense, the world is, in fact, extremely fair.
Numbers don't lie. The good news, though, is that we can use that truth to our advantage. Put in the numbers, and you will get the results.
Your Future in Enumerated Commitment:
Let's talk about the desires that flit around in your mind and weigh them up against the reality of enumerated commitment: What do you want? A university degree? That requires a number of hours of study per day. Weight loss? A measurable amount of exercise burning a measurable amount of calories. Mastery of a musical instrument? Hours of practice. To write your own book? Only a daily commitment to producing a minimum word-count per day will ever turn you into an author.
The same applies if you want to make your target as a salesperson, or start your own profitable business. These are attainable goals. They are desirable goals. But like the 38-year-old observing the 18-year-old, we can't look at those who have made it and begrudge them their success. We have to acknowledge their hours of effort and do likewise.
Just as they have, we must write down a number of business-generating activities to achieve each day; a predetermined number of prospects to call upon; then set that alarm clock for an early start...
Passion gets these projects started. Discipline, and discipline alone, adds them to your life story. And discipline is a game of numbers.
Numbers as a form of fire:
To encourage yourself, try this: Keep a document detailing the numbers you have notched up. If you've completed three business-generating activities in a day, write them down. If you've amassed a word-count toward your new book, keep a log recording your progress. Note your sales calls.
Numbers are not just aspirational. They are a wonderful reflection of how much you have put in so far, which can be encouraging. Watch the numbers increase on your document, and you'll feel the satisfaction of a growing, provable mountain of input. Grow your mountain sufficiently, and a landslide of results is inevitable.
Above all, don't lull yourself into believing that you're trying when the numbers don't bear it out. They don't lie, but they can be your ally.
Douglas Kruger is a professional speaker, trainer and author of
the '50 Ways' series of books. His most booked keynote speeches are: The
Rules of Hamster-Thinking, The Big Bum Theory, and How To Position
Yourself As an Expert. See him in action or read more of his articles
at: http://www.douglaskruger.co.za. Email him at: kruger@compute.co.za or follow him on Linked In or Twitter: @douglaskruger
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