Have you ever noticed that when we talk about the good stuff, it sounds scary? I mean we ’break barriers’, or ‘tackle challenges’, to ‘hit’ or even better ‘smash targets’, we sound quite a violent bunch really, don’t we?
But seriously, the search for personal or business success is a journey, and journeys are often fraught with adventures and challenges (expected and otherwise) – that’s what makes the experience so memorable. In a nutshell, a successful journey or venture requires two things –
1) Taking deliberate action
2) Taking a risk
Getting Ourselves To Take The Leap
In order to go to such lengths we must first furnish ourselves with motivation. Ah motivation, that much courted, often allusive of states… So, how do we achieve it? Motivation occurs when we identify something we really want and don’t yet have, but that in itself is not enough. We must also believe that we have the capability to bridge the gap between where we are, and where we want to be.
So, simply put these are the basic ingredients to success!
- Knowing what you want
- Believing you could achieve it
- Having a plan and commitment to actioning it
So Simple…
As simple as 1, 2, 3… literally! But number 1 alone has been the topic of millions of books, counselling session and woeful sagas (without even ‘tackling’ 2 and 3). As pleasure-seeking beings, it seems counter-intuitive to me that when it comes down to it, so many of us ultimately have absolutely no clue what we want. I think though that the problem here is in fact less about not being aware, and more about being too aware.
No really, please bare with me (sp?) I mean bear with me?…hmm that could send quite a different message… please work with me on this!… Think back to your childhood. Back when you were a tot did you know then what would make you happy? What did you want to do? What was you dream? Did you want to be a vet? a doctor? Superman/woman? lol
So OK, not all of our dreams are achievable but many of us never give ourselves the opportunity to find out, because we bring ’reality’ crashing down on ourselves as we grow up, and become more aware of the barriers which might get in our way.
Instant Gratification Overload
This pattern seems to cut across cultures, countries, oceans and generations. It’s one of the things that got me interested in professional & personal development – my ‘I want it now’ approach to life, left me wondering what might be possible if I just tried – odds and barriers be damned. But that light-bulb moment is another story. That story to follow. Have you thought about what dreams you’ve marked as ‘unrealistic’ and let go? What barriers get in your way? Or when you don’t let them what do you work around, minimise or negotiate them?
One final thought to close; it’s a [paraphrased] famous quote, one of my favourites:
‘Barriers are what we see, when we take our eyes off the prize!’
So remember, if it seems hard right now, change your focus – literally put your chin up and mentally think forward to your end goal – where your motivation is. Tap back into the dream, the vision, the prize that makes it worth it and recognise that this moment/situation you’re in right now is just a ‘blip’, a leg of the journey to achieving your end goal.
The only thing that fundamentally will stop you achieving it, is if you let those barriers deter you and give up. Your success truly is up to you, and the key to achieving it is in having a focus that serves you at the time.