Lose weight.
Quite your job.
Start a new business.
Travel the world.
These are all scenarios we’ve all pondered at some point in our lives. It’s possible you’re currently pondering one of these at this very moment.
We’ve all read different magazines, news articles, and blog posts telling us to just go for it! Lose 30 pounds and feel your best! Quite your job and go travel! Start the business you’ve always dreamed of! Do it today! Do it now!
I do love the message behind each one of these statements, which is to follow your heart and to do what makes you happy. What I don’t like is how easy to do they make it sound. Unfortunately more often than not, it’s just not that easy.
The Path To Success Is Neither Ever Easy Or Certain.
Just pick up, go travel, and see the world they say. As much as I would love to just pick up right now and go travel the world, it’s just not feasible for me to do at this very moment due to financial responsibilities such as student loans and business debt, not to mention having the funds to make it happen. It takes planning and preparation.
With 7 minutes of exercise per day, you to can lose an obscene amount of weight in just 30 days and have ripped six pack abs. Amazing right? Just don’t read the fine print. Whether it’s losing weight or developing six pack abs, both take some serious time and effort.
It’s always easier said than done.
There’s lots of free or paid for information, tools, and resources readily available online to help you create these outcomes I’ve mentioned above. Many of them stating how they did it and you can do it too.
It’s definitely a nice selling point, “Look at me, I did it. Pay me and I’ll show you how you can do it too!”.
I do believe that there are many individuals who genuinely do want to help and make a positive difference in the lives of others. The problem is though, more often than not, what they are suggesting you do that they claim is so easy to do isn’t easy at all. In fact, it may not even be possible for you to do, at least not in the way in which they are suggesting you do it.
I guess it makes sense though. No one is going to want to hear how challenging it will be to lose 30 pounds, or to start their own business, or to quite their job to do something they love, or to go travel the world.
When we read about those who have done it, who are telling us how they did it and how anyone, including you can do it too in no time, we begin to create inaccurate expectations for ourselves that end up working against us instead of for us, often times detrimental to our success.
Being told it’s going to be easy is bullshit.
Anything worth doing or creating takes time, commitment, diligence, and hard work.
Possible? Yes. Easy? No.
When our results don’t match up with our expectations, it’s a major blow to our spirit, to our will.
We become discouraged, scared, angry, and worse of all, hesitant to try again.
On the other hand, if our results match or better yet, exceed our expectations, we become excited, invigorated, and more determined than we’ve ever been. We begin to believe in ourselves and in all that is possible.
It’s always better to under commit and over deliver on your own expectations than to over commit and under deliver. The feeling of accomplishment is empowering while the feeling of failure is discouraging.
That is why it’s so important to start small. Yes, definitely think big, but start small. Accomplishing small goals on a regular basis creates positive momentum upon which you then build many more successes.
Success is doing small things well. Day, after day, after day.
Regardless of what goals or challenges you may decide to take on, always remember the following:
It won’t be easy. (nothing worth having or creating ever comes easy)
You will fail several times along the way. (it’s part of the process)
You will want to quite. (don’t)
Many will laugh and try to discourage you. (listen only to those who support and encourage you)
You’ll want to quite again. (work harder, you’re getting there)
Refuse to lose. Impossible is nothing.
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
~ Colin Powell ~
What small steps do you take on a daily basis that contribute to your goals? Which ones have worked for you and which ones haven’t? Please share your thoughts and ideas with me in the comments below.
Image Credit: Catpix
Hi Mike! This is such a freeing and uncomfortable journey for me. I intend to share the freeing aspect, over the uncomfortable aspect, so folks can see that the tough to hug uncomfortable feelings, well, they’re freeing ya 😉 Nice post and great blog dude. Thanks!
Great article Mike and it’s so true. I couldn’t help but ponder on the sentence…Many will laugh and discourage you. I’ve had this and continue to have comments made about my new life change and where I want to be in the future. Amazing how those words stick with you, but for me it only fires me up to go and do what I want to do with my life and to prove that when you want something bad enough you will do what needs to be done to get there. Yes I will rise and fall but rising and accomplishing is worth any fall along the way! Thanks for the article and your strong words!
Thanks Maria. What matters most is what you think and what you believe. Rising and falling is all part of the process. It happens to all of us. We’re all capable of success, the deciding factor between those who succeed and those who do not is the ones who succeed get up from their falls, learn from them, and continue on. It’s not how many times we fall that matters but more so, how many times we’re willing to get back up. Thanks for feedback Maria, you’re awesome!