Setting Goals And Making Them A Reality
How is it that successful people become successful? Some write it off as pure luck — they believe that only a select few become successful and they become so because fate would have it so. Others believe that success involves knowing the right people, that networking is the key to success. Others still believe that success requires one thing and one thing only: hard work. The reality of it is that success — like everything else in life — is not just black and white.
There is not just one ingredient for success, but a lot of ingredients that make up the recipe. Networking and knowing the right people that will help you reach your goals, working diligently and constantly, as well as having some luck are all required ingredients for success. So where does one start? Where do we begin? Having the ingredients alone is not enough — you also need the hardware, the bowls, pans and spoons. You need the backbone of success; you need goals and a way of attaining them.
Setting goals for yourself seems like an easy task. You think about what you want and then you stamp it as a “goal.” Done. Sadly, it isn’t quite that simple — at least not if you want to actually attain any of your goals and eventually deem yourself as being successful. There is a methodology that ought to be employed in order to maximize your chances of success. I say maximize your chances because in the end, the one and only thing that will guarantee your success is your will power, your persistence and your perseverance.
Setting out on an unfamiliar journey is best done with a roadmap. Allow me to give you some pointers as how to best attack the problems at hand and how to climb to the summit of success.
First off, it is important to understand that the route to success is a long and arduous one. There are no shortcuts and pleasantries will be few and sparse. If you are trying to change your life then you will need to think of your journey as a life detox; you will have to give up your nasty habits and leave your comfort zone far behind. A good number of people have a good grip on the life they wish to have, but those that are capable of actually transforming themselves are few in number.
As soon as most of you begin to feel the intense discomfort that often accompanies such transformations, you will put your tail between your legs and walk away. When those times of discomfort come, remember that with time everything fades and eventually your discomfort will come to comfort you.
Looking at your ultimate goal from such a distance is incredibly disheartening. You may feel all fired up at first, but the longer you work toward that goal, the more you will realize how long it will really take to reach it and how much blood and sweat will be poured into it. In order to prevent for such a realization from driving you to madness and leading you astray, you must create several stepping-goals to stand on for support along the way.
These goals must be specific and must be plenty. The more of them you have, the easier it will be for you to keep focused. With each goal that you accomplish, you will become ever so more motivated and will begin to pick up steam — create momentum.
You should begin to use the powers of visualization and of constant reminding to your benefit. Write down — in physical form — your main goal and your next attainable stepping-goal on a piece of paper, cardboard or whatever surface you wish. It does not matter how or on what they are written as long as they are kept in a place where you will have no choice but to look at it. You want this piece of paper to serve as a constant reminder of where it is that you are going.
It seems too simple to be of any use, but some of the most successful people to have graced this world used such simple tricks to their benefit. Then when you read these goals every day — several times a day — make sure to take a brief moment to think about them, give them mind. Don’t simply acknowledge that you have a piece of paper taped to the inside of your laptop, but think about what it means to you. Visualize accomplishing those goals and imagine how freaking amazing it will feel once they are under your belt. Make sure to keep the goals specific in order to make them more real to you.
You may also want to write down a specific timeframe for achieving such goals (I wrote mine in with the goals themselves on that piece of paper). Setting a time restriction on your goals will help motivate you and serve as a reminder of how much time has gone by — making sure that you do not lose track of time and inevitably fail. We all have a lot going on in our lives. Adding our goals and dreams into the mix only makes things more complicated — and at the same time more interesting.
However, often at times you will find yourself getting caught up on some other aspect of your life and not even notice how far behind schedule you are on reaching that success you so badly desire. Set deadlines for yourself and do your best to follow them — forcing yourself to meet them whenever it is possible to do so. Later is better than never, but sooner is better than later.
Set up a system of rewards for yourself. Sure, the accomplishment of a goal is reward in itself. But so is a bottle of whiskey — or a weekend getaway to Barcelona. Downtime is a very important part of the process. Working yourself to the bone won’t to anything but kill you — you need to allow some time for unadulterated fun and debauchery.Just make sure that it doesn’t send you into a drinking or partying binge. Take off for a few days or a week (depending on how big the mountain you just conquered was) making sure to give yourself some time to calm your mind into peace, and then get right back into the ring — swinging hard.
There is time for pleasure, time for work and time for meditation. Do all in just the right proportions and your journey to success will be the most beautiful and fulfilling experience of your life — more so than the end goal in itself.
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