The Experiment You're Avoiding

"That won't work for me."

"I've tried that already."

"I'm just not wired that way."

These are the stories we sometimes tell ourselves when someone suggests something new & scary. They're convenient stories. They let us off the hook.

But the person who "already tried" time blocking might have done it for three days without adjusting the block sizes to match their attention span. The person who "can't" plan their week proactively might not have tried starting with just one priority instead of mapping out every hour.

How many systems that don't work for you might actually be systems you haven't fully committed to testing? How many approaches you've already tried were abandoned before they had a chance to become habits?

To be successful, you need to reach a point where discomfort with where you are is greater than the discomfort of change.

Sometimes we need someone else to help us see our blind spots—to notice when we're giving up too quickly or when we're forcing a square peg into a round hole. A coach, a mentor, even a curious friend can ask the questions we're not asking ourselves.

The next time you catch yourself saying "that won't work for me," pause.

Maybe it won't. Or maybe you haven't found your version of it yet.