Me on the phone: “So John, I’ve explained my prices and policies, answered your questions and from what I can tell, it sounds like a good deal for you. Are you ready to make a commitment and come see me at the gym tomorrow?”
And this prospective client utters the phrase that every person who relies on clients for business hates to hear: “Let me sleep on it.”
What exactly is it about the process of sleep that makes people say, “Things will look different in the morning?” What magical quality is contained in sleep and its ability to create such a difference in our overall outlook with respect to the occurrences of life?
"To sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there's the rub."
Soliloquy from Hamlet, by Shakespeare
Sleep helps us to deal with our world which is filled with an abundance of sights, sounds, questions, tribulations, prospects, emotions, distractions and stimuli of every sort. Sleep is the “street sweeper” of the mind; the “defragmenter” for you computer geeks. In effect it is what helps to keep us sane in this rapidly increasing age of information.
In essence, sleep is God’s gift to assist us in eradicating the “noise” of the day from the complexity of our over-stimulated minds.
It can also act as a double-edged sword...in effect.
Many people, in my humble opinion, have allowed this “gift of God” to affect the discipline of their training, eating habits and a whole host of other conditions. Please let me explain.
Say we have a desire to achieve a targeted goal with respect to fat loss. As an example, we want to lose 25 pounds and fit into a size 6. According to the “game-plan” the fitness pro has laid out for you, you can expect to see results conducive to your goal in about 12 weeks. For 8 weeks, you make great progress. Then something happens...
You go to sleep one night and awaken with this thought; “It’s just one day. It won’t matter that much. I’ll pick up where I left off tomorrow.” And then that night, when you go to bed, your last thought is, “Things will look different in the morning.”
If you have a past record of disciplining yourself toward success patterns, you will probably make the necessary adjustments to get back on track. But sleep has a way of train-wrecking those of us who are somewhat lackadaisical in our efforts and consistency.
Here’s the key to success in circumventing the Street Sweeper:
1. Find a specific goal that inspires you.
2. Understand completely EXACTLY why you want it.
3. Know the specific time frame (date) you plan to achieve it.
4. Write it down and read it aloud a minimum of twice per day.
5. Come to terms with the cost of obtaining this goal.
6. Pay the price.
If you will follow this simple plan for any and every goal you want to obtain, no amount of “street sweeping” will be able to deter you from its achievement.
God bless,
Steve
P.S. If you need more information on the specifics of goal achievement, please e-mail me here.
