Over the last 11 years I have given out more than 250 copies of my favorite book – The Success Principles by success coach and author Jack Canfield. Two years ago, I was blessed to spend a week with Jack, his staff and entrepreneurs from around the world.
It was a great opportunity to learn new strategies for getting clear about what’s really important in our lives and achieving our goals.
However, the most important lesson I took away from this week was very small.
By that I mean, I learned (actually re-learned) that it’s the little things that always lead to the greatest successes.
We are so tempted to chase after the “new, quick fix solution” that we completely forget that it is always about the fundamentals.
For example, I just visited Amazon.com to see which book would pop up when I searched the word “diet.” Guess what was the number one selection?
The 17 Day Diet – A Doctor’s Design Planned for Results. Really? 17 days – are you kidding me?
Every single person reading this article knows exactly how to lose weight. You eat less and exercise more. In fact, it’s even easier than that – all you need to do is burn more calories each day than you consume.
That’s it. But, it takes time. A lot more than 17 days. However, if you follow the basics, you will get the results you desire.
For me, the lesson I learned was equally simple.
There are a handful of daily rituals that always lead to a successful and purpose driven day. They include daily gratitude, affirmations and meditation. I am certain that putting these simple behaviors back into practice will lead to amazing results.
Unfortunately, I had abandoned them over the past few years and guess what happened? It’s the same thing that happens to your midsection when you eat fast food and skip the gym. I drifted back into bad habits and got less than desirable results.
As soon as I got back to the office, I got back into the routine. I know that it will take time before I see results. In addition, I am certain that there will be days when I wonder if it’s worth the effort.
Yet, I know that if I commit to the little things, I will reap the big rewards.
As with most things in life, the solution is simple. All you need to do is execute.