"There is no use whatsoever trying to help people who do not help themselves.  You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he is willing to climb himself" - Andrew Carnegie

I've just got off the phone from someone who has decided not to do the NBCoach programme because they're too busy working 70-75 hours a week.  He knows the programme would help him get down to 40 profitable and enjoyable hours a week, but he just can't see his way clear.

He's right.  His way is not clear at all.  For change to happen, we have to go through three distinct stages:

• Awareness - if we don't realise the truth of our situation, we can continue to fool ourselves that it's manageable.  Our minds are endlessly suggestable, and we can get used to practically anything, including long hours for little reward.  And then one day, it will hit us like a lightning bolt: I don't want to operate like this anymore.  There has got to be a better way.  In my consulting days we called this "the burning platform", the reason for change.
• Clarity - having decided we need to change, we then have to get clear about the kind of future we want to create.  This too is a challenge.  Most of the time we only know what we want less of, but while that's important, it's not enough.  We need a clear picture of what we want.
• Commitment - once we've set the future path, we have to be prepared to commit time and effort to the change in behaviour required to achieve the goal.  And when we fall off task, as we will, we have to realise that there is only one thing to do, and that's to re-commit.  It was Julie Andrews, that well-known sage, who said that success in life is about getting knocked down 19 times and getting up 20.

Here's your question: where have you fallen off the wagon, and what's stopping you getting back on?  OK two questions this week. 

Mike Ashby 4 March 2008