The Reason You Don’t Have What You Want?

New Research Reveals

You Could Be Using The Wrong Strategies

For Your Health, Finances, And Happiness

Have you ever wondered how some people get so much done? At work and in their social and family lifes. Always looking genuinely happy and fulfilled.

Have you ever tried to achieve the same?

You know the situation…

You know exactly what you need to do to become the person you really want to be.

You’re truly motivated to do what it takes to change. To improve your health, time management, finances, relationships, …[fill in the blank]…

You’re smart and invest in yourself.

You read the books, listen to the CDs, and watch the videos you bought from the self-improvement experts in the field you’re about to master.

You follow the instructions.

The first 2 or 3 days feel great.

Then on the fourth day, something happens and you just don’t have the time to follow the steps. But it’s just a one-off.

And the fifth day, something else happens… And you don’t have the time. But it’s just a one-off. Tomorrow, you’ll stick to your plan.

But on the sixth day…

Do I really need to continue?

Catch 22!

There never seems to be enough hours in the day!

So you stop. You put the material on a shelf in the “I’ve tried, this stuff doesn’t work” category.

Well guess what, it’s probably not your fault.

New research from Northwestern University might have the answer…

You’ll find this pretty intuitive when you read the findings. But their simplicity may  well be the answer that helps you regain control over your time and over what goes on in your life.

In essence, your strategy for improvement probably doesn’t fit your personality type.

Think about it, if there was a diet that worked for everyone, there wouldn’t be so many new ones coming out every week!

Well, same thing with your self-improvement.

Here’s the secret: succeeding at improving your life is not only about your motivation. It’s also about using strategies that suit who you truly are.

What suits one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. Because your self-discipline is very personal to… you!

“While self-help remedies are saturating the market, resisting temptations remains a strenuous process and a constant struggle for many people. The data reported in this research offer an important step toward understanding self-control and highlight the benefits of adopting the right goal pursuit strategies.” explain Jiewen Hong and Angela Y. Lee, both of Northwestern University.

Here’s the key question: Are you more “promotion-focused” or “prevention-focused”?

In other words: Are you more focused on trying to achieve your aspirations? Or on achieving a sense ot safety and security?

You might not like the answer.

But frankly, there’s no right or wrong.

There’s just who you are.

What does that mean for you?

“When people adopt goal pursuit strategies that fit with their promotion or prevention focus, they have better self-control. In contrast, their self-control is weakened when they adopt goal pursuit strategies that conflict with their focus,” Hong and Lee explain.

As I said, it’s intuitively pretty obvious.

Here’s what’s shocking though: Their studies reveal that most people are not aware of these effects on their own self-discipline.

Most people simply don’t consider what would fit their personal focus when selecting strategies to achieve personal goals.

So in a nustshell, your personality type influences how much self-discipline you have. But you may be using methods that don’t have a chance to work for you.

And as the researchers conclude: “Self-control is not just about doing the right things, but also about doing things the right way [for you].”

If you’ve been struggling to get things done. Juggling your responsibilities as an entrepreneur, a parent, a member of the community, a spouse, … Take a minute to consider the key question.

Are you naturally inclined to take risks to strive toward gains? Or to be vigilant and protect yourself from losses?

Article by Yann Vernier - Copyright 2008 All rights reserved

Reference: University of Chicago Press Journals (2008, January 27). Your Personality Type Influences How Much Self-control You Have. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 13, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/01/080123125608.htm

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