Are you letting fear of failure hold you back from accomplishing your goals?
Have you bought into the lie of “immediate gratification” popularized in today’s society?
The practice and skill of setting goals, making a plan to achieve your goals and executing that plan seem to be uncommon. Why is that?
I suspect, it’s because it’s not sexy, glamorous or celebrated. We see the result of hard work glamorized and celebrated, but rarely see the daily discipline of focusing on incremental improvements and executing your plan. The hard work required to master yourself and the dedication to daily goal setting is foreign to so many people.
Fear of failure, or perhaps paralysis from analysis prevent many people from ever starting- they limit what they think is possible or what they’re capable of and they never even try. This brings to mind Thoreau’s aphorism “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.” Don’t accept this as the way your life has to be!
Instead, make a commitment to yourself to grow and improve in some area of your life. Set a target, a timeline and a plan and begin moving toward that goal TODAY! Take time for reflection- away from your phone, laptop, TV and other distractions- and look at your life. What areas do you want to improve? Where do you need growth? Jot down these items on a piece of paper and decide which one you will begin with first. Don’t overthink this by trying to stack rank or prioritize one over the other. If one item doesn’t immediately stand out as the natural choice to begin your journey, then go with the first one written. If you need help on goal setting, use the SMART acronym to help. Goals need to be S- specific M- measurable A- achievable R- relevant T- time limited.
As you progress through this process, make sure to have fun and enjoy the journey. You may just surprise yourself with how much you are capable of if you free yourself of self-imposed limitations. “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go” - T. S. Eliot