To progress, truly progress you have to be deliberate in your daily effort. Haphazard, accidental or hopeful approaches will just never be effective. Deliberate effort is absolutely required.
So what does it really mean to be deliberate?
1. Have an objective that you can measure. If you do not have something you are trying to achieve, the reason for the activity then you cannot be deliberate. Being focused requires something to focus on. In order for your effort to have any degree of concentration then you also need to have a way to measure the effort. With no way to constantly measure, you will have no way to be deliberate and will just not realize any real progress. Are you not progressing? Do you have a measure?
2. Have a plan. Equally important is a plan for your activity. A path to execute, a course to follow. Amazing, we expect progress but with a weak or nonexistent plan. Even a bad plan will probably produce more deliberate action then no plan at all.
3. Set time. Being deliberate requires time. If you are going to “try to get to something,” then you are just not being deliberate. In order for your commitment to be real you have to have a dedicate time, correct duration, and willingness to be dedicated to the activity during that time.
4. Focus on improvement. During the activity, look to always improve. Being dedicated is to be so focused that you cannot tolerate being ineffective. A dedicated effort by the very nature of the focus will be seeking to constantly improve.
Dedication is an attribute that we always aspire to. However, dedication does not just happen, it requires….well…dedication.
Guy Reams
