In this article about getting what you want, we finally talk about the results. This is usually the part that gets people excited. That makes sense, right? After all, it's the results we should be concerned about, correct? Well...not exactly.
Results are great. After putting in all the time energy and effort of making sure our values, goals, philosophies, attitudes and actions are congruous we want to see some results. It's gratifying to see all that work pay off. The first signs we have that it is paying off are the results we get. The fact is, though, that for most of us, results are not the final link in the chain of getting what we want. They're close to the end, but they aren't the end. “How can results not be the end of the chain?” is a reasonable question, so let's look at it.
When most people think about getting what they want, they see their lives looking or working out a certain way. Whether the area is family, relationships, finances, business or something else, people tend to see getting what they want as making their lives better in some way. Results don't do that. For instance, a man who has worked to change his philosophies, attitudes, etc. to get better relationships might have in mind finding a marriage partner or some other sort of long term relationship. This is not a result. Jim Rohn called it “lifestyle” and that's the term we'll use. To get that lifestyle, he might have to meet different sorts of people. He might need to be more open, honest and direct. He might need to learn to remember special days and events. Those things are results. The business owner might see herself enjoying significantly more free time. This is not a result. It's a lifestyle. To get the lifestyle she wants she may need a business that runs more efficiently or more competitively. She might need to increase her profit margin or forge better relationships with her customers and vendors. Again, these are results.
Results are the things that let us know we are on our way to achieving our life goals (lifestyle, if you will). We use them to measure our progress. How much money have I saved? How many books have I read? Did I make it a point to say “please” and “thank you” today? Did I make sure I spent time with my family, today? How many phone calls did I make? Did I answer all my correspondence? Notice something about all these. They can all be measured and tracked. The secret to getting my results to lead to what I ultimately want is this: I must measure and track them. If I don't track them, how will I know how often I get them? If I don't measure them, how will I know for sure if my actions are producing the kind of results I want? The answer, of course, is simple. If I don't measure them and keep track of my measurements I will have no idea and will probably miss getting what I want.
So, when I look at results, I must take the time to both measure and track them. I can do it by hand with a pen and paper or I can do it electronically. Above all, though, I must do it! That's the way I gauge my progress. When babies are born they are weighed on a regular basis. Why? To measure their progress, to see how they're doing. Why do we track grades in school? To see how students are doing. Why do employers give regular performance evaluations? So they and the employee can have a measure of how that employee is doing. Measuring and tracking our results lets us see how close we are getting to our ultimate goal of lifestyle. It also lets us know when (not if) we need to back up the chain of getting what we want and make another change.
A few hints to make your results work for you:
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As with actions, there are many tools you can use to help track your results. Find one that works for you, make the commitment to use it and do so.
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Be brutally honest with yourself, just like in all the earlier steps.
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Don't make changes immediately unless you see an obvious disaster looming. Let your new way of doing things, and the results it produces, run for a while so you have results to actually track.
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Don't make the mistake of thinking the results of your actions are your end goal. They aren't. They're just the way you'll get there.
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Never lose track of why you're doing all this work. Keep the end goal in mind so it can pull you through the hard times.
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Don't get discouraged and never give up!
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Consider hypnosis as a way of helping you stay focused and keeping your commitment to measuring and tracking your goals.
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