For some people, learning from practice might seem second nature – but the benefits of practising regularly at something go beyond the steady improvement you might expect.
The saying that “practice makes perfect” is oft quoted, particularly from hopeful parents to their children; so what does this mean and how can we adopt an everyday action approach that delivers greater-than-anticipated results?
What Do We Mean By Learning from Practice?
At ActionPodcast we know that regular, consistent action is far more effective (and sustainable) than spikes of intense activity. When we work at something little and often, we start building a set of skills that take us from a state of conscious effort towards automatic ability – the more you repeat something, the easier it becomes.
Learned helplessness. It’s not a common phrase but it’s a very common strategy we employ when we feel we’ve lost control of life, and we feel that the only way to get that control back is to act helpless. The roots of learned helplessness often occur in childhood and developed as a coping strategy to deal with emotional, psychological or physical abuse. Were you brought up by hyper critical parents? Do you find you often start things but give up quickly? Are you afraid of intimacy and making deeper connections? Do you always feel the need to be in control, albeit by acting either out of control or helpless?
Paul and Gina discuss ways in which you can recognise if you are suffering from learned helplessness and how you can take steps to move out of this self-sabotaging patterning to a place where you can feel more confident, and eventually stop playing the ‘small and helpless’ game.
Recently I’ve noticed a trend, people aren’t achieving the goals that they set for themselves.
They talk a great talk, telling me how much they want it and how better their life would be once they achieved it.
But they are all failing to achieve their dream for one simple reason, their desired end result is simply not important enough to them. Or rather, they aren’t treating it with the same importance as the rest of their life.
Top 3 Goals that Fail
People who want to lose weight aren’t able to stick to a suitable diet because of work, or a party or some other excuse.
Those who wish to improve their social life and make more friends often choose to sit at home sulking, despite the fact they have been invited out.
Others who are in a job they hate seem to spend so much time stressing about their work they allow no time to start looking for alternative work that would suit them better.
Why You Fail
All the people above want to make a change but find it hard, because they haven’t given it the same priority as the other parts of their life. The only way they will ever get on track and start achieving their goal is if they get more organised, allocate time to make things happen and take action.
Planning and Scheduling
If you are following a healthy eating plan (I hate calling it a diet) you need to make sure you’ve planned for times when it’s going to be tough to stick to. When you’re eating out, ask to substitute items on the menu for a side salad. Or order extra vegetables instead of more bread loaded with butter! Have healthy snacks like nuts or fruit in your bag if you are caught short and need a bite to eat between meals. A little extra planning and consideration will keep you on the straight and narrow. Your waistline with thank you for it!
Get Out and Make an Effort
I frequently have to remind clients that it’s hard to meet new people when you’re sat at home watching the TV. GO OUTSIDE! If you want to meet new people and make friends, find groups and events that cover things you are interested in. MeetUP.com is a great place to start as it has thousands of groups. You’re bound to find something of interest and most of them are completely free! If you are going to join a group, don’t just go once every six months and wonder why your social circle isn’t increasing. Become a regular face at the group, introduce yourself to people you have seen before, join in with events and be reliable.
Making friends is like everything else in life, you have to work at it, you have to earn friendship. Make time for socialising, even if you don’t always feel like it. By making the effort, people will make the effort to get to know you better, and that’s how friendships start.
Take Action Instead of Complaining
Being in a bad work place is awful. You’re there for so many hours a day, if you don’t enjoy it then it can be terribly depressing. But just dreading it every day isn’t going to change it. You have to put the wheels in motion. It’s always better to already be in a job when looking for a new one, so don’t quit just yet! Get your CV updated, have friends check it and help make it as professional as possible. Then start hitting that “apply” button. Sometimes just the act of looking can release a bit of work pressure as it helps you see there is an alternative.
Have you found yourself wishing things would change but nothing seemed to? Maybe it’s because you need to spend a little more time planning, scheduling, making an effort and taking action!
ActionPodcast is your weekly source of inspiration and motivation for taking consistent action in your life.
Our audio shows are deliberately kept short, around 10-15 mins to help you squeeze a weekly boost in to your schedule. From managing stress to managing time, gaining confidence to getting rid of excuses, the experienced team of ActionPodcast coaches provides practical insights and actionable ideas for making consistent progress in the important areas of your life. Read more...
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