No One Drifts Toward Productive

28 Sep No One Drifts Toward Productive

I was talking with a friend recently about the “slow fade.” For example, we never intend to get out of shape, but sometimes we just stop eating as well or training as often and one day we realize our pants don’t fit.

That change didn’t happen overnight, it happened slowly over time because we let it fade. This happens with relationships as well. If we don’t actively invest in them, they fade away.

In the same way, no one just going through life naturally drifts toward the productive or positive. Our natural inclination is to drift toward comfort, convenience, and what’s easy. Not always what’s best for us.

Think about what feels good on a cold morning when your alarm goes off at 5:00 AM. What feels natural is to pull the covers up, turn the alarm off, and go back to sleep. It’s not getting out of bed, putting your feet on a cold floor, putting on your workout clothes, and going outside to push yourself and get that workout in. That’s not natural, that’s discomfort. You have to make an intentional choice to do that.

When we just go through the motions, we naturally drift toward the unproductive.

This is why it’s imperative to go into every single day with intention. No one just magically wakes up at success one day. It requires work, effort, and consistency.

Most people are on autopilot. They put in a little bit of work and have some success, but after that win, they start to go through the motions instead of going on the attack like they once did.

That’s why complacency is one of the most likely results of winners and why they don’t always repeat their success.  Sometimes they look at what they did before, start going through the motions, and think their success will just happen again.

The only way to get around that is to be incredibly intentional with how we start our day. To have an attack plan. That way, when we feel that call to convenience, we can fight back. You’re always going to have that call to comfort. But just because you hear that call doesn’t mean you have to listen to it.

Just like going to the gym and going through the motions without a plan isn’t going to put you in shape. You may lose a little bit of weight just from pure movement, but you’re not going to consistently get stronger without a plan.

So this morning, ask yourself:

• Who do I want to be today?
• What are one to three things that I plan to achieve today?

Then at the end of the day, as a recap, ask yourself:

• What did I do well today?
• What can I build on tomorrow?

Find where you’re going to grow because that’s how you compete. Create a plan, set an intention, put it into action, evaluate it after, and then repeat it tomorrow.

No one drifts toward the productive. The slow fade happens to everybody and it’s never in the right direction. The slow fade lacks action, intentionality, and the slow growth that happens when you climb up a mountain that gets you to where you want to go.

A climb takes effort, direction, and a plan. It doesn’t just happen. No one drifts towards success, put in the work to go climb and get yours.

Go win your Wednesday and go win the rest of this week. You know I’m cheering for you, Competitor!