Motivation Series, Part 3.  Check out part 1 & part 2.

Does your daily routine support your goals? Whether you’re planning to start a business, lose weight, quit smoking, or get a new job, you need to ask yourself this very important question.

If you’re like me, you’ve been a closet entrepreneur for many years; you’re always tossing around the idea that you would like to quit your job so you can follow your passion. Who wouldn’t want to ditch their day job and replace it with their own business or an income stream that is based on what he or she is passionate about?

Well, I have some bad news for you. If you don’t change your daily routine then you’ll likely never realize your goal. Let’s look at an example…

Enough is enough

You’ve decided you’ve had enough with doing work you hate, with jobs that inspire you about as much as a root canal. You’re sick of simply working for a paycheck…that’s not good enough anymore. You vow to start a business so you can generate a new source of income and then quit your job when you’re making enough to replace it.

A year later, you’re still at the same job (or a different one) and you still sick and tired of the daily grind. You never started your business but now you’re really serious. You vow to stop at nothing to get that business started and finally check out of the 40-hours-per-week mayhem that you call your job. You’re now even more inspired and determined to follow through.

Another year later…still sick and tired…still at same job…still going to start a business and quit your job. Sound familiar? But why? What’s stopping you? Well, consider this:

If you follow the same daily routine, you’ll never get different results. Everything will stay the same…everyday…for the rest of your life! Inspiring, eh?

Are you in a rut?

One fact about ruts is that they’re easy to fall back into. But if you really want to change your life, you have to create a new routine in order to get out of the old-routine rut. Starting a new fitness routine, replacing a bad habit or any worthwhile endeavor takes action. Let’s try a little experiment:

A Thought Experiment

Imagine that you are five years into the future; you’ve finally reached your goal and you’re living the life you’ve dreamed of. Now, ask yourself these questions:

• What do you imagine your daily routine would be like five years from now?
• How different would it be from your present daily routine?
• Would you work with the same people?
• Would you travel the same roads to get to work?
• Would you eat the same foods?
• Would you work the same hours and take the same lunch break?
• How would you spend your spare time at home?
• Would you hang out with the same people?
• Would you have the same level of stress?
• Would you wake up well-rested and eager to start the day?
• Would your immediate relationships be the same or different?
• Would your overall mood be elevated?

Now, look at your present daily routine. What current habits or patterns of behavior do not support your goal? Fully examine your thoughts and actions. Mentally acknowledge anything that is in your present routine that doesn’t help you achieve your goal. What new behaviors must you adopt so that you can begin to live a life that will support all your goals? Can you see the life you will live after achieving a major goal? Then begin to rearrange your life now! Don’t wait until the planets are aligned or you hit the lottery or your ship comes in.

Assume Success

William Shakespeare said, “Assume a virtue, if you have it not.”  In other words, live as you would if you already had the qualities you’re trying to acquire. In order to achieve your primary goal, perhaps you’ll have to change your daily routine. Try to make it match the routine that you would have as if you had already achieved the goal. Make your life today look like the life you desire for tomorrow.

Today, you can proclaim that you are going to lose weight, quit smoking, start a business, change careers, become debt-free, meet that someone special, or whatever, but if tomorrow comes and you’re back to watching TV all evening or spending hour upon hour watching videos online or answering email-in other words, your typical routine-you’ll end up another year older, making the same hollow promise to yourself. The bottom line is if you really want to accomplish your goals, you must change your daily routine so that your actions support your goals. You cannot continue doing things the same way if you want different results.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” ~Albert Einstein