It’s too hard, I don't have enough time, it's too lofty a goal, and people like me don't do things like that. You have heard all the excuses, so now let's dig into why people never start and, if they start, never succeed.
Taking giant steps
I am reminded of the philosophy I learned from one of my esteemed teachers. He asked me, “How do you eat an elephant?” I thought for a minute and gave him a silly answer (being a teen at the time): “Sir, with a fork and ketchup.”
He shook his head (his occasional reaction to my responses) and answered, “No, silly boy, one bite at a time!” The real lesson was that I was trying to take giant steps in my progress rather than baby steps to get things right. My lesson of setting smaller, easier, and more realistic goals has helped me over the years.
Setting a timeline.
The difference between a dream and a goal is a deadline.
When I was in college, I knew if a term paper were due in six weeks, I would have it done in six weeks. I had a starting point, a midpoint, and then an endpoint. When a person has no defining parameters for accomplishing a task, it becomes one of those “I will get to it soon” moments.
Here are five barriers that may hold you back from being successful.
Not enough information
I learned this from my Dad, who was a builder. He told me he built his first spec house at age sixteen. He had been working for his Dad, argued with him, and left. He figured that since he had helped build over twenty houses, he was smart enough to strike out on his own and give it a go. My Dad’s first solo project was finally finished, sat empty for months, and finally sold, but he lost money. He then realized how wise his father was and learned he should depend on people who were more intelligent than him to give him all the information to succeed.
You quit too early.
I once met someone who told me they had been to college for four years. I asked what degree they earned, and they told me I didn’t earn a degree. He commented,” I was a freshman at four different colleges and dropped out each time!” So, four years of college and nothing to show for it. It’s essential to think long-term and short-term. Short-term success helps you achieve long-term results. I once read that Sony Corporation, the electronics manufacturing company in Japan, had a hundred-year business plan. Don't just be a dreamer, be a doer too. Owning the dream is your real goal.
No success coach.
Everyone needs a teacher, coach, or mentor. Even Tiger Woods has a coach. To become the greatest golfer in the world, he hired a putting coach, a driving coach, a strength coach, and a nutritionist. A coach can give you feedback and push you along when you need a kick in the butt. Just like an airplane autopilot, mentors will help you with course corrections.
Not thinking positive-
Success comes in cans,
Not cant’s.
Whenever I was teaching, I always had a life lesson in mind. One of my favorite motivational sayings I want to share with you today is “Whatever Your Mind Can Conceive and Believe, It Can Achieve.” – Napoleon Hill. This quote from the 1937 book “Think and Grow Rich” has gained much popularity in recent years as a way to describe the power of positive thinking, one of the most essential concepts in training your brain.
Not enough detail on the goal and the process.
Whenever you set your goal, you need to describe it in intricate detail so that it becomes real to you. List the colors, smell, sound, feel, and texture if you can. Here is an example. A highly waxed metal-flake midnight blue Harley Softail deluxe with shiny leather seats with my initials, custom foot pegs, oversized tires, and a throaty growl and flames down the sides of the tank. Oversized chrome wheels that shine like a bright star. Get the idea?
Now, to make what you want to happen, please write it down. When a thought transfers into writing, it seeds in your mind what will come. I am a big fan of a small pad on which to write and rewrite notes. When writing something down, you imprint the thought, idea, or goal firmly into your brain, and that becomes indelible.
A well-known study by Dr. Gail Matthews at Dominican University found that people who wrote down their goals shared them with a friend, and provided regular progress updates were 42% more likely to achieve their goals than those who only thought about them.
I am a big fan of setting s.m.a.r.t. goals - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based. I hope this helps!
Mike Bogdanski
