Why do we lack discipline when we felt so inspired to begin with?

Most people lack discipline when their VISION is not Clear, Captivating, or Considered. They find they are not Committed to an inspirational moment they see in their future.

Developing and following a business plan will be critical for your business success. Following a life plan is equally important for personal success. But when you have a “Plan or Vision” for the year that hasn’t got traction yet, it is probably because you have a vision but the vision doesn’t have you yet!

Active Layered Business Plan

If you are not truly engaged with your vision it will be difficult to inspire others to get connected. So ask yourself, How am I tracking this year with my ALBP - Active Layered Business Plan? Does it truly inspire me first?

If we are not following our ALBP, ask yourself, “Why not?” If you have forgotten your plan, start again.

 “Am I on or off course?”

What will help you identify if you are off or on the right course?
What will help you get back on the right course if you are off course?

Vision precedes discipline.

Without a match to play, even the best athletes can become Fat, not Fit. How is your business fitness? Do you have a match to play and are you training to be successful?

If your vision inspires you, your discipline will naturally want to follow and you will know why you are doing what you are doing. Have you described to yourself recently and clearly what you want to see in your life and business and are you convinced and convicted to make it happen? Talking to yourself is not crazy, it's sometimes the only place you can find a sensible conversation!

A compelling vision only works when there is a shift from you having a dream/goal/vision and the dream/goal/vision having you. Success is imminent when your thoughts, passions, dreams, goals, and actions align. Don’t ever lower your dreams to your circumstances, change your circumstances by reconnecting yourself back to your dreams.

You will have knocks and setbacks, distractions, emergencies and detours.

Some of the things you try will fail. Sometimes more will fail than succeed! But don’t stop at that failure, hurdle or hardship. Persistence is the key to unlocking success.

I shared a conversation this week in our “I Decided Podcast” this week with Ryan Stig.
Ryan was a Professional Rugby League player in the NRL in Australia. He played 14 games in the No 7 Jersey and was enjoying the beginning of an exciting career. One he had always dreamed of.

An injury in a professional sports career is a defining moment. However, an illness is a progressive condition that doesn’t have a defining moment but can still rob a person of the dream. Though illness doesn’t have that same line in the sand you can draw a reference point from it as an injury does. It just slowly erodes and confuses your plans. Illness can steal a little of your hopes and dreams every day in a covert fashion. Each day you are a little weaker and more tired. Each day seems like a slippery slide where your dreams are being dismantled.

While Ryan thought the next part of his life would be footy focused, it turned out to be everything but that. Several questions and examinations later he discovered he had contracted Lymes Disease. Please listen to the Podcast for the rest of the story.

Focused and Flexible

When planning out the life we want to live in and forecasting our Business on Purpose we need to stay focused and learn to be flexible. We have to Aim and Adjust and we have to Strategise and Improvise.

For your vision or business plan to succeed you will need to see your success before it arrives, then take yourself and your team on a mission with you to achieve it. Vision is catchy when it is compelling. If your dream doesn’t invite you to be excited and be in love with it, your dream, plan, desire and goals will be very difficult to convince others about.

You will also learn in the podcast how Ryan Stig had to learn how to occasionally adjust his sights and adjust his outcomes to meet circumstances that were completely out of his control. But he didn’t lose his passion and his dream.

Plan B and Discipline

Just because ‘Plan A’ doesn’t come off at our first attempt in our lives, life is not a dud. We don’t have to live with a second-rate mindset. You still have plenty to give, plenty of people in your life who are blessed you are there. Your life is entwined with theirs and you have to decide whether you will live the absolute very best life you can.

Discipline regardless of circumstance is a hallmark of a quality person and every one of us has a story of sweet victory when we overcome a difficult challenge.

Planning a life you want to live in doesn't always come off exactly the way you plan. But having no plan isn't an option just because “you can’t plan everything”. So many times your setbacks will be setups for a different success than you could originally see. This is an exciting dynamic of life.

If you are currently stuck or feeling like you have messed up or missed out, I would love to discuss living life forward with you.

Today is the start of the rest of your life and creating a plan with the discipline to see it through will be integral to your success.

Have a great week… Ian