Consequences are Feedback

by Rick White, President 180BIZ                                                            (Estimated Read Time 3 minutes)

This episode is all about consequences. I started thinking about this and I asked myself, “Consequence, what does that mean to me?” I initially thought that the consequence was bad. That's how I grew up. When I do something, I was taught to think about the consequences of my actions. But then I thought about the definition of consequence.  A consequence is a response to a behavior or an action that's supposed to modify the behavior or the action. I added “supposed to” to the definition. It means that a consequence is just the reaction or the effect, the result of an action or a behavior.

Let me give you an example of a negative consequence. I've been working my tail off and I haven't been eating well and I've been gaining weight.  And in the process of doing that, the consequence is I've been getting winded more than ever before. There have been other consequences, other signs of not eating healthy, but the consequences have been escalating. It's a response. It's letting me know what's going on, and it's supposed to modify my behavior.

A lot of times we play victim and keep doing the same thing over and over again.

I say “supposed to” because a lot of times we don't allow it to. A lot of times we play victim and we just keep doing the same thing over and over again. Then we create a victim mentality because of the consequences. But we must recognize that the consequence is not a punishment. That consequence is supposed to modify the behavior.

Here’s another example. I went out to Denver recently and you don’t realize how thin the air is out there until you're a little overweight. So, I must tell you something, it was a kick in my pants. But just before I went to Denver, I was saying to myself, “Okay, I'm done with this. I'm eating healthier. I'm tracking my food. I'm starting to do some exercise and I'm already starting to feel better.” A consequence is something that's supposed to modify your behavior. It's either supposed to get you to do more of it or learn how to do it better or stop doing it or do it less. So having a donut once in a while is not a terrible thing. But having a donut every day is terrible.

What consequences are you ignoring or tolerating?

What consequences have you not been paying attention to? What consequences have you been tolerating? What consequences have been stealing the joy from your day and your life? Don't ever fall into that victim mentality. It will not serve you. You are not a victim. A result is a consequence. There are good results and there are bad results, and I don't believe they're good or bad. They're just feedback. It's feedback for me to continue doing what I'm doing, learn to do it better, or stop doing it and get away from it.

Intentional acts are easy the change.

When it's an intentional action and I get a consequence, it's really easy to change and not do that again. I was a kid once and my brother dared me to put my jackknife into the outlet. And I did. Well, here's the result of that. I was shocked, I blew the fuse in the house, and I got a whooping that night from my dad. That was the consequence. I never did it again. It was an intentional act. Things get harder when it's a behavior or a habit. It’s harder when the consequences are a result of a habit. But you can change your habits. If you're not happy with the results you're getting right now, a consequence, look at what action or behavior is driving that result. And then either do more of it if it's awesome or modify it or make it go away. Use the feedback that life is giving you and use it to make a better day, a better week, etc.

If you've been putting up with some stuff or you’re not getting what you need from your team, it’s a consequence of not sitting down and having a conversation with them. Why aren't you having the conversation?  Because you're afraid. You're afraid of losing them. You're afraid of making it worse. You're afraid of confrontation. Confrontation is very powerful. Confront the behavior, not the person. Sit down and have that conversation and then all of a sudden, there's not as much weight on your shoulders and it makes all the difference in the world.

Look for other areas in your life for consequences.

Look for areas in your life where you're not getting the results you want. You can change your actions and behaviors so that you get bigger, better consequences. This is not just work. This can work for home too. Is there a relationship in your life that isn't where you want it to be? Is there a dynamic that's kind of built up over time where each of you are triggering each other? Do you get a certain consequence and it's not a healthy one? Is your consequence one that’s not one filled with joy? You can change it. And then watch what happens. Look in every era of your life for those undesirable consequences and make some changes.

Please share this video.  We have our Shop Owner’s Round Table, on the second Thursday of every month, 7 p.m. Eastern, and we would love you and your friends to drop by. Shop owners only. And then we have our upcoming Pocket Business Genius webinar on the second Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern time. 

God bless. stay safe, have some fun, and go make some money.  Take care.

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