I have a client (we’ll call "Danny") who recently set a specific day to stop smoking. Danny has been smoking for 23 years and made the decision the other day that enough is enough. He has told his family and friends the date that he will be quitting, got himself all the necessary gums, and has a plan of what to do with the extra time and money that would have otherwise been spent on smoking. He is working with Rewire and a "quit smoking coach" from his company-sponsored health insurance plan to help him along this path. In other words, he has done all the things one is supposed to do when one wants to quit smoking.
Now, with all that said, I've got to tell you that I have no idea if Danny will be successful or not this time around in his effort to quit his smoking habit. I do know that there is plenty of research and very good techniques on how to stop smoking or stop any habit for that matter (many of which Rewire employs as we work with our clients). The point of this article is not to flesh out any particular technique or formula so that this client may have success with his endevour, but rather I would like to point something out that will be helpful for all of us:
Danny made a decision.
Obviously, this was not an easy decision. It may even be one that he has made before, but dang it, HE MADE A DECISION! And that decision is the key and deserves applause from us all.
"Why" you ask? It has been my experience that until a decision like Danny’s has been made, nothing happens. No decision, no action. No action, no results. The decision has the ability to start it all for you.
Now, it certainly gets more complicated along the way when you want to start something or stop something and you can find examples of that here and here. But in the name of keeping things simple today, I would ask you to think about yourself right now. Is there anything you want to stop? How about anything you may want to get started on? If there answer is yes, then how about making a decision on those things today?
To help you "land the plane” on this idea, here is my decision today: Just yesterday in a workshop, I spoke about the importance of the hand written note and how it is a lost art of networking and selling. I then went on to tell this wonderful group of sales people that if they can put this rediscovered art into action, it can be an immeasurable difference maker. This is an art that I myself have been very good at in the past, but have fallen away from recently.
Well, my decison today is to get back into the habit of writing 5 handwritten notes per week. The decision is now made and it is in my daily calendar to do so.
What will you make a decision on today? Let us know in the comments section and Start Now!
