Did You Think You'd Be Further Along By Now?

Do you have that quiet, nagging thought in the back of your mind that says “'I should be further along by now”?

That was me for years. Smart, hard working, always learning, always busy doing what I thought were ‘the right things’. I could talk a big game but deep down knew I was slowly becoming the guy who couldn’t back it up.

For those who read lots of self improvement books, listen to podcasts, and have all the right information, it can be really frustrating. You see so many others who are no smarter or talented than you are succeeding and wonder why you haven’t figured it out yet for yourself. 

I call this being a "personal development junkie” where you keep yourself so busy consuming new things that can change your life that you don’t actually get around to doing it. There’s a disconnect between what you’re learning and what you’re applying, and a core misalignment between what you know you’re capable of and what you are actually achieving.

At first I thought there was something wrong with me, but then I realized that wasn’t it… There was something wrong with my process. 

I wanted to improve but I didn’t have a system for measuring my performance. I wanted to make faster progress but I didn’t have a system for receiving and implementing feedback. I wanted to be a high performer but I didn’t have a strong enough foundation built to sustain it. I knew better but wasn’t doing better.

Systems are the engines behind execution. And the problem was, I wanted to go fast like a Ferrari but I had a lawnmower’s engine. That’s why I committed to upgrading my engine and building better systems. And slowly but surely, I bridged the gap and started getting the results I knew were possible for myself.

It started with my baseline layer of self-awareness. I implemented a new system of personal performance tracking so that I knew how I was showing up on a daily basis. I incorporated productivity systems, getting consistent with following a balanced schedule for the day and organizing my tasks so that I was focused on getting the most important things done before the rest. I built a system that improved my morning and night routines, and got me in the consistent practice of gratitude journaling which completely shifted my mindset.

I felt like I was falling behind but I made up ground because I focused on creating more structure around me, and it’s the best thing I ever did for my self-growth. If you thought you’d be further along by now, but you’ve plateaued at a level of business success, unhealthy habits, and overbusy days that keep you falling short of your potential, then you would get a lot out of a systems upgrade.

And if you don’t know where to start with that, or you want to see how I did it, I take you through it step by step in the 21 Day Super Habits Challenge.