How to stay in our own lane

How to stay in our own lane. What do I mean by this exactly? I know for me its so easy to see what other people are doing and want to do the same. Or not want to miss out. Or seeing other people's goals or purchases and wanting to be like them. Thinking I want that. Or I want to do that. These thoughts may not happen now but it could happen later.

I’m going to give a few examples. One is Peter and I bought a house a few months back. So we can't do what we once did when living in our apartment that we rented from my parents. The monthly mortgage and rent are quite different. So we have to be more strategic in what we spend our money on. We have to establish our priorities and what we want. So for us we still want to prioritize travel as much as we can for the time being. That means finishing every project in our house may have to go on hold or not get done right now. We have to be ok with that.

Another example is we are currently doing the 75 hard challenge. Which means at least two hours a day is dedicated to exercise or reading or planning. That's a lot of time. It means saying no to things that could deter us from hitting those goals. So family dinner nights on Tuesday. We have to scoot out by 9 so Peter can get home and do his second workout. He works a 10 hour day Tuesday and then comes straight to my parents. This isn't really different from when we would normally leave. But we have to be planned and organized. We have to be on the same page. And even when we want to quit or are not feeling it. We put our head down and stay in our own lane.

So in both of these scenarios. We have our goals. We have priorities. Even when others may not understand, that's ok. We have expectations for ourselves and dreams of how we want to be as leaders in our jobs and in our homes. So that's the reason behind our decisions. So that's why we do our best to stick to the goals we set.

So to get clearer on how we can stay in our own lane.

We need to set goals. You can check out my blog from last week on how to set realistic goals. But we need to be clear on what we want for ourselves. What kind of employee do we want to be? What shape do we want to be in? What amount of money do we want to make? So don't look to other people for where you want your life to go. Look in your own heart. Talk it out with those closest to you or someone experienced in this area. Discover who you want to be and make that goal.

Along with making that goal. Set practical steps to get there. So if you want to be fit and healthy and lose the 20 pounds you put on. How can you get there? You can start by getting a gym membership. Then take some classes at the gym. Commit to a certain number of days a week. Set specific goals. And set realistic steps to get there.

One of the biggest things you should then establish. Or even establish first. Is Knowing your why. Why do you want a certain amount of money? Why do you want to lose 20 pounds? This is so important to know because in the moments of wanting to give up. Or the moments when you see someone else doing something and it makes you want to change your goal. Have a clear reason. Which will give you a clearer goal. Which can help you set clearer steps. An example of a why from something I said earlier. Peter and I are doing the 75 hard challenge. Why? Because I want to prove to myself that I can do it. Because it's hard for me to give 100%. Two. I want to learn to push through and work hard even though I don't want to. For my children especially. Because there will be days that I'll be tired. But I'll need to choose them and show up for them. So I want to do these hard things now to build up that character. That's my why.

What I find is it's so easy to get jealous or discouraged in where we’re at if we don't know where we’re going. If we don't have a why or a goal it's so easy to want to change lanes over and over. SO know your goal and why it's your goal. People will influence you a lot less when these are set.

We need to learn from others but don't compare. Don't look at the fitness influencer who has no friends or life outside of fitness if that's not what you want. Don't go out to eat once a week with your friends if you're trying to become debt free. Don't say yes to a lazy night on the couch binging Netflix. When you promised yourself you would walk every night for 20 minutes. Why I say all that is just because other people do it doesn't mean you have too. Find a few people you trust. Let them influence you. Surround yourself with people you want to be like. With people you want to become. Same with those you follow on social media. If you don't want pieces of their life in yours why are you consuming so much of their life. Or if there's someone you don't align with. Why are you taking their advice?

Know your why. Set your goals. Set steps to get there. Learn from others but don't compare. Stay in your lane. I hope this encourages you to chase those dreams and stay on your course.