Getting the best results in our life is really a two part process.  In my last post I shared how to start asking the question, “What is the best?” for the results we want to create in every area of our lives.  That is the first step.  We must do this if we truly want to live an extraordinary life.  Life is a journey.  Just like going on a road trip we have to know where we want to go before our GPS can give us directions on how to get there.  This is why we must first determine what the best results are before we can determine what our next steps should be.

We know when we plug a destination in our GPS it begins to give us directions.  We hear things like, “turn right”, “Make a U-turn”, and “continue straight for 423 miles”.  When we know our best results we want to create in life we can get our directions by simply asking this question, “What do I need to change in my current circumstances to create my best outcome?”  Asking ourselves this question requires wisdom.  Acting on this question requires courage and desire.

Beth and I submit to this process eight years ago and we are continuing to do so.  It first started in our health.  I was significantly over weight.  I had poor eating habits.  I was basically addicted to food.  I grew up in an Italian household in New Jersey.  I literally ate pasta five nights a week my entire childhood.  I ate tons of snack food items and I consumed way too much soda.  Pizza, cheesesteaks, and cheese fries were some of my regular favorites.  When I looked at the best results in my health and fitness I understood I needed to lose 50lbs.  With that understanding I asked myself, “What did I need to change in my current circumstances to lose 50lbs?”  That led to me completely changing my eating habits and putting the finest nutritional supplements on the planet in my body.  When I continued to ask this question I realized I needed to start crossfitting regularly to be at my best possible health and fitness levels.

When I looked at our marriage and asked this question I realized in order to create the best marriage I needed to change the media and entertainment I consumed.  I needed to work less hours.  I needed to clean up my language and begin to speak more lovingly to and about my wife.  Those were all necessary changes that have blessed our marriage.

When I looked at our finances I understood that the best reality required us to get out of debt.  We stopped eating out.  We cancelled our cable.  I started a home based business to increase cash flow and accelerate our debt reduction.

In my faith life I realized I had to start waking up earlier to have quiet time.  That was easier before Daniel was born.  I recently had to go through this process again and have changed my schedule to wake up even earlier so my quiet time would remain uninterrupted.  I began to pray more regularly and boldly I started reading books on the power of prayer and how to pray.

In our parenting we decided the best way to raise a family required both of us to have an unlimited presence of time and to move to Nashville.  Our current circumstances started with us both in teaching.  We decided to get more serious about our home based business and both retired at the age of 26.  When Daniel was 3 months old I hopped on a plane and got a house in Nashville.  We also knew financial stress is the number one cause of divorce in our country so we mastered our finances and have completely removed that issue from our daily reality.

The previous examples all happened over time, but each of them required us to identify the best possible outcomes we could create and then ask ourselves, “What do I need to change in my current circumstances to create the best outcome?”  It was not easy, but it has made all of the difference for us.  What if you began this process?  What if you had the courage and desire to ask this question AND act on it?  Would it be worth it?
Question: What do you need to change in your current circumstances to create the best outcomes in your life?  Comment below.