After years of struggle around an issue from finances to fitness, weight loss to mental health going to the guru of the day for answers, have you ever simply ?given up? the struggle and resolved to do what it takes to achieve your goal?



I call giving up the struggle and doing what it takes, resolving to do the necessary thing. And the necessary things are, well, necessary for success. The problem is that these necessary things are often hard. They require discipline and a commitment from us. They require a change, a lifestyle change, to use an oft over used term. Few of us are ever prepared to make a lifestyle change.

The necessary things are the non-negotiable things of life. Yet we invest so much time, energy and money running from guru to guru program to program looking for the short cuts, the ways around the non-negotiable things of life.

I recently hit the fitness and lifestyle wall. About a year ago I looked right (at the mirror) when I should have looked left (out the window) and almost fainted. I saw my body and how horribly out of shape I was. I found a fitness program and got on it. This was a simple program consisting of six simple meals per day and six exercise days per week: cardio alternating with weight training. At the end of 90 days I had toned up and lost weight. I traveled internationally and fell off of my program. At the outset my fitness program was easy and exciting. I saw my body change, but after I returned from my travels, going to the gym and staying on my food regimen were just too hard. I stopped going to the gym, but I continued eating my 6 simple meals per day. I wasn't able to maintain my body that way so I went to the gym 3 times per week instead of 6 and did weight lifting only. That did not produce the results I wanted so I did cardio only. That did not produce the results I wanted either so I quit going to the gym altogether.

Then it happened again: looked right when I should have looked left. I stood in the mirror disgusted. I knew the formula: work out 6 times per week, 3 weight days and 3 cardio days, eat 6 meals per day, whole grain foods low fat eating. Simple, yes? But it required a lifestyle change I did not want to make. That is until I was so confronted with reality'I had no choice. Understanding the formula for success, I resolved to make the change because I wanted the result.

It was that simple. No need for gurus. No need for the next self help book.

I just needed a mirror and there we have it.

Accomplishing change means accepting that there are necessary steps on the path of personal accomplishment, finding out what those steps are and implementing them.

Here are 3 key strategies that will help you do the necessary things and negotiate the non-negotiable things of life.

1) Determine what you want. What do you truly want?

2) Find out the steps required to get what you want. Those steps are your formula for success. Finding out these steps should be the only time that you need to consult a guru

3) Accept the steps required and compare those steps with what you want so that you can ?count the cost?. If you still want what you thought you wanted resolve to carry out the necessary steps.

Very often when we hit a wall on the path to success, we look outside of ourselves for that new strategy that will help us blast through that wall. As scripture reminds us: ?There is nothing new under the sun?, Ecc.1:9. With that in mind, learn the critical action steps, count the cost and resolve to do the necessary thing.