It Can Help You Do the Same
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve focused on getting ready for the new year. First, we talked about the importance of having a plan. Then we discussed breaking those goals down into smaller, manageable pieces through prioritization.
This week, we’re focusing on something just as important: taking intentional action if you really want things to be different. It’s a lesson I learned, not from theory, but from experience.
There are certain moments in life that split everything into before and after.
For me, one of those moments came after my accident in 2012.
Before then, I had concluded that my bland, ho-hum life was simply what it was. The big dreams I had envisioned weren’t happening. I was just trudging through life with little hope that things would ever be different. Apparently, I had been kidding myself if I thought I could accomplish so much.
Mentally, I felt stuck in a rut with no way out. It felt like the life I had was just the mess I’d been given and changing it was out of my control. I heard someone say that a rut was a grave with both ends kicked out. I could really identify with that analogy.
Before the accident, I had been listening to radio programs and podcasts from people like Dave Ramsey and Michael Hyatt. One thing I kept hearing was the importance of reading and learning. I was never much of a reader, but I respected what these successful people were saying.
I had started reading a little before the accident, but it was hard to find the time with my busy schedule. The accident resulted in a severe concussion, and recovery meant I suddenly had some downtime. I decided to use that time to read.
One of the authors Michael Hyatt recommended was Andy Andrews. That’s when I came across the book that changed everything for me: The Traveler’s Gift.
This book follows a man named David Ponder who, like me at the time, had watched his life fall apart. He takes a journey through time and meets some of history’s great leaders — Abraham Lincoln, King Solomon, Anne Frank, and others. Each one shares a lesson that becomes part of what Andy Andrews calls The Seven Decisions.
Like me, David Ponder experiences an accident that results in a concussion. Afterward, he turns his life around by taking control and applying what he had learned. He is given a second chance.
Those Seven Decisions became a blueprint for how I began rebuilding my life and business.
Because this book and those decisions had such a profound impact on me, I include them in my daily routine.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, discouraged, or unsure of what’s next, I can’t recommend this book enough. Sometimes the right words show up exactly when we need them.
This book did that for me. It encouraged me to read more…and I haven’t stopped since.
As I mentioned earlier, before the accident I had BEEN AWARE of the problems in my business and life but didn’t believe I could do anything about them. I thought I was stuck in the rut with no way out.
As I began to read more, I began to UNDERSTAND more. That understanding showed me there were ways out of the rut but wasn’t get me out on its own.
Getting out required INTENTIONAL ACTION. I had to put my foot on the ladder and take the first step if I wanted out.
I chose to take that first step and I started climbing.
Today, I continue reading and LEARNING every day as I live my DREAM life and BUILD my DREAM business.
It’s up to you to be intentional and take action! You can choose to stay in the rut or you can choose to climb out.
Intentional action is critical if you want to accomplish your goals. As you prepare for 2026, I strongly encourage you to do something about getting out of your rut. To help with that, we’ve created a planning journal that’s now available, designed to help you stay focused and take consistent steps forward.
And if you would like some one-on-one help climbing out, schedule a free 30-minute meeting with us.
You don’t have to do this alone.