Have you ever found yourself in a position where you were on the brink of success – whatever success means to you. Maybe it was a turning point in your career, the start of a new relationship, the decision to make a big move. But before you could actually take the plunge you found yourself hitting a roadblock.
The Trap
The strange thing about this road block is, you realize, you may have created that block yourself. Dr. Jason Selk calls this “The Trap of the Viable Excuse.” He categorizes it as the final and most difficult step in developing a no-excuse mentality.
Why is this the most difficult step? Well, those excuses are disguised. You don’t even realize you’re using them. The reasoning? Oftentimes, these excuses are disguised as truth.
Woah.
Now, you may be saying to yourself, this is good to know but what is the solution?
Open up your mind. Consider that viable excuse and then ditch it. Forget it. Draw a line through it. Next time you feel that excuse jumping around in your head, creeping up behind you ready to throw a wrench in your plans, you need to be aware of it but replace it with an ACTION.
“The most common viable excuse for successful people,” says Dr. Selk, “is some version of ‘I’m too busy making money, I’m too successful to do that’.” This is considered the seduction of success.
When people experience success it can be possible to believe they don’t have to continue doing the work. That’s a nice thought but that is NOT the case. Once you experience success, it doesn’t make you immune to continue putting in the hard work.
When people experience success it can be possible to believe they don’t have to continue doing the work. That’s a nice thought but that is NOT the case. Once you experience success, it doesn’t make you immune to continue putting in the hard work.
Don’t Get Seduced by Success!
The technique for dealing with the seduction of success is a little more for a little while. Attempt 10% more on the goal you’re trying to achieve. The word seduction in itself has a perpetuity for going unnoticed. You have to be extra aware it is happening in order to combat it before it’s too late.
“If you think to yourself you don’t need to do your process goals today – you’re being seduced by success,” says Dr. Selk.
No one can produce results without consistently performing the tasks they need to do to achieve that goal.
On days where you are feeling like you don’t need to perform those tasks because you have already experienced some level of success, take a mental note that you are being seduced by success.
Consider that seduction, acknowledge it, and then do 10% more than you were originally planning on doing. THAT is how you stay away from being seduced by success.
