Warning! To Succeed You Need To Start Thinking Inside the Box!
What’s that?!
Yeah, we have all heard the buzz-word phrase:
“To succeed you need to think outside the box…”
with the idea being that “the box” represents our own self-imposed blinders that tell us “this is the way we have always done it…”. And sure, that is a good thing, we do need to explore different ways of thinking about how to succeed in our lives and our businesses.
So why would I say we need to think inside the box?
Well, to be perfectly honest, I am talking about a different box. The box I am talking about is the one that separates the things you do have control over, and the things you do not. And to be even more honest, my pastor gave me this idea from his last sermon (see my about page if you want more info on that).
You see one of the areas where we waste much energy (and I am as guilty as anyone on this count) is that we tend to focus on things we really don’t have too much control over. Let’s take the recent election for example. How much control do you have over the election? Well, unless you had several hundred million dollars to spend on nationwide advertising, not much. Sure, you got a vote, and you could coordinate your country voter registration, perhaps volunteer for your party, go door to door, write blog posts, etc. There are many things you can do, but in the end you don’t really have much control over the outcome.
Regardless of what you thought about the outcome of the election, this is something that is basically outside of your box. And, in fact, most things in life are outside your box. You may have some influence on some of these things, but really there are just a few things you can say are actually inside of your box.
In fact, even the length of you life is not inside that box of yours…
So what is inside? Well, perhaps the most important thing in the universe: Your Attitude.
- Your attitude determines how you Perceive everything around you: and your perception of things profoundly affects what actions you take, what words you speak, and what feelings you allow into your life – and that directs the intentions you send out.
- Your attitude determines how you Plan your next move: Okay, so you have come up against a mountain and there is no way around it… now you need a plan on what to do next. You have no control over the mountain, but you have control over what plan you will make!
- Your attitude determines what Priorities you will make: If you have a poor attitude you tend to prioritize those things that give you an immediate “high” instead of the things that will make a lasting and important change.
In short, attitude determines how you will react to the things you cannot control, and what you will do: will you stop dead, will you map your way around, or will you power through difficulties and unexpected challenges? If you are alive and are planning on setting goals, you will face these things.
So you need to think inside your “box” so that you can have the kind of sustained attitude that allows you to move forward. Your sustained attitude is one of the most important aspects of goal achievement, because while it is easy and fun to “imagine” yourself achieving a goal – it is the sustained attitude that will carry you through the tough times. Goals are funny things that have a way of making you face your own insecurities and weaknesses. If you don’t face them head on with an attitude of “whatever it takes” – then you are bound to fail.
So start thinking inside your box – to become a Master Achiever you need to take control fully of those things you are in control of.
- David T. McKee
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Note: This is copy-righted content, Copyright 2008, David T. McKee
November 10th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Hey David,
Well this is another stellar blog post. You are absolutely right, now that I think of it – most people try to change the big things outside of their box – things that they have no control over. It is like standing in from of a tidal wave – you will just get washed away.
It is interesting that you state that setting goals will make you face you insecurities and things like that. I know that when I sit down to write my monthly goals, I often get and anxious feeling in my stomach. Well I guess when I feel that, then I am likely working an a really important goal.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Thank you Johnny!
When you are working for yourself – and in truth that is what we all are doing, the thin veneer of corporate life may make that seem less obvious, but as soon as a couple of bad quarters come along, that veneer is peeled away – that uneasiness is life making you aware of how much depends on you succeeding. If you got a family to feed, mortgage to pay, that is reality – something we try too hard to shield ourselves from. The zest of life comes when we face this unease head on with a solid plan, and then work that plan. But worrying about the things outside of our control is wasting our energy. Once we have done what we can that unease will turn into focused energy – in a word, real power.
David T. McKee
November 14th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Great Article! I keep telling my wife the same thing. Focus on what you can control and the rest will take care of itself. You only have a certain amount of energy every day and if you use it un-wisely, then you won’t have it for those things that really count.