Do What Works #2

If You're in a Hole, Stop Digging!

Not doing what doesn't work is a fundamental secret of success. This focus on effectiveness is behind the simple aphorism: If you're in a hole, then the first thing to do is to stop digging.

This is the natural law that many politicians in many countries just ignore, they run budget deficits year in and year out, and then wonder why their economies are in difficulty. It's simple to stay out of trouble, just stop digging - which means spend less than your income!

This applies to people, and companies as well as countries. If you're not financially intelligent, you end up broke! [For more on financial intelligence, see the strategies for abundance page.] Yet much of Europe as well as America is busy pretending this law doesn't exist.

Borrow your Way out of Debt!

In Dan Hannan's trenchant phrase:

"You cannot spend your way out of recession or
borrow your way out of debt!"

This is one of the simplest, and fundamental natural laws. You would think it's obvious - even to the most obtuse politician and intellectually challenged economist - that to be financially responsible you need to do what works, and do not do what doesn't work! Is it because this obvious law makes it difficult to buy votes? No, couldn't be, that would be cynical!

When you continue doing what's not working for you, that suggests you haven't had enough experience of failure, and need more. Yet eventually you'll realize the difference between the causes of failure and success, and change your life by doing what does work instead.

Don't Ignore Natural Law

Everybody has a self sabotage mechanism, and it will fight hard to give you all sorts of reasons as to why you should ignore this secret of success. It likes being right and is very attached to its current position. Then it seizes upon anything which supports its existing contention, no matter how flimsy, and ignores all evidence to the contrary, no matter how abundant!

A promotional email recently arrived from a very well-known personal growth site soliciting trainee coaches. The heading said: "Learn how you can become a Certified Professional Life Coach in only 16 hours." How ominous for the clients of their graduates. This suggests their criteria for certifying people virtually ignore experience! Yet sixteen hours hardly gives any experience, it's barely enough for an introduction. You need to do the hard yards, as successful football coaches emphasize!

If you're getting the results you want, then you're doing what works, and lack of success suggests you're probably self sabotaging by doing what doesn't work.

Are you Achieving your Goals?

Although this strategy to change your life is one of the most obvious natural laws in the world, do you ignore it? Do you then wonder why you don't feel good about yourself or your life?

But it's tough to feel good when you ignore what you already know is true, your intuition even gives you a warning. Rather ignore those who insist you follow their path, and listen to your inner voice instead!

Are you like many people who want more peace, love, calm and joy in the long-term. If you don't know how to achieve this in any particular situation, then realize you don't know and listen to your vibe, your gut. You intuitively know if doing something will take you towards - or away from - peace and joy in the moment. Then just do what works. It works!

Food for Thought

"In politics we presume that everyone who knows how to get votes knows how to administer a city or a state.
"Yet when we are ill we neither ask for the handsomest physician,
nor the most eloquent one."

- Plato 424 – 348 BC, Greek philosopher, mathematician, founder of the first institution of higher learning in the Western world

This article was originally published at selfgrowth.com/articles/if-youre-in-a-hole-then-stop-digging-part-2-in-the-do-what-works-series

© Copyright worldwide Cris Baker, www.LifeStrategies.net. All rights reserved. Republishing welcomed under Creative Commons noncommercial no derivatives license preserving all links intact, so share this widely!

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