I hope you’ve been following along with The Model series! Here’s the final piece–Actions and Results.
As a quick review, circumstances are the neutral facts in our lives. Thoughts are what goes on in the brain–the meaning we give our circumstances. (review HERE) Feelings are the emotions or vibrations we experience in our bodies as a direct result of the thoughts we are thinking. (review HERE) In response to our feelings, we take action. Those actions produce results in our lives.
Actions then refer to the behavior, reaction or inaction that occurs because of what we are feeling. Actions look like eating when we’re not hungry because we feel lonely or bored, avoiding interacting with a friend because we feel angry, procrastinating (inaction) when we feel confused. We always take action from the way we feel.
These actions are what creates the results in our lives! When we eat when we’re not hungry, we don’t meet our health goals. When we avoid interacting with a friend, we grow apart. When we procrastinate, we don’t achieve our goals and then continue to feel confused about why we can’t reach our goals! Your Results are what’s happening in your own life.
Here’s the big key to the whole model:
Your RESULTS always prove your THOUGHT!
The result line in the model will always show you what you are thinking. Said another way–your results will create evidence for why the thought is true.
Let’s see a model in it’s entirety.
CIRCUMSTANCE: Exercise
THOUGHT: Even if I do it, it won’t make a difference.
FEELING: Apathetic
ACTION: Julie doesn’t exercise.
RESULTS: No difference is made.
See how the result just proves the thought? Of course no different is made when she starts out with the thought “it won’t make a difference.” How could Julie change her model? First she should not beat herself up for this thought! But she should look at it with curiosity and fascination. Ask why am I thinking this thought? Once she realizes that she is creating the result of “no difference” with her thoughts, she can explore other thoughts that might be more useful. Keep in mind she did tell the coach that she actually wants to exercise! Her intentional model, or the model she would like to get to with practice, might look something like this:
CIRCUMSTANCE: Exercise
THOUGHT: I’m a person who exercises, even if I don’t feel like it.
FEELING: Empowered
ACTION: Julie exercises.
RESULTS: Exercise becomes part of her life and identity.
Julie can change her actions and results by working on changing her thoughts! Notice how her result proves the thought “I’m a person who exercises.” This is the power of The Model.
This might be confusing or downright untrue to you when you first see it. That’s fine! I totally get it. But I encourage you to watch this week how your actions are being driven by how you feel. Notice your behavior and the feeling that you are experiencing.
Lastly I just want to make sure you understand that the results line are always about you. Your thoughts don’t create results for anyone else. The only person that belongs in the result line of the model is YOU! You are responsible for your own results. I promise–this is great news!
Having trouble identifying your results from your thoughts? Book a free strategy session with me and I’ll show you how to do it!
