When we don’t feel like moving forward, it is simply because we don’t have enough reasons to help stimulate our motivation. If only someone could just turn on the switch to power-up the sense of urgency… how different would life be?
To begin living with a sense of urgency, it’s important to understand how it originates and manifests in people’s lives. Well, there are actually two ways a sense of urgency can be created. One way is forced upon you by external events, people, and circumstances, and the other way is created from within.
Here is a very blunt example of the first way that urgency is created. Just imagine for a moment a mafia boss kidnapped you and made all these threats against you and your family. He mentions that the only way to ensure everyone’s safety is for you to attain your goals by a certain date. Immediately this creates a sense of urgency and forces you to take the necessary action steps to attain your desired outcomes — right? While not as extreme, this is a similar example to the company putting out an incentive or promotion – even the trips –it is an external motivator. If you don’t do something by a certain date, you miss out.
The second way urgency is created comes from within. Here you create either a real or imagined sense of urgency that spurs you on towards your desired outcomes. It doesn’t really matter how you end up convincing yourself to take urgent action in pursuit of your goals, as long as it creates within you a strong desire to attack your goals with purpose and get things done intelligently and quickly. This is what I was talking about with my run to Master.
In order to create a sense of urgency, you must be fully present in the moment. Urgency only exists in the moment. Obsessively thinking about the future will only manifest in anxiety and worry — which could paralyze you and lead to procrastination. Remaining in the present will help you to focus fully on the task at hand to get the job done in the most effective and efficient means possible. This, of course, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t think about the future. Taking future deadlines into consideration is very important when it comes to creating a sense of urgency, however, what’s important is that you don’t obsess over your future, but instead stay present in order to create a sense of urgency in the moment.
Urgency also requires a proactive approach to your tasks and projects. Like prospecting and showing the plan. Being proactive means that you are constantly thinking a few steps ahead to identify what needs to get done. Being proactive also means that you are focusing on your highest priority activities — these are the 20 percent of activities that will get you 80 percent of the results. While sponsoring is a key indicator of growth in Shaklee, the activity that we must focus on is SHOWING THE PLAN. Talking about the full Shaklee picture – company, products and opportunity consistently in order to enroll new people.
Discipline is also required to create a sense of urgency. Discipline is important because it keeps you focused and on-task no matter how many distractions and obstacles you need to fight through in order to get to your desired objective. Are we all disciplined to enroll a MINIMUM of 10 new people into our business each month? Are we all disciplined to show the plan 15-20x/month???
Finally, to create a sense of urgency you need to combine optimism with determination to get everything completed. Optimism will keep you motivated when things get difficult, and determination will help you wade through the difficulties that you will inevitably face along your journey.
Without all these habits-of-mind you will struggle to create a lasting sense of urgency in your life. In conclusion, here is a four-step process that will provide you with the foundations for living with more urgency:
Step 1: Build an Inspiring Vision for the Future
Step 2: Break You Goals Down into Parts
Step 3: Find Reasons to Move Forward
Step 4: Create Penalties and Rewards
“Success requires both urgency and patience. Be urgent about making the effort, and patient about seeing the results.” ~ Ralph Marston
To begin living with a sense of urgency, it’s important to understand how it originates and manifests in people’s lives. Well, there are actually two ways a sense of urgency can be created. One way is forced upon you by external events, people, and circumstances, and the other way is created from within.
Here is a very blunt example of the first way that urgency is created. Just imagine for a moment a mafia boss kidnapped you and made all these threats against you and your family. He mentions that the only way to ensure everyone’s safety is for you to attain your goals by a certain date. Immediately this creates a sense of urgency and forces you to take the necessary action steps to attain your desired outcomes — right? While not as extreme, this is a similar example to the company putting out an incentive or promotion – even the trips –it is an external motivator. If you don’t do something by a certain date, you miss out.
The second way urgency is created comes from within. Here you create either a real or imagined sense of urgency that spurs you on towards your desired outcomes. It doesn’t really matter how you end up convincing yourself to take urgent action in pursuit of your goals, as long as it creates within you a strong desire to attack your goals with purpose and get things done intelligently and quickly. This is what I was talking about with my run to Master.
In order to create a sense of urgency, you must be fully present in the moment. Urgency only exists in the moment. Obsessively thinking about the future will only manifest in anxiety and worry — which could paralyze you and lead to procrastination. Remaining in the present will help you to focus fully on the task at hand to get the job done in the most effective and efficient means possible. This, of course, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t think about the future. Taking future deadlines into consideration is very important when it comes to creating a sense of urgency, however, what’s important is that you don’t obsess over your future, but instead stay present in order to create a sense of urgency in the moment.
Urgency also requires a proactive approach to your tasks and projects. Like prospecting and showing the plan. Being proactive means that you are constantly thinking a few steps ahead to identify what needs to get done. Being proactive also means that you are focusing on your highest priority activities — these are the 20 percent of activities that will get you 80 percent of the results. While sponsoring is a key indicator of growth in Shaklee, the activity that we must focus on is SHOWING THE PLAN. Talking about the full Shaklee picture – company, products and opportunity consistently in order to enroll new people.
Discipline is also required to create a sense of urgency. Discipline is important because it keeps you focused and on-task no matter how many distractions and obstacles you need to fight through in order to get to your desired objective. Are we all disciplined to enroll a MINIMUM of 10 new people into our business each month? Are we all disciplined to show the plan 15-20x/month???
Finally, to create a sense of urgency you need to combine optimism with determination to get everything completed. Optimism will keep you motivated when things get difficult, and determination will help you wade through the difficulties that you will inevitably face along your journey.
Without all these habits-of-mind you will struggle to create a lasting sense of urgency in your life. In conclusion, here is a four-step process that will provide you with the foundations for living with more urgency:
Step 1: Build an Inspiring Vision for the Future
Step 2: Break You Goals Down into Parts
Step 3: Find Reasons to Move Forward
Step 4: Create Penalties and Rewards
“Success requires both urgency and patience. Be urgent about making the effort, and patient about seeing the results.” ~ Ralph Marston
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