Fixin' To

I was speaking to a friend of mine, David Williamson, a wonderful southern gentleman who let me in on some regional vernacular. In the South when someone is about to do something, they say they’re “fixin’ to”. For example “I’m fixin’ to go to the grocery store, do you need anything?” or “I don’t have time to talk, I’m fixin’ to leave for work.”

It’s a funny expression and when you take a big personal development step back from it, there’s something we can all learn from it.

How often do we find ourselves saying that we’re “fixin’ to” change different areas of our life? I’m fixin’ to start waking up earlier in the morning and getting a workout in. I’m fixin’ to make my relationships a priority once work dies down. I’m fixin’ to start reading more but right now I’m just so tired at the end of the day.

A form of self-sabotage is procrastination. We literally are being held back from the lives we want to have because we’re delaying ourselves from doing the things we need to do to advance. We’re fixin’ to step up to the next level but our excuses and rationalizations are getting in the way.

There’s a seduction to it too. When we’re fixin’ to, it means that we genuinely believe we’re on the verge of doing it. We want to, we’re about to, we’re fully aware that we’re not doing it yet but we’re not concerned by it because we believe things are very soon going to change.

But as long as you’re “fixin’ to” do something, it means it hasn’t been done yet, and it keeps getting pushed off to tomorrow, next week, next month, or never. And we don’t necessarily see in the moment today how far things can get postponed, and the implications of what that means for our lives.

So let’s fix this “fixin’ to” mindset with imperfect action.

What can you do today to start carving out that new, elevated normal for yourself? Sure you want to start going to the gym multiple times a week - Can you put your first time going on your schedule right now and tell someone that’s what you're doing? You want to start putting more into your relationships, is there a single, small act of kindness or thoughtfulness you can do today that kicks off more to come?

When you do that, you shift the intention to change into real tangible action, and that’s when your life improves in real and tangible ways.

If you don’t know what that first action could be today to make this shift, may I recommend one? Register for the Super Habits System 21 Day Challenge where your daily behaviors shift simply because you have a new structure and environment that sets you up for success.