Spring is here… Time to wake up!
Turn off your brain’s autopilot.
More than two-thirds of us are living and working on autopilot, according to even the most conservative estimates.
Neuroscientists attribute the phenomenon to the brain’s ability to conserve energy. To avoid depleting valuable reserves, the brain chooses the path of least resistance. It essentially tries to avoid thinking.
Don’t let this physiological wiring lull you into complacency. Decades of research on achievement suggest that successful people reach their goals because of what they do, not because of who they are.
They differentiate themselves from their counterparts by learning how to “wake up” when necessary.
Here are 11 strategies for turning off your brain’s autopilot and taking an active role in achieving your goals.
1. Know what you want. You’ll overlook important opportunities if you don’t know what you’d like to achieve. When coaching executives, this is one of the first areas I address. Surprisingly, many executives find it easier to express what they don’t want compared to what they do want. Make a list of what you want in the form of goals. Write down action steps and prioritize them.
2. Be specific. Goals can’t be vague if you want to make progress. The more concrete and action-based your goals are, the easier it is to carry them out.
3. Provoke. No need to make anyone angry. Provoke something positive – like new ideas, new thinking, new behaviors, actions, change, laughter, excitement. When you stir up others, you stir something new in yourself.
4. Take breaks. Try to do this every 90 minutes so that your brain can recharge. Step away from your work for a few minutes. You’ll work smarter instead of harder.
5. Learn something new. Successful people avidly pursue continuing education to build their knowledge and skills. Identify a skill or knowledge area you’d like to pursue. It doesn’t necessarily need to be job related. The act of learning itself is energizing.
6. Be a realistic optimist. Choose your goals wisely. If you set the bar too low, you won’t feel energized. Set it high enough so you’ll feel challenged, yet won’t become discouraged. Believe in your ability to create the good you want. Your capacity to learn and grow will help shift you into a different gear.
7. Don’t move the goal posts. Research shows that successful people persevere just a little bit longer than everyone else. If you’re not getting the results, view your efforts as an experiment in learning what doesn’t work. Don’t beat yourself up for hitting speed bumps on the road to progress.
8. Celebrate small victories. Focus on what is working instead of what’s not working. Some people keep a journal of small successes. They all count. A positive approach will keep you centered.
9. Track your progress. It can be easy to deceive yourself. Work with a colleague, mentor or executive coach if you need to. Seeing your progress is motivating. You’ll avoid complacency.
10. Care about a cause — something very important to you. Commit to making a significant difference in an area that you care about. You’ll gain new perspective. Pouring yourself into work that really matters to you is one of the best ways to be truly engaged in your work. And it keeps life interesting.
11. Don’t tempt fate. Alcoholics who want to stay sober avoid bars. Choose your company wisely. Successful people enjoy spending time with other achievers. Harness colleagues’ and friends’ “social energy” to maintain your enthusiasm and reinforce new habits and routines.
Changing self-destructive habits or patterns can be frustrating.
Your brain will initially fight you since it’s trying to run your life on autopilot. But with increased awareness and commitment to action, you’ll break the magnetic force.
Notice when you’re on autopilot.
Wake up!
Flip the switch.